STEP's studious stars

The STEP Excellence Awards celebrate exceptional achievement, recognising the highest achievers across all STEP qualifications globally. 

We announced the winners in July, you can view the full list of winners here.

Aligned with STEP's commitment to promoting high standards and professional excellence, the awards honour the top-scoring students who have achieved distinction level in STEP exams, assignments, the Essay Route and the highest-scoring graduates in each of the STEP Diplomas. Join us as we delve into the experiences and insights of three of these exemplary professionals.

Stay tuned for more insights from our award-winning students in Issue 5 of the STEP Journal. 

How was your experience as a STEP student?

JK: I really enjoyed my time as a STEP student. Being part of the STEP community offers access to fantastic resources and commentary from industry experts, which helps to support your continued professional development. It also offers a great opportunity to get involved in your local branch and to meet like-minded professionals in the wealth planning industry. 

CF: My experience as a STEP student has been overwhelmingly positive. The courses I have undertaken have allowed me to continue my professional development and hone my technical ability. In addition, the courses and discussion groups are particularly enjoyable and allow students and members to meet and network with other professionals within the sector.

LM: I had a very good experience with STEP. When I started the course in early 2020, it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed everything. I had decided to defer the exam in May 2020, as it was an online examination and I had never completed an exam online before. I changed my mind five days before the exam after being encouraged by the course tutor and I am so happy that I completed it as it gave me a great sense of achievement during a very turbulent time for the world.  All my exams were then all online and I quickly adapted to that and online tutorials and the open book examination techniques.

Which route did you take and why?

JK: I took the standard Exam Route to STEP Membership. Having qualified as a solicitor in 2018, I already held the required experience and recognised qualification to allow me to begin studying towards the four Advanced Certificates. I felt the Exam Route therefore best aligned with my goal to achieve full STEP membership.

CF: I pursued the Examination Route, as the topics covered within the relevant Advanced Certificates were most relevant to my day-to-day work. In particular, I continually refer to my Taxation of Trusts and Estates course materials, which have been of invaluable assistance to me.

LM: I undertook the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (Northern Ireland) as I was interested in expanding my knowledge in the areas covered by the course.

How will the course help you with your career?

JK: Studying towards the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates has helped to broaden my technical understanding as well as highlighting key practical points to be aware of in the private client and wealth planning industry. The Diploma offers exposure to a wide variety of different areas and has helped to reinforce and develop my knowledge in areas that I already deal with on a routine basis.

CF: I am delighted to have been admitted as a TEP, following my completion of the Diploma in Trusts and Estates: a particularly prestigious qualification, recognised worldwide. The knowledge and skills that I have acquired have allowed me to liaise more effectively with clients and enhance the services I am able to provide to them.

LM: It has improved my knowledge of trusts and enhanced my confidence in advising on the use and consequences of using a trust, as well as strengthening my knowledge in administration of estate and the taxation of estates.

What does this award mean to you?

JK: I was delighted to find out that I had received a STEP Excellence Award for achieving the highest overall mark in the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (England & Wales). The four Advanced Certificates that make up the STEP Diploma are renowned for being challenging exams and obtaining full membership is universally seen as being the gold standard for those working in this industry. It truly is a prestigious accolade and I am thrilled that my hard work has been recognised by STEP.  

CF: I am delighted to received various awards this year. I am very grateful to my firm, Shepherd and Wedderburn, for supporting me through this qualification and allowing me opportunities to put my learnings from the various courses into practice on a daily basis.

LM: I am very proud of my achievements as balancing studying, working as a solicitor and running the business, as well as family life, has been challenging throughout the past three years. Thanks to the support of my family and work colleagues, I have done my best and completed my goals. Receiving the Excellence Awards were unexpected surprises that boosted my sense of achievement.

What would you say to those considering a STEP qualification?

JK: Although studying towards the STEP Diploma is certainly demanding, it is an incredibly rewarding experience and helps to distinguish you from others in your field. The course offering really is invaluable and I would absolutely recommend the Diploma to anyone new to the industry or those who are simply looking to broaden their knowledge and understanding.

CF: I would encourage all practitioners within the trusts and estates sector to complete a STEP qualification. While the courses I enrolled in were all challenging, they were also exceptionally rewarding. The standard of tutoring was very high and the technical knowledge I have acquired will be beneficial to me throughout my future career.

LM: It is a great way to expand knowledge as well as reminding yourself of the things that you already know. The knowledge that practice has given you will help boost your performance, so it is not as daunting as it looks when you receive the course materials. Having the course materials for future reference is invaluable and going back to doing exams is like riding the proverbial bicycle!

What are your career aspirations?

JK: Becoming a TEP was always an important step in my career progression as it helps to improve the quality of the technical advice I am able to offer to clients and ensures I am viewed as a specialist among other professionals in the industry. Looking to the future, I would like to continue to build upon the foundations that the Diploma helps to teach and ensure that I can offer pragmatic advice and, most importantly, genuinely help clients. 

CF: I am keen to continue to increase my exposure to challenging and varied work and I believe that I am well equipped for this, by virtue of my completion of various STEP courses. In particular, I enjoy being involved in varied trust and estate work and carrying out complex inheritance tax calculations, and I wish to continue to have opportunities to develop my experience in this field.

LM: To learn more every day and provide the best advice and service to my clients that I can so that they can have peace of mind and help them through difficult times.

What do you think makes a successful advisor?

JK: Much of what we do when advising clients involves an element of problem solving and finding a successful solution to their particular set of circumstances. I believe that a successful advisor will therefore need to call upon a wide range of different skills in order to do this effectively. Studying towards the STEP Diploma, and being part of the STEP community more generally, provides you with the exposure you need to really enhance and develop these skills.

CF: Four key components to a successful advisor, in my opinion, are legal competence and skill; diligence and attention to detail; client care skills; and commercial awareness. I hope to continue to develop these skills over the course of my career.   

LM: Good communication skills coupled with streamlined file management processes to ensure that the client is heard, helped and that as much stress and hassle is taken away from them at what can be a very difficult time in their lives.