Irwin Mitchell national head appointed chair of STEP steering committee

The national head of Tax, Trust, Estates and Disputes at leading national law firm has been appointed as chair to the leading specialist will disputes committee in the UK.

Partner Paula Myers has been voted in as chair of the Contentious Trusts and Estates SIG Steering Committee for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). Paula has been a full member of STEP for many years and has achieved STEP’s Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes.

STEP is the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and succession planning. STEP works to improve public understanding of the issues families face in this area and promotes education and high professional standards among its members.

The Contentious Trusts and Estates special interest group focuses on international trust and estate jurisprudence while promoting best practice in avoiding, or dealing with, contentious trust and estate disputes and trustee litigation.

Of her appointment, Paula said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been voted in as chair of the Contentious Trusts and Estates SIG Steering Committee, which is the industry standard for those in the will, trust and estate disputes sphere.

“Irwin Mitchell has a longstanding relationship with STEP, with many of our solicitors having qualified or in the process of qualifying for full membership, so I’m very pleased we’ve been able to further cement our affiliation with this new role.

“Given the pandemic we know supporting our clients through their contentious trusts and estates needs is going to be more important than ever, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we can work as a group to best navigate the waters ahead.”

Paula’s appointment comes following a flurry of successes between Irwin Mitchell’s Private Wealth team and STEP. In December 2020 the national Tax, Trusts and Estates team won Private Client Legal Team of the Year (large firm) at the 2020 STEP Private Client Awards.

In 2020 partner Andrea Jones was appointed as chair of STEP’s Yorkshire committee, while associate Kate Caldwell in the Tax, Trusts and Estates London team and solicitor Sarah Wintle in the Tax, Trusts and Estates Leeds team both qualified as full members (TEPs) this year.

In 2019 the national Tax, Trusts and Estates team was awarded Platinum Employer Partner accreditation by the professional association, which takes into account a firm’s quality of training, learning and development.

STEP members help families plan for their futures, from drafting wills to issues surrounding international families, protection of the vulnerable, family businesses and philanthropic giving. Full STEP members, known as TEPs, are internationally recognised as experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience.