Winners at STEP Private Client Awards
The first ever Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Private Client Awards were held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on the 26 September 2006 and the award winners have been announced.
Those of relevant to tax/finance professionals are:
Private Banking Team of the Year – HSBC Private Bank
Barrister of the Year – Chris Whitehouse, 5 Stone Buildings
Accountancy Team of the Year (UK & Ireland) – Saffery Champness
Offshore Legal Team of the Year – Ogier Walkers
Private Client Book of the Year – Butterworth’s Guide to US/UK Private Wealth Tax Planning
London Legal Team of the Year – Macfarlanes
The Judges were:
Wilson Cotton TEP, Chair of the Judging Panel
Wilson is Chair of the Judging panel and a director of Smith & Williamson Ltd. He is currently Vice President of The Association of Corporate Trustees (TACT).
Wilson was voted Private Client Accountant of the Year in the High Nets awards and has recently written the accounting and taxation chapters for the 25th edition of Ranking, Spicer and Pegler’s Executorship Law, Trusts and Accounts.
Russell Bussey TEP
Russell has only ever worked in Private Clients and has over 14 years experience in the Private Client Investment industry. Most recently Russell joined Alliance Bernstein in the UK having previously been at UBS and before that at Credit Suisse.
Russell has dealt with many types of Investment situations from pure UK domestic to International and cross border Client needs. Recently voted in the CityWealth top 100 advisers Russell is well placed due to his experience in commenting on the solutions provided by the Investment Industry for clients of all types.
George Lyall TEP
George specialises in the taxation of private individuals, family companies, partnerships and trusts and has particular experience in capital tax planning. George is also an advisor to many charitable bodies on charity law and related issues.
George qualified as a Scottish Solicitor and worked as a Court Assistant with Caeser and Howe, West Lothian until joining the predecessor firm of Ernst and Young in 1985. Whilst with Ernst and Young, George qualified as a Chartered Accountant and worked as a Senior Tax Manager. He joined Dickinson Dees in 1994 and became a partner in 1997. George was Head of the Private Client department from November 1998 until April 2005. He has returned to a client-handling role with a marketing responsibility for the department.
Rosemary Marr TEP
Rosemary is a director at Pentera Trust Company Limited, based in Jersey. Rosemary is also a committee member and recent past Chairman of the Jersey Branch of STEP, a Deputy Chairman of STEP Worldwide as well as being an editor of the STEP Journal. She is regularly involved with the organisation of conferences and from time-to-time is a speaker at STEP and other conferences.
She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, having originally qualified with the A.C.I.B. (Trustee) qualification and has been involved in the financial services industry in the UK and Jersey for approximately 30 years. Her specialist areas include Estate Planning, Structuring and the Management of Offshore Trusts and Companies. She is an accredited mediator.
Paul Stibbard TEP
Paul is a Partner and Head of Private Client Department for Baker & McKenzie in London and specialises in cross-border tax and succession work for families with multi-jurisdictional issues. He particularly focuses on structuring involving the Middle East, Latin America and US related work involving the use of trusts and foundations. He also advises on the creation of international philanthropic structures. He is the editor of the firm’s Private Banking Newsletter. Practice Areas include: International tax planning for high-net-worth individuals. Creating cross-border international trust structures for multi-national families. Advising trust companies on validity of existing international trust structures, specifically referring possible rights of forced heirs from civil and Sharia law jurisdictions. Legal and tax issues on family business succession. Specialist on creation of charities and charity law.
Shan Warnock-Smith QC TEP
Shan has been in practice at the Chancery Bar since 1980 and took Silk in 2002. She is both an adviser and litigator in the whole range of trust and estates matters and is ranked among the leading Silk in private client work. In addition to her English practice, she practises extensively in IFC jurisdictions. Shan also appears in the Court of Protection and, with others at 5 Stone Buildings, is an editor of Heywood and Massey’s Court of Protection Practice. She is an accredited mediator and is a specialist in the mediation of trust and probate disputes. She is a member of STEP and ACTAPS.
Andrew Young TEP
Andrew is Head of the Tax and Private Capital department at London-based law firm Lawrence Graham LLP. He typically advises international private banks and trust companies, ultra high-net-worth families and family offices, with a multi-jurisdictional asset base. Andrew has particular expertise in estate planning and succession matters, capital taxation, domicile and residence issues, international trust structuring and asset preservation, contentious trust and estate work and fiduciary risk management for corporate trustees.