A ‘STEP’ change has taken place at Cardiff law firm Robertsons, following the accreditation of its head probate solicitor by a prestigious society.
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Afonwy Howell-Pryce, Robertsons’ head of wills, probate and trusts, is now a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), an exclusive body of lawyers and accountants specialising in trusts, having completed the diploma in Trust and Estate Administration. There are just 132 members of the STEP branch in Wales, setting Robertsons – one of the city’s oldest legal firms – apart from the crowd.
To gain the diploma, Afonwy studied for up to 10 hours each week, in addition to working full time, with four modules each divided into 10 sections. She sat a three-hour, closed-book exam for every module – with a 500-page manual to learn inside out for each! The accreditation now affords Afonwy a more in-depth knowledge of trust and estate work, allowing her to provide exceptionally detailed advice to clients.
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“She said “An awful lot of work went in to achieving the accreditation. There are around 6,500 members of STEP in England and Wales, out of about 140,000 practising solicitors, so it means a great deal to me. It has broadened my knowledge and my expertise in handling more complex matters and given me confidence to deal with issues which I possibly would not have dealt with four years ago, which will benefit our clients enormously.”
Afonwy, who joined Robertsons last year to develop the wills, probate and trusts department, is now planning a well-deserved break from studying for the time being, although she has future ambitions to become a notary, an internationally recognised solicitor.
Robertsons litigation lawyer Chris Barber said:
“Robertsons’ values are based on service, expertise and community, and having Afonwy as a STEP practitioner means that we now bring exceptional expertise to our wills, probate and trusts department. “With only a handful of solicitors in Wales holding this prestigious accreditation, we are set apart from other firms in our area.
“Estate planning is essential – especially if you have sizeable assets – and you need someone who knows what they are doing, is personable and can offer exceptional service. This is Afonwy in a nutshell, and we’re so proud of her remarkable achievement.”
