Press Release

Shepherd and Wedderburn has been awarded Platinum Employer Partner accreditation by STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, attaining the highest of three accreditation levels awarded under STEP's Employer Partnership Programme.

The firm previously held gold accreditation under the scheme but this has been upgraded to reflect the strength of the policies, practices and structures that support its private wealth and tax offering.

To achieve platinum accreditation, an organisation must show that the importance of learning and development is championed throughout the organisation, and demonstrate a positive work and learning environment.

Trent Weber, Senior Manager Employer Partnerships at STEP, said: “It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Shepherd and Wedderburn since they joined the programme in early 2020. I’m very pleased that they were able to achieve this highest level of accreditation. It’s testament to the strong L&D provision and supportive environment that they have in place for their people.”

Gillian Campbell, Shepherd and Wedderburn’s Head of Private Wealth and Tax in the north of Scotland and the firm’s official STEP student mentor, said: “Our prestigious award from STEP validates the quality of the learning opportunities and support that we offer our professionals to be the best they can be in their chosen career. It also reflects our unwavering commitment to providing legal advice and client service of the highest quality.”

The platinum accreditation tops a year of resounding success for the firm’s private wealth and tax team, which was recently ranked as a Tier 1 practice in the latest Legal 500 directory.

In April, the team was bolstered by the acquisition of the Dentons’ Scottish private client team, creating one of Scotland’s largest private wealth and tax offerings and expanding the specialist asset protection, personal tax planning, trusts, executries and succession planning support available to clients.