As many of you are aware, the 10^th annual STEP Private Client Awards will soon be upon us. As Chair of the Presiding Judges I help review entries from around the world and coordinate the difficult task of helping choose the winners. There is, however, one category that is decided solely by STEP members. The Trusted Advisor of the Year category recognises an outstanding individual practitioner in any discipline serving private clients or an advisor who stands out as an expert in the field. The nominees for Trusted Advisor of the Year are:

 Julia Abrey TEP, Withers

Julia is Partner and head of the Withers’ multi-jurisdictional elder law team in London. She is a specialist in international elder law and capacity issues and is highly rated in Legal 500 2014 and Chambers 2015. Julia also chairs STEP’s Mental Capacity Special Interest Group.

 William Ahern TEP, Family Capital Conservation 

William (or Bill as he is more commonly known) is based in Hong Kong having been admitted as a solicitor in Australia, Hong Kong and England and Wales. He is the Principal of Family Capital Conservation, which assists intermediaries and wealthy families in the areas of complex succession, cross-border tax and family legacy. Bill is a former Chair of STEP Hong Kong and a member of the STEP Worldwide Council.

 Jonathan Burt TEP, Harcus Sinclair

Jonathan is a partner with the law firm Harcus Sinclair. Previously, he was a partner with Baker & McKenzie and a managing director of Barclays Wealth. He specialises in advising clients on complex international matters typically involving cross-border tax and trusts, multi-jurisdictional succession planning and conflict of law issues.

 Walid S. Chiniara TEP, Deloitte Middle East

Walid is a Partner at Deloitte Middle East, and leads Deloitte Private across the GCC and MENA region. He is a leading family business advisor, a corporate finance lawyer, and an accredited mediator specialised in managing intergenerational conflicts, with 35 years’ experience working across five continents.

 Martyn Gowar TEP, McDermott Will & Emery

Martyn is senior counsel at McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP and an Executive Committee Member of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies; Chairman of the Succession Sub-Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation; Vice President (Europe) of the International Academy of Estate & Trust Law; Chairman of the Estates Business Group; and a member of the STEP Journal Editorial Board.

 Christopher McCall QC TEP, Maitland Chambers

Christopher specialises in trusts, tax and charity matters at Maitland Chambers.  Over a long and distinguished career, he has acted extensively for and against HMRC and for the Attorney‑General in charity matters. He has fought numerous complex appeals in the Privy Council, House of Lords and Court of Appeal. Legal directories consistently rate him in the front rank for private client work.

The PCAs are an occasion to recognise and celebrate outstanding work in the field by our fellow practitioners. Voting is open to STEP members until 31 July 2015. I hope all of you will take the time to vote and show the high regard in which you hold your peers.

Paul Stibbard TEP is Executive Vice Chairman with Rothschild Trust in London. He sits on STEP’s International Committee, Business Families Special Interest Group Steering Committee and has been Chair of the Presiding Judges for the STEP Private Client Awards three times.