There are many awards in the financial services sector these days – barely a fortnight goes by that I do not see an article or press release about an award being given to some deserving individual, firm or jurisdiction.

However, the STEP Private Client Awards stands out for two reasons: firstly, the fact that STEP itself represents a recognised quality watermark in our field; and secondly, because the industry understands the rigour of the assessment and judging process for the awards.

It’s worth considering for a moment the first point, being the strength of the STEP brand. STEP membership is an important benchmark for practitioners, and STEP provides quality training sessions and conferences for members, as well as a respected and effective lobbying voice for the industry.

STEP’s reputation is based on rigour and expertise, so the second point about the judging process is hardly surprising, but bears underlining – the STEP awards are meticulously judged through a practitioner-led process, and a serious amount of effort goes into even preparing a shortlist.

So, when asked to be a part of the judging panel for this year’s awards, I was delighted to accept. Having been on the Panel of Experts for a few years, I had an idea of how much work would be required, but even with that experience I was genuinely impressed at how much effort is involved, and how seriously the judging process is taken.

The judges were given a significant amount of ‘homework’ to get through, over and above the meetings at which the shortlists and winners were selected, some after lengthy debate – with real efforts made on the parts of all of the judges to be scrupulously fair.

Having been a part of the judging process and seen it from the other side, I am even more proud of Ogier’s Awards last year, and I am now looking forward even more to next month’s event.

It’s not just a fun evening with a great host, it’s also a good networking event, and from the point of view of a team based in Jersey, a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with some of those who we deal with mainly by phone or email.

• The STEP Private Client Awards takes place in London on 8 September.

 

Sally Edwards TEP is Head of the Private Client and Trusts Team at Ogier, which won the International Legal Team of the Year in both 2015 and 2012. This year, she is a member of the judging panel for the STEP Private Client Awards.