Yorkshire’s Legal People chosen to judge at prestigious industry awards.

Private client law specialist Amanda Simmonds of Family Law has been invited to sit on a panel of experts to judge the Large Legal Team of the Year category in this year’s STEP Private Client Awards 2014/15.

Qualifying as a solicitor in 1988, Amanda joined Chadwick Lawrence earlier this year as an associate. She specialises in trusts, tax planning and Business Families and is a Chartered Tax Adviser as well as being a member of STEP.

STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) is a worldwide professional association for practitioners dealing with family inheritance and succession planning, a highly regarded association within the industry.

The prestigious Awards ceremony, held at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel on the 17^th September recognises excellence among private client solicitor/attorneys, accountants, barristers, bankers, trust managers and financial advisors.

Amanda’s 25 years’ experience in private client law, her recent experience as STEP Yorkshire branch chair for 4 years and her continued commitment to the industry have placed Amanda as a leading expert in her field and therefore a first choice to sit on the panel of experts.

This recognition from a gold standard, internationally recognised excellence body, positions the Yorkshire based firm alongside top industry players such as Farrer & Co, Burges Salmon and Boodle Hatfield who are finalists in the Large Legal Team category.

Amanda, who also sits on the STEP Business Families Special Interest Group Steering Committee and is a “Virtual Member” of the CIOT CGT and Succession Taxes Technical sub committees, commented on the endorsement; “It is an honour to be chosen as an authority in this field and is a testament to the calibre and expertise of Chadwick Lawrence that we have been selected, to not only adjudicate but identify and award some of the country’s leading firms and practitioners.”

Neil Wilson, Managing Partner at Chadwick Lawrence followed up by saying, “Essential to the continued success and growth of the Firm is to be recognised by our peers as a reputable and knowledgeable company. The acknowledgement that Amanda has received through STEP is a testament to the dedication shown by our team, something we are continuing to encourage across all departments.”