15 December 2022

Burges Salmon is delighted to have been successful with two award wins at the STEP Private Client Awards 2022/23.

The firm won in the ‘Private Client Team of the Year - Large Firm’ category for the fifth time since 2015/16 and in the inaugural ‘Employer of the Year’ category.

An international association for practitioners specialising in family inheritance and succession planning, STEP has 20,000 members from a range of professions. Its annual awards, now in their 17th year, celebrate excellence among private client lawyers, trustees, accountants and other specialists across the world and are widely recognised as the most prestigious awards in the industry.

The winners were announced on Tuesday 13 December 2022 at an awards ceremony that saw the event’s commentator praise the Burges Salmon team’s seamless client service and workplace culture.

The firm won in the Private Client Team of the Year category for demonstrating a clear capacity to undertake complex client issues, reinforcing the team’s sector specialisms, providing excellent client service delivery and innovating to differentiate themselves from competitors, while demonstrating commitment to the wider profession.

The firm won in the Employer of the Year category in respect of its people’s satisfaction around career development, pay, management, work/life balance and the firm’s culture.

Further demonstrating its commitment to its people and communities, Burges Salmon was also recently ranked 23rd as a Top 75 UK employer in the Social Mobility Foundation Index, recognised with a Platinum ‘We invest in people’ accreditation by Investors in People, and named one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women for the second year running, among other accolades.

John Barnett, Head of the firm’s Tax and Private Client team, says: “It really is absolutely fantastic to have been successful once again at these prestigious awards – and in two such brilliant categories.

We all know that to receive a STEP Award is the hallmark of quality within the private wealth sector, and this recognition is testament not only to Burges Salmon being proud to care – for its people, its clients and for the wider communities around us - but also for the commitment and resilience our team has demonstrated over the past year.

I am really proud of our entire team, who deserve this award for their relentless focus on our clients and for continuing to provide them with the excellent level of service for which Burges Salmon is known.”

Judges at the STEP Private Client Awards 2022/23 commented on the firm’s Private Client Team of the Year win: “A stand-out entry, Burges Salmon has been quick to develop real knowledge and specialise in newer areas affecting private clients, such as crypto and natural capital, and has demonstrated real innovation through its development of apps that provide clear practical benefits to its clients.”

In respect of the firm’s Employer of the Year win, judges commented: “The judges were hugely impressed by Burges Salmon. It stood out as an inclusive and enjoyable place to work, where staff at all levels are made to feel integral to the business and given the space and resources to grow and flourish. A worthy inaugural winner of this new award category.”

The Burges Salmon Private Wealth team is nationally and internationally recognised for providing clear and practical legal advice to clients in the UK and abroad. The team works with a wide variety of clients including entrepreneurs, landowners, high and ultra-high net worth individuals, trustees and family offices, both onshore and offshore.

Key contact

Headshot John Barnett

John Barnett Partner

  • Head of Partnerships
  • Private Client Services
  • Tax

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