Essex law firm announces solicitor qualifying into wills, trusts and probate team

Essex law firm announces solicitor qualifying into wills, trusts and probate team

Birkett Long is delighted to announce Katey Stephenson in the firm’s wills, trusts and probate team has qualified as a solicitor.

Katey advises clients on estate administration, wills, trusts, trust administration, lasting powers of attorney and tax matters. 

Katey had almost 4 years’ experience as a paralegal in the firm’s wills, trusts and probate team and managed her own caseload before qualifying into the team. Unusually, Katey qualified through two regulatory bodies, both the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Katey studied at the University of Sheffield and achieved a 2:1 in Law and Criminology. After Katey completed her degree, she became a legal assistant at a firm in Sheffield before coming to Birkett Long as a paralegal. She then completed her Graduate Diploma in Law with CILEX and qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in July 2021. Supported by the firm, Katey took her CILEX exams whilst working at Birkett Long and, once they had finished, moved on to her Legal Practice Course at the University of Law gaining a distinction before qualifying as a solicitor in September 2021.

Katey said: “Birkett Long has been a great support to me throughout my studies. My team has been amazing and I am incredibly grateful to my team leader, Ben Parmenter, who has supported my choices throughout and any additional training has always been encouraged. It has been a long and arduous journey to get where I am today but I’m very grateful that I had the support of the firm. I’m excited for the next chapter of my career and look forward to continuing to grow and develop my knowledge as a Solicitor in the wills, trusts and probate team.”

On what she likes about Birkett Long, Katey said: “There’s a lovely friendly feel which is something I appreciated much more having moved from a much larger city firm. I’ve always been very happy with the way Birkett Long supports their employees throughout studying and have found that, if you’re willing to put in the hard work, Birkett Long will reward that.”

In her spare time, Katey loves to read and spend time with her family and friends.

For further press information please contact Jennie Skingsley at Birkett Long on 01206 217605, email: jennie.skingsley@birkettlong.co.uk