About Legacy Law
About Catherine
Legacy Law is the brainchild of solicitor Catherine Whitaker TEP. Catherine grew up in Reading and has always lived and worked in the area, other than for a brief few years away whilst attending university at St Andrews in Scotland.
Catherine qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and since that time has focused entirely on Wills, trusts, mental capacity and estates. Having worked for many years at a top tier Chambers and Legal 500 firm in Reading, she then moved to a Thames Valley firm where she was the head of the Wills, trusts, and estate administration department, training and supervising other solicitors across several offices. In August 2020, Catherine decided to leave a large firm environment, wanting more time to focus on client matters and believing that a small specialist law firm could deliver legal services in a more flexible, client-centric way. Legacy Law was born.
Catherine is the only employee in the business. This means that when you telephone Legacy Law you will be speaking with Catherine. Right from your initial enquiry to the conclusion of your matter, you will only deal with one person. This continuity is an excellent way to develop an efficient working relationship with clients.
Clients describe Catherine as kind, friendly, clear, and also having a high level of legal expertise.
Our expertise
Catherine is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) – the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and succession planning. STEP members help families plan for their futures, from drafting a Will to advising on issues concerning protection of the vulnerable, family businesses and philanthropy. Full STEP members, known as TEPs, are internationally recognised as experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience.
Choosing a professional to help you to deal with such important and often sensitive issues can be difficult. Many aspects of planning are non-regulated, meaning anyone can write a Will, regardless of training or expertise. With a TEP, you are in safe hands. They are recommended for their expertise, integrity, knowledge, professional standards and connections. For more information on TEPs, click here.
As well as working in private practice, Catherine also is a contributing technical author for the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (STEP’s flagship qualification). Through her work on the course materials, Catherine helps maintain the high standards within the industry. Her technical expertise assists STEP in the training and assessment of new practitioners who wish to make their career in this industry.
Catherine is a member of Association of Lifetime Lawyers (formerly Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE)). SFE was set up in 1996 and set out to be a specialist group of lawyers to support and make a difference to older and vulnerable people. Vulnerable people in this context mean people who may not be able bodied and/or who may be mentally incapacitated.
Only a very select group of people can become members of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers. They must be fully qualified and insured solicitors, barristers, or chartered legal executives, and they must spend at least 50% of their time working with older and vulnerable clients.
The association is a community of trusted advisors – professionally highly qualified and who also have additional skills to enable them to work with older and vulnerable clients.
Catherine is also a trained Dementia Friend. A Dementia Friend is somebody that learns about dementia so they can help their community.
Too many people affected by dementia feel that society fails to understand the condition they live with. Dementia Friends help by raising awareness and understanding, so that people living with dementia can continue to live in the way they want.
In her spare time Catherine likes to spend time with her family, walking in the countryside, baking, and reading a good book.
Our ethos
Our clients are the centre of our business. The creation of legal documentation is a complex task which requires an in-depth understanding of the various legal principles and consequences. This doesn’t have to make the process daunting for the client, however. At Legacy Law, we believe in making the complex easy to understand, and our focus is on making sure that you gain a thorough understanding of the legal decisions you make throughout your time with us. We create documents which are bespoke for your circumstances, and flexible enough to last whatever unexpected events occur.
We speak in plain English, and we are clear and fair in all our dealings with you. As a solicitor, Catherine is under a professional duty to act in the best interests of clients at all times, and this is something Catherine takes very seriously. As a solicitor, Catherine is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 390570). Her regulation as a solicitor offers greater protection for her clients than is available for those receiving services through unregulated advisors.
