STEP Advanced Certificate in Trusts: Law and Practice (Scotland)

Master the trust concept and trustee responsibilities required to deliver advice in Scotland. Take a step closer to the STEP Diploma with the STEP Advanced Certificate in Trusts: Law and Practice (Scotland).

Course details

This course provides practitioners with the technical knowledge and practical skills required to deliver holistic advice in Scotland relating to trusts law. 

  • Gain in-depth expertise: Improve your technical knowledge of the issues arising in relation to trusts and the laws and procedures involved.
  • Practical focus: Practical advice and guidance written by practitioners, for practitioners.
  • Build valuable connections: Network with like-minded professionals in varied roles and firms.
  • Industry recognition: A recognised ‘gold-standard’ professional qualification for those working in the industry, and is awarded in association with Alliance Manchester Business School, a School of the University of Manchester.
Awarded in association with AMBS

Course fees: £1000 + local taxes

Course dates, fees and enrol now:

If you are not already a member of STEP, you need to join before enrolling onto this course as you will need your STEP membership number to hand when booking. Find out more here. Please allow five working days for your membership application to be approved by STEP. Applicable local taxes and discounts will be added to your basket on checkout for this course.

Our courses can become oversubsribed quickly and places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. We advise that you book early to ensure you receive your requested workshop dates and to check the dates as soon as you receive your booking confirmation email.

Customised Pricing and Group Rates

Tailored pricing plans and group rate cards are available for firms seeking to train multiple team members or larger groups of employees. We are happy to work with you to design a cost-effective solution that aligns with your training goals and budget.

Enquire now via our Corporate Solutions team

Instalment Plans

You can pay for your course fees in instalments if you choose the interest-free instalment plans available for certain courses. Specifically, you can opt for three equal monthly instalments for Certificate and Advanced Certificate level courses that total over £800 (excluding VAT), or six equal monthly instalments for the Professional Postgraduate Diploma. Payments can be made using a credit or debit card.

STEP Diploma: Trusts and Estates in Scotland recommended route

 

 

STEP Advanced Certificate in Will and Executries: Law and Practice (Scotland)
STEP Advanced Certificate in Taxation of Trusts and Estates (Scotland)
STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust and Executry Accounting (Scotland)

Become a member of STEP

To take this course you need to be a member of STEP at Affiliate level or higher.

What will I learn?

  • The essential features and parties to a trust
  • The classification of different types of trusts
  • The requirements and procedure involved for the creation of a trust
  • The different rules applicable to the formation and operation of the liferent trust, the discretionary trust and the charitable trust
  • The office, duties and powers of trustees and other fiduciaries
  • The general principles of liability and appropriate remedies and defences for breach
  • The means of varying the terms of private and public trusts
  • The general principles of drafting trust documentation
  • Matters relating to risk management for trust advisers

Course format

This course is available for study twice a year and takes four months to complete. It is delivered online.

Enrolment onto this course will include access to an online learning platform containing:

  • bespoke course reading
  • self-assessment tools
  • supporting material

The course fee includes attendance at two online workshops led by a subject matter expert.
The course is assessed by way of a five-hour open-book examination.

Once you have successfully completed this course, you will be awarded the STEP Advanced Certificate in Trusts: Law and Practice (Scotland). 

Digital Certificates from April 2026

From April 6th 2026, printed certificates will no longer be issued. All certificates will be provided digitally via Diplomasafe.

This change supports our commitment to sustainability and modernisation. Digital certificates are:

  • Eco-friendly – reducing paper use and our carbon footprint
  • Secure – each certificate includes a QR code for instant verification
  • Convenient – easy to access, store, and share

Certificates are issued by our credentials partner, Diplomasafe. CLTI will securely share data with Diplomasafe in line with GDPR to enable digital credentialing. Learn more: https://diplomasafe.com

Is this course right for me?

This course is suitable for: 

  • legal and trust professionals 
  • support staff and paralegals 
  • accountants and banking professionals 
  • tax advisers 
  • independent financial advisers 
  • executorship administrators 

What learners say:

speech marks

The manual is a very good source of information. The workshops were useful. Overall the course is very useful.

Past student