STEP TQR Editorial Board

TQR

Meet the Editorial Board of the Trust Quarterly Review (TQR)

Robin MacKnight TEP

After more than 40 years in active practice, Robin retired and returned to his student roots. He is now working on a PhD in Law at Osgoode Hall Law School, focusing on reforming tax issues affecting private Canadian corporations. His practice included tax, business and estate planning and implementation, dispute resolution with federal and provincial revenue authorities and public policy submissions to all levels of government. Robin also teaches in the graduate program at Osgoode Hall Law School, was one of the original faculty of the University of Waterloo Master of Tax program where he was the thesis supervisor and taught an emerging issues course for ten years, and has taught at Queen's University Law School, the Harvard Law School International Tax Program, the University of Calgary law school and the bar admission courses in Ontario and Alberta. Robin has served on several advisory committees to the CRA and industry associations. He has served as a director of STEP Canada and as a member of the STEP Worldwide Council. He was granted a Founder’s Award for his long and varied service to STEP and STEP Canada.

Ed Powles TEP

Ed is a Partner at Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP. He advises financial institutions and individuals on a range of commercial and private client matters. He focuses in particular on family, charitable and commercial trusts, and onshore and offshore personal taxation.

He obtained his MA and LLM from Cambridge University before joining Allen & Overy LLP as a trainee in 2002.

Keith Wallace

Previously head of the pensions department, Keith is now a consultant at Reed Smith. He joined Richards Butler as a partner in 1984 and has specialised in trusts and pensions since 1968. He also has extensive experience of custodianship, stocklending, collective funds, derivatives and legal issues affecting public trusts of all kinds. He has held various Financial Services Authority approved roles.

Keith has served on the Takeover Panel and was the first lawyer to be elected to the NAPF Investment Committee. He continues to assist the NAPF on financial services issues. He founded and for 16 years chaired a successful asset management company.

He was a founding Committee Member of the Association of Pension Lawyers and for 16 years edited British Pension Lawyer, the legal journal he started. He is a Member of the Council of TACT, The Association of Corporate Trustees.

Shelley White TEP

Shelley White joined Walkers' Cayman Islands office in 2010; she is a Partner in the Insolvency and Dispute Resolution department and heads the Cayman Islands trusts litigation offering. Shelley specialises in trusts litigation, insolvency litigation, fraud and asset recovery. Having practised at the Chancery Commercial Bar in London from 2003 until 2010, Shelley is a specialist advocate and regularly represents clients in court at all levels.

Shelley is an honourary international member of the Chancery Bar Association, a member of STEP and a member of the International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation. Shelley was an elected member of the Bar Council of England and Wales from 2007 until 2010.

Philippe De Salis TEP

Philippe is a Partner and Head of Fiduciary at Stonehage Fleming in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He joined the Stonehage Fleming in 2007 after working for several years as an attorney-at-law in Berne and Geneva, specialising in corporate and commercial law. Philippe graduated from the University of Zurich in 1996 with a degree in law. He qualified as an attorney-at-law and was admitted to the Bar of the Canton of Berne in 1999. Philippe also obtained a post-graduate diploma in law from the University of Geneva in 2004. As well as being a member of the editorial board of STEP’s Trust Quarterly Review, he is also Chairman of the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (SATC).

Alison Gilbert TEP

Alison Gilbert leads the Private Client Team at Brookfields New Zealand. She has extensive experience in working with trustees and/or beneficiaries on trust disputes and contentious estate matters. Alison is the chair of the STEP New Zealand and is a member of the STEP Contentious Trusts & Estates SIG Global Steering Committee. She is the lead author of Lexis Nexis Succession - Practical Guidelines.

Alison has been ranked in the 1st band as a private client lawyer in Chambers & Partners High Net Worth 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Guides.