Chetcuti Cauchi has maintained a longstanding professional relationship with STEP Malta, the local branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, through membership, leadership and contributions to private wealth practice. Senior Partners Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP and Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker TEP have both chaired STEP Malta and participated in its professional development. Their engagement extends to trusts, estate planning, family-business succession and cross-border wealth structuring. The firm's contributions to STEP publications also address the evolution of Malta's legal framework for family businesses and single-family offices, reflecting its wider work with internationally active families and professional advisers.
Key Legal Points
- STEP is an international professional body for practitioners advising families on inheritance, succession, trusts and related private wealth matters.
- Chetcuti Cauchi's relationship with STEP Malta includes leadership by two senior partners and sustained professional involvement.
- The firm has contributed to professional discussion on trust regulation, estate planning, family-business governance and succession.
- Its STEP Journal publications address Malta's development as a jurisdiction for family businesses and international family offices.
- STEP involvement complements the firm's trusts, estate planning, international tax and family-office advisory practices.
About STEP Malta
STEP is the international professional body for practitioners advising families on inheritance, succession planning, trusts, estates and the management of family wealth.
Its members include lawyers, accountants, trustees, fiduciaries and other professionals whose work involves helping individuals and families organise, preserve and transfer assets between generations.
The organisation promotes professional standards, education, technical development and engagement with legal and regulatory policy affecting private wealth.
STEP Malta serves the Maltese professional community through seminars, continuing professional development, technical discussions and engagement with matters affecting the country's trusts and estates sector.
The branch provides a forum through which Maltese practitioners participate in wider international discussion concerning succession, fiduciary regulation, wealth structuring and the practical challenges facing internationally connected families.
Malta's relevance to this professional community extends beyond domestic inheritance planning. Its trusts and foundations framework, corporate structures, tax legislation and regulated financial services sector create a legal environment in which international families may coordinate ownership, governance and succession across different jurisdictions.
Chetcuti Cauchi and STEP Malta
Chetcuti Cauchi's relationship with STEP Malta extends over two decades and includes professional membership, branch leadership, committee participation and contributions to specialist publications.
The firm has been represented within STEP Malta by partners and lawyers working in trusts, estates, private wealth, international tax and related disciplines.
Two of its Senior Partners, Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti and Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker, have served as Chairpersons of the Malta branch.
Their involvement reflects the firm's longstanding engagement with the development of Maltese private wealth practice and the professional issues encountered by advisers serving internationally active families.
This institutional relationship is particularly relevant to Chetcuti Cauchi's work with family businesses, HNW individuals, trustees and family offices, where legal advice frequently requires coordination between ownership structures, tax residence, fiduciary obligations and succession arrangements.
Our Contribution to STEP Malta
Chetcuti Cauchi's contribution to STEP Malta has encompassed branch leadership, technical committee participation, professional education and commentary on developments affecting the Maltese private wealth sector.
Professional Leadership and Branch Development.
Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti occupied several STEP Malta branch leadership positions including Secretary, Technical Chair, Vice Chairman and Chairman.
Dr Chetcuti served on the Executive Council of STEP Malta since its foundation and as chair of the branch between 2013 and 2015, organising several branch CPD events, representing STEP Malta at the International STEP chairpersons meetings and overseeing a biennial STEP Malta Conference during his term.
[Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti's STEP Bio Page]
.
STEP Chairperson, 2020 - 2024
Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker a long standing member of STEP Malta and has held a number of offices within the branch, including branch Secretary and branch technical chair.
has represented STEP Malta in matters related to the implementation of international directives relevant to the trusts and estates sector and in the international tax arena.
Priscilla head's the firm's Malta Families & Wealth Practice Group as well as the Corporate and Trusts Services practice within Chetcuti Cauchi.
[Dr Priscilla Mifsud-Parker's STEP Bio Page]
.
.
.
Trust Regulation and Professional Standards
The firm's historical participation in STEP Malta's technical activities includes engagement with professional and regulatory questions affecting the trust and fiduciary sector.
These have included discussions concerning anti-money laundering requirements, beneficial ownership transparency and the implementation of international regulatory initiatives affecting trusts and estates.
In his closing address at the STEP Malta Seminar on Trust Litigation and Disclosure, held on 21 January 2014, Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti, then Chairman of STEP Malta, encouraged members and fellow practitioners to participate in two newly established technical subcommittees. These addressed the development of trust-specific anti-money laundering guidelines and European initiatives concerning the registration of beneficial owners of companies and trusts.
Private Wealth Policy and Legislative Development
The firm's broader contribution to Maltese private wealth law includes published analysis of family-business governance, succession legislation and the development of family-office structures.
Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti contributed directly to the policy discussions preceding Malta's Family Business Act through his chairmanship of the Malta Association of Family Enterprises (MAFE) and participation in consultations with the Maltese Government.
In his 2013–14 STEP Journal article, Kin Win, he examined the proposals being advanced through MAFE, including a statutory definition of family businesses, fiscal measures addressing intergenerational transfers and stronger governance and succession arrangements.
Malta subsequently enacted the Family Business Act, Chapter 565 of the Laws of Malta, which entered into force on 1 January 2017.
This policy contribution was undertaken through MAFE rather than formally on behalf of STEP Malta. Its publication in STEP Journal nevertheless brought the developing Maltese framework before an international community of trusts, estates and succession practitioners.
The firm's contributions to STEP Journal have subsequently addressed the preservation of family businesses, the treatment of digital and AI-related wealth and Malta's evolving single-family-office model.
Together, these activities illustrate the relationship between practical private client advisory work, professional participation and the development of Malta's legal framework for family wealth.
Our Members and Professional Leaders
Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP, Senior Partner – Citizenship, Residency, Private Client Tax, is a former Chairman of STEP Malta and has served in several other branch leadership positions, including Secretary, Technical Chair and Vice Chairman.
His private client practice encompasses international tax, trusts, estate planning, family-office structuring and the residence and citizenship requirements of globally mobile families.
He has contributed to STEP Journal on Malta's family-business legislation and single-family-office structures, including the relationship between private wealth governance, international mobility and long-term jurisdictional planning.
Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker TEP, Senior Partner – Tax, Family Office, Immigration, is a former Chairperson of STEP Malta, having previously served as Secretary and Technical Chair. Her professional work focuses on trusts, estate planning, wealth structuring, family offices and fiduciary governance.
She has contributed to STEP Journal on family-business succession, intergenerational wealth preservation, digital assets in private wealth structures and Malta's single-family-office framework.
Dr Maria Chetcuti Cauchi, Managing Partner and full member of STEP, advises on Art & Cultural Property, Philanthropy & Impact Advisory, and Property Law. [Dr Maria's STEP Bio Page]
Her practice encompasses the legal aspects of acquiring, owning and transferring art, cultural assets and real estate, together with philanthropic initiatives and structures through which individuals and families pursue charitable, cultural and social objectives.
Her work is particularly relevant to HNW families, art collectors, philanthropists and family offices seeking to coordinate the ownership, preservation and intergenerational transfer of significant assets with their wider estate planning and philanthropic objectives.
Publications and Thought Leadership
Chetcuti Cauchi's contributions to STEP Journal span family-business legislation, intergenerational succession, emerging asset classes and the development of sophisticated family-office structures.
These publications demonstrate the firm's continuing engagement with the issues confronting internationally active families and their advisers. They also connect the firm's work in trusts and estate planning with its wider expertise in tax, corporate structuring, technology regulation and cross-border private client advisory.
Malta Residence and Retirement Options (2012–13)
Author: Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP
Original publication: Taking Residence: Residence and Retirement Options – STEP Journal, December 2012/January 2013.
Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti contributed to STEP Journal's December 2012/January 2013 edition with an article addressing residence and retirement planning in Malta.
The contribution examined Malta's position as a European jurisdiction for internationally mobile individuals, retirees, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth families considering residence outside their country of origin.
It addressed the importance of assessing residence status alongside the relevant tax and legal considerations, particularly where individuals maintain income, investments, business interests or family connections across several jurisdictions.
For private wealth advisers, the contribution reflects the importance of coordinating personal residence decisions with tax planning, family circumstances and the wider management of international assets.
Published in 2012, the article also illustrates the firm's established experience in advising international private clients on Maltese residence arrangements well before the subsequent expansion of Malta's investment migration and special residence frameworks.
The article should be read in its historical legislative context, as residence programmes and applicable tax rules have evolved considerably since its publication.
Malta's Family Business Act – Kin Win (2013–14)
Author: Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP
Original publication: STEP Journal, Kin Win, December 2013/January 2014
Chetcuti Cauchi publication: STEP Journal: Chetcuti on Shaping Malta's Family Business Act.
In Kin Win, Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti examined Malta's emerging proposals for dedicated family-business legislation during his chairmanship of the Malta Association of Family Enterprises.
The article addressed three principal challenges confronting family enterprises: governance, the fiscal consequences of transferring ownership between generations and the risks arising from inadequate succession planning.
Drawing on proposals being advanced through MAFE, Chetcuti argued for a dedicated statutory framework recognising family businesses, addressing the taxation of intergenerational transfers and supporting stronger governance arrangements.
The contribution is particularly relevant because it was published while the proposed legislation was still being developed. It reflects Chetcuti's direct involvement in the policy process rather than a retrospective commentary on the enacted law.
The article also anticipated the increasing importance of Malta as a jurisdiction for coordinating family-business governance, private wealth structures and family-office activities.
Malta Citizenship and European Mobility (2014)
Author: Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP
Original publication: Gateway to Europe – STEP Journal, October 2014.
In Gateway to Europe, published in STEP Journal in October 2014, Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti examined the introduction of Malta's Individual Investor Programme (MIIP) and its implications for international private clients seeking Maltese citizenship.
The article considered the legal framework established through amendments to the Maltese Citizenship Act and the Individual Investor Programme regulations introduced under Legal Notice 47 of 2014.
It explained the programme's eligibility conditions, financial contribution and investment requirements, property obligations and the residence and connection requirements applicable to applicants.
Chetcuti also examined the political and legal discussions surrounding the programme's introduction, including the interaction between Malta's competence to determine nationality and the European dimension of citizenship.
The contribution is relevant to the development of international private client practice because it considered nationality as an element of broader wealth, residence and family mobility planning.
For internationally active families, the article addressed questions extending beyond the acquisition of citizenship, including the legal significance of residence, family inclusion and the relationship between national citizenship and European mobility rights.
The publication demonstrates Dr Chetcuti's longstanding engagement with European citizenship law and international mobility planning during a period of significant change in Malta's nationality framework.
The 2014 programme discussed in the article is no longer operative. The analysis therefore forms part of the historical development of Maltese citizenship law and should not be interpreted as describing a currently available route to citizenship.
Malta's Appeal for UHNW Families and Family Offices (2016)
Author: Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP
Original publication: Hot Tickets – STEP Journal, June 2016.
Chetcuti Cauchi publication: STEP Journal: Jean-Philippe Chetcuti on Malta's Allure for UHNW Families & Family Offices.
In his contribution to STEP Journal's June 2016 issue, Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti examined Malta's attractiveness as a European jurisdiction for international family businesses and private wealth planning.
The article considered the features supporting Malta's appeal to internationally active families, including its legal framework, professional infrastructure, tax environment and position within the European Union.
Malta's combination of civil law and common law influences provides a framework accommodating trusts, foundations, corporate structures and other arrangements relevant to the ownership, administration and succession of family wealth.
For UHNW families and their advisers, these features are particularly relevant where family businesses, investments, property and beneficiaries are situated across several jurisdictions.
The contribution also reflects the importance of considering Malta's residence and citizenship frameworks alongside private client taxation, asset structuring and long-term family planning.
Since the original publication, Malta's family-office offering has developed further, including its regulatory framework for private trustees, investment structures and the governance of internationally held family assets.
The corresponding Chetcuti Cauchi publication revisits the subject in the context of modern family-office advisory, examining how Malta may accommodate family holding structures, trusts, foundations, succession arrangements and philanthropic initiatives.
Particular attention is given to the need for integrated advice addressing legal ownership, fiduciary responsibilities, family governance, international mobility and the preservation of wealth across generations.
The 2016 STEP Journal contribution demonstrates Dr Chetcuti's longstanding engagement with Malta's development as a European private wealth jurisdiction and provides historical context for the firm's continuing advisory work with UHNW families and international family offices.
Protecting Family Business Legacies (2019)
Author: Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker TEP
Original publication: STEP Journal, How to Protect a Legacy, October 2019
Chetcuti Cauchi publication: STEP Journal: Mifsud Parker on Protecting Family Business Legacies.
Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker contributed How to Protect a Legacy to STEP Journal in October 2019, examining the legal and family-governance challenges associated with transferring family businesses and wealth between generations.
Her analysis considered why succession planning must address more than the formal transfer of legal ownership. Effective planning also requires agreement among family members concerning management, governance, investment strategy and the responsibilities of the next generation.
The article examined the role of trusts, foundations and private trust companies in preserving family wealth while maintaining appropriate governance and control.
It also recognised that younger family members may approach investment and business development differently from previous generations, making their participation in succession decisions an important element of business continuity.
The contribution reflects the firm's integrated approach to family-business succession, combining legal structuring with governance arrangements and the practical dynamics of internationally active families.
Digital and AI Assets in Private Wealth Structures (2025)
Author: Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker TEP
Original publication: The Maltese Framework – STEP Journal, Issue 6 2025.
Chetcuti Cauchi publication: STEP Journal: Mifsud Parker on Digital Assets in Family Office Structures.
In her contribution to STEP Journal's 2025 edition addressing fintech, artificial intelligence and digital assets, Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker examined Malta's legal and regulatory framework for holding and administering emerging asset classes within private wealth structures.
Her analysis considered the interaction between Malta's Virtual Financial Assets Act, the Innovative Technology Arrangements and Services framework, taxation principles and the fiduciary obligations of trustees.
Particular attention was given to the issues arising when family wealth includes cryptocurrencies, tokenised investments and AI-related intellectual property.
For trustees and family offices, these assets raise practical questions concerning valuation, custody, regulatory compliance, succession and the preservation of access to digital property across generations.
The contribution also examined the developing legal treatment of AI-generated intellectual property and its implications for private wealth administration.
By bringing together trust law, financial regulation, tax and emerging technologies, the article illustrates the firm's experience advising families whose wealth increasingly extends beyond conventional financial and tangible assets.
Malta's Single-Family-Office Model (2026)
Authors: Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP and Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker TEP
Original publication: The Maltese Model – STEP Journal, Issue 4 2026.
Chetcuti Cauchi publication: STEP Journal: Chetcuti and Mifsud Parker on Malta's Single-Family-Office Model.
In The Maltese Model, published in STEP Journal, Issue 4 2026, Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti and Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker jointly examined Malta's evolving approach to the structuring and governance of international single-family offices.
Their analysis presented Malta's family-office framework as an integrated legal and regulatory architecture rather than a standalone legal vehicle.
The article considered how trusts, private trust companies, family holding structures and Notified Professional Investor Funds may operate together to support the ownership, administration and investment of family wealth.
It also addressed the distinction between fiduciary oversight, investment management, economic participation and family governance, particularly where assets, operating businesses and beneficiaries are located across several jurisdictions.
The authors examined the practical implications of coordinating trust law, corporate structures and investment-services regulation, including the importance of succession planning, conflicts management and compliance with cross-border legal obligations.
The contribution is relevant to internationally mobile UHNW families seeking to institutionalise family governance while maintaining appropriate flexibility in the ownership and administration of their assets.
It also reflects the firm's multidisciplinary private client practice, combining fiduciary structuring, investment regulation, international taxation and the legal requirements of globally mobile families.
Continuing Contribution to STEP Thought Leadership
These four STEP Journal contributions demonstrate the development of the firm's private wealth advisory work over more than a decade.
The earlier publications addressed the legislative and governance requirements of family businesses, including succession planning and intergenerational wealth transfers.
The more recent contributions examine the increasing complexity of family wealth, particularly the administration of digital assets and the coordination of trusts, corporate structures and regulated investment vehicles within modern family offices.
Together, they illustrate the continuing relevance of STEP's professional community to the firm's work with HNW and UHNW families, trustees, fiduciaries and international private wealth advisers.
Conferences and Professional Engagement
Chetcuti Cauchi professionals have participated in STEP Malta conferences, seminars and continuing professional development activities addressing developments in trusts, succession, tax and international private wealth planning.
The firm's participation has included leadership of branch activities, technical committee involvement, conference organisation and attendance at international professional events.
At the STEP Europe Conference 2025 in Malta, the firm was represented by Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti, Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker, Dr Maria Chetcuti Cauchi and Magdalena Velkovska.
The conference addressed cross-border wealth planning, taxation, succession, fiduciary services and the evolving requirements of international families.
Such professional engagement provides opportunities to exchange technical perspectives with lawyers, trustees, tax advisers, fiduciaries and other specialists operating across jurisdictions.
Related Legal Expertise
Chetcuti Cauchi's involvement with STEP Malta is closely connected with its advisory work for international families, family businesses and private wealth structures.
The firm's related practices include:
- Malta Trusts Law – establishment, governance and administration of trusts and fiduciary arrangements.
- Family Office Advisory – structuring and governance of family offices and internationally held family assets.
- Succession Law – succession arrangements, inheritance and intergenerational wealth transfers.
- Private Clients – integrated legal and tax advisory for internationally active individuals and families.
The firm's Malta Trusts Lawyers team brings together lawyers advising on wealth ownership, fiduciary structures and succession.
For international families, these disciplines frequently overlap. Effective planning may require the coordination of tax residence, trust administration, family governance, asset ownership and the rights of beneficiaries across several jurisdictions.
Chetcuti Cauchi's professional involvement with STEP Malta complements this multidisciplinary approach to private wealth advisory.
STEP Malta FAQs
[question]What is STEP Malta?[/question]
[answer]STEP Malta is the Maltese branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, an international professional body for specialists advising families on trusts, succession, inheritance, fiduciary matters and private wealth planning.[/answer]
[question]What is Chetcuti Cauchi's relationship with STEP Malta?[/question]
[answer]Chetcuti Cauchi has a longstanding professional relationship with STEP Malta through membership, branch leadership, technical committee participation and specialist publications. Two of its senior partners have served as STEP Malta Chairpersons.[/answer]
[question]Which Chetcuti Cauchi lawyers have chaired STEP Malta?[/question]
[answer]Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti TEP and Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker TEP have both served as Chairpersons of STEP Malta. They have also held other branch leadership and technical committee positions.[/answer]
[question]What has Chetcuti Cauchi contributed to STEP Malta and STEP Journal?[/question]
[answer]Chetcuti Cauchi's professional contributions include STEP Malta branch leadership, technical committee participation, conferences and STEP Journal articles addressing family-business legislation, intergenerational succession, digital assets and Malta's single-family-office framework.[/answer]
[question]Which STEP Journal articles have Chetcuti Cauchi lawyers authored?[/question]
[answer]Identified contributions include Jean-Philippe Chetcuti's 2013–14 article on Malta's Family Business Act; Priscilla Mifsud Parker's 2019 article on family-business succession and 2025 article on digital assets; and their jointly authored 2026 analysis of Malta's single-family-office model.[/answer]
[question]How is STEP Malta relevant to international family offices?[/question]
[answer]STEP Malta provides a professional forum for practitioners dealing with trusts, succession and family wealth. These disciplines are relevant to international family offices coordinating legal ownership, fiduciary responsibilities, investment governance and intergenerational transfers.[/answer]
[question]Does STEP membership mean that a Malta law firm is accredited by STEP?[/question]
[answer]Membership or participation in STEP does not, by itself, establish institutional accreditation or endorsement of a law firm. Individual practitioners may hold STEP qualifications or designations, including TEP, subject to STEP's applicable requirements.[/answer]
