THE PROBATE INDUSTRY AWARDS

HEAD JUDGE
David Stoch
Director

Michael Culver
Managing Director & Chairman of SFE

Michael Culver has been a member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) for over 11 years and joined the board of directors in January 2018 before becoming Chairman in June 2019.
He is the founder and managing director of Culver Law Ltd, a solicitor’s firm in London.
He has a wealth of experience in dealing with elderly client matters including making wills, advance decisions, tax planning, the administration of estates, lasting powers of attorney, statutory wills and other applications to the Court of Protection, care home funding and contentious probate and challenging lifetime gifts.
He has been on the Court of Protection’s Panel for Professional Deputies for over 6 years now, enabling him to manage the financial affairs of those clients who are unable to manage matters for themselves or in cases where there is not a suitable relative to manage such matters for them.
As well as a Full Accredited Member of SFE, he is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).  He is also a Chartered Tax Advisor and a member of the Association of Tax Technicians.

Amanda Hamilton
CEO

Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of the National Association of Licenced Paralegals (NALP), a non-profit membership body and the only paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). Through its Centres around the country, accredited and recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for those looking for a career as a paralegal professional.
Amanda is passionate about promoting the status of Paralegal Professionals within the UK, with over 24 years’ experience in the field.
Working previously as a tutor and lecturer in substantive law and procedure and trainer in practical legal skills, Amanda has been driven to improve the training and qualifications for Paralegals and raise awareness for the vital role Paralegals play within the Legal Sector and across a wide range of industries.

Dicky Davies
Business Development Director

Richard (Dicky) Davies has spent his career in financial services/business development.
After school in South Wales and Bath University he spent three years at the London-based strategic consultants The LEK Partnership, followed by six years at BZW, the Barclays-owned Merchant Bank.
Following a career break, he joined Barclaycard, becoming the MD of the partnerships strategic business unit.
He went on to work for Visa Europe where he ran the business development team across Europe. Dicky was then approached to become the business development director for Leeds-based Lowell Group, one of the largest debt purchasers in Europe, where he spent seven years.
After a decision to semi-retire and spend more time with his family, he missed the challenges of business development so took on a number of non-exec/advisory roles alongside his current position as business development director at Tower Street Finance.

Our chosen charity for 2022 is Reengage.
Reengage is a charity that is positive about older age and committed to fighting loneliness to that people can have social lives and friendship groups however old they are. Reengage works together with volunteers across the UK, tackling loneliness through their Call Companions programme and regular social groups which bring generations together for conversation and laughter.