Courtney DeSoto of Channel Islands Fiduciary Group earns Trust and Estate Practitioner designation

SANTA BARBARA, California – Courtney DeSoto, a professional fiduciary and the founder of Channel Islands Fiduciary Group, has earned the sought-after Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) credential, certifying her as an internationally recognized expert in her field.

DeSoto, who holds several other professional credentials including a law degree, received the TEP designation from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), a global professional body that works to ensure fiduciaries and other practitioners who offer inheritance and succession planning meet the highest standards. The organization has more than 22,000 members globally, including lawyers, accountants and financial advisors.

TEP certification means that DeSoto has proven she has the qualifications, knowledge and experience to provide exceptional inheritance and succession planning services including administering estates and acting as a trustee. TEP professionals commit to a professional code of conduct requiring them to act with integrity and in the best interests of their clients and wider community.

DeSoto founded Channel Islands Fiduciary Group in 2014, after an extensive career in the social service, legal and fiduciary fields. Her professional experience includes working as a probation officer for Santa Barbara County, and as a court investigator for the Santa Barbara Superior Court, where she served in the probate division monitoring conservatorships and guardianships for legal compliance.

Originally from Sacramento, DeSoto moved to the Santa Barbara area in the 1990s. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Westmont College and a juris doctorate (J.D.) degree from Santa Barbara College of Law. In addition to her TEP and J.D. qualifications, she is a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary (CLPF) and a National Certified Guardian (NCG). She is also a member of the Independent Trustee Alliance (ITA). DeSoto was recently named to the Westmont President's Alumni Council.

Channel Islands Fiduciary Group offers a comprehensive range of services to support vulnerable people including at-risk seniors, individuals suffering from behavioral health challenges, adults vulnerable to exploitation and isolated adults. DeSoto provides services as a successor trustee, executor and agent on a power of attorney for finances and/or healthcare. She also serves by court appointment in conservatorships and probate administration proceedings.

---CI Fiduciary Group is located at132 E. Figueroa Street in Santa Barbara. For more information or to book an appointment, call 805.804.3131, email courtney@cifiduciarygroup.com or visit www.cifiduciarygroup.com