Associate, Private Client

The role

Our Private Client Department helps High Net Worth/Ultra High Net Worth individuals, their families and advisers with their tax and estate planning.  Clients include entrepreneurs, business owners, artists, authors, musicians, members of foreign royalty, charities and sport professionals in the UK and overseas.

We benefit from the firm's wider private wealth offering that includes family, immigration, reputation management, business crime, residential property and cultural property.

Our focus centres on three work streams: Tax, Trusts and Estate Planning; Contentious Trusts and Probate; and Administration of Estates.

We are known for our focus on delivering straightforward advice and solutions that resolve problems and creating the circumstances for a smooth and tax efficient transition of wealth between generations.

We are looking to recruit a talented Associate to join our highly regarded Private Client Department.  Their role will be a mixed role:

• to be an integral member of the Administration of Estates team, which deals with a wide range of high value and/or complex estates many of which are multi-jurisdictional.  
• to advise on estate planning for predominantly a broad range of UK clients, including drafting Wills and Trusts;
• trust administration;
• preparation of Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work;
• formation and administering charities and advice to charity trustees.

We regularly deal with estates containing business assets or containing assets in overseas jurisdictions, where we regularly co-ordinate with lawyers and professionals in those jurisdictions to ensure the administration of the estate is a seamless and streamlined experience for the client.

Role responsibility

The role will involve:

• The administration of a broad range of estates from the straightforward to complex estates with international aspects, including:
  • Liaising with Personal Representatives, ascertaining the assets and liabilities of the estate;
  • Assisting with new enquiries, speaking to clients and dealing with queries;
  • Supporting the estate accountant in preparing Estate Accounts;
  • Making applications for the Grant of Representation;
  • All aspects of post-grant administration;
  • Supervising junior members of the team;
• Wills, trusts and estate planning for predominantly UK clients;
• Trust administration;
• Preparation of Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work.

About you

We are looking to recruit an Associate with:

• A range of experience as outlined above. In particular, administration of a broad range of estates from the straightforward to complex estates with international aspects;
• A good level of tax knowledge necessary for administration of estates, tax efficient Will drafting and related issues;
• Experience of advising UK domiciled clients on various aspects of estates planning;
• The experience and confidence to supervise junior colleagues, in particular in the administration of estates;
• Strong intellectual and analytical abilities;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Experience of drafting and technical research;
• Ability to take direction from senior members of the team, with an enthusiasm to develop;
• Good commercial understanding and ability to apply legal principles to client circumstances in a commercially aware manner;
• Effective management of client expectations and high levels of client service;
• Good organisational skills, record keeping and file management;
• An organised and accurate approach to work.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

We are a London based, full-service law firm, specialising in providing straightforward advice to entrepreneurial businesses and individuals on domestic and international matters.

We have grown substantially in recent years, including two mergers and an office move. We’ve also matured in terms of our approach to providing advice to our clients, seeking to simplify and improve the experience of working with a modern, independent law firm.

We’re proud of our journey. Without losing sight of where we’ve come from, we are focused on where we’re going. We are evolving and growing every day. And just like our clients, we are ambitious and moving forward. Many of our clients are entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises who are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. We are one of the only London based law firms with a large private wealth offering alongside significant business law capability.

The firm also advises major corporates on particular specialist legal matters who find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.