Private Client Associate

• £45,000–£55,000 salary with clear scope to progress to Senior Associate and beyond
• Build your expertise in complex trusts, succession planning and HNW work within a Legal 500 team
• 2 days working from home, flexible hours and a 35-hour working week

If you’re an experienced Private Client lawyer who wants to move into more sophisticated work and establish yourself at Associate level, this Harrogate opportunity gives you plenty of room to develop.

Private Client is a key area of investment for the firm, with a significant existing caseload generated through a loyal client base of business owners, landed families, HNW individuals and multi-generational families. With new leadership now in place, the team is strengthening its technical capability as it enters its next phase of growth. Trusts are a particular focus. You’ll handle your own varied caseload while developing further expertise across trust creation and administration, complex estates, wealth preservation and succession planning. There’s already plenty of work available, so progression can be driven by the quality of your contribution rather than an expectation that you arrive with a following. Longer term, there is scope to progress through Senior Associate and potentially Legal Director level, while remaining focused on technical work rather than having to pursue a management route.

Who we’re looking for

• Qualified Solicitor, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent with established Private Client experience (Essential)
• Strong experience advising on trusts (Essential)
• Experience establishing and administering trusts (Essential)
• Experience dealing with HNW clients and estates (Essential)
• Experience handling complex estate administration (Essential)
• Ability to independently manage your own Private Client caseload (Essential)
• Strong client relationship and communication skills (Essential)
• Commercially aware and confident dealing with complex matters (Essential)
• Collaborative, approachable and keen to develop within a team (Essential)
• Tax planning experience (Desirable)
• Experience advising business owners, landed estates or agricultural clients (Desirable)
• Court of Protection experience (Desirable)
• Existing relationships with referrers (Desirable)

What you’ll be doing

• Managing a varied caseload of complex Private Client matters
• Advising on lifetime and Will trusts
• Establishing, structuring and administering trusts
• Handling complex wills and succession planning
• Advising HNW clients on wealth preservation and tax-efficient succession
• Managing complex and high-value estate administration
• Advising trustees and families on ongoing trust matters
• Handling Lasting Powers of Attorney and wider Private Client work
• Working closely with senior colleagues on particularly complex matters
• Building long-term relationships with existing clients and referrers
• Contributing to the continued development of the team’s trusts offering
• Supporting business development where appropriate, without carrying a heavy work-generation expectation

Salary & Benefits

• £45,000–£55,000
• 2 days working from home and 3 days in the office
• 35-hour working week
• Flexible working hours
• Harrogate as your primary base, with access to the Leeds office when required
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced sick pay
• Dedicated mental health days
• Family-friendly culture
• Significant volume of existing work from day one
• Progression towards Senior Associate and potentially Legal Director level
• Route into increasingly complex and high-value Private Client work
• Potential involvement with the firm’s Trust Corporation for those with appropriate experience
• Strong technical support from experienced colleagues
• Quality-focused environment with realistic fee-earning expectations

Contact Bill Szajna-Hopgood

Bill specialises in private client recruitment across Yorkshire and can give you a clear picture of how this opportunity compares with other Private Client roles currently on the market.

While this advert sets out the criteria applicable to each salary band, the salary guidance given is purely indicative. The precise salary offered within that band will ultimately be determined by the hirer, taking into account the individual candidate’s experience, qualifications and overall suitability for the role.

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