Leadership Director in Durham

A little bit about us: EMG Solicitors is an award winning Legal 500 law firm with offices across the UK, specialising in Court of Protection, Deputyships, Education Law, Family Law and Mediation, Mental Health Law, Residential Conveyancing and Wills, Trusts & Probate services. Our mission is to provide the legal support our clients require in order to achieve anything from their basic needs to their wildest dreams and everything in between.

What are we looking for? We are currently looking to recruit a Leadership Director to join our Wills, Trusts and Probate department. This role can be based from our Durham office, but we would expect you to travel and work from other offices from time to time. This is a full-time role which is 35 hours per week, however at EMG Solicitor we work flexibly, it’s not a 9 to 5 role, but we do expect the work to be done, when you do it can be largely up to yourself, your Team Leader and the requirements of your clients.

A brief overview of the role: The role will be responsible for developing and delivering the department's strategy, driving sustainable and profitable growth, maintaining excellent standards of technical and regulatory compliance, and creating an outstanding experience for clients.

What will we expect from you:

• Strategic Leadership
  • Develop and deliver the strategic plan for Wills, Trusts & Probate in alignment with the firm's overall business objectives.
  • Provide visible, credible and inspirational leadership to the department.
  • Translate organisational strategy into clear priorities, objectives and measurable outcomes.
  • Identify emerging market opportunities and develop propositions that strengthen the firm's position within private client services.
  • Act as a senior ambassador for the firm internally and externally.
  • Contribute to wider leadership decisions and strategic initiatives across the organisation.
  • Take ownership of the department's commercial performance, including revenue, profitability, productivity and sustainable growth.
  • Develop and deliver business plans, budgets and forecasts.
  • Monitor performance against agreed KPIs and implement appropriate actions where required.
  • Identify opportunities to grow existing services and introduce new propositions in response to client and market needs.
  • Work collaboratively with Marketing, Business Development and other legal teams to develop referral opportunities and strengthen client relationships.
  • Build and maintain productive relationships with professional intermediaries and external partners.
• Client and People Leadership
  • Ensure consistently high standards of legal advice and client service across wills, estate administration, trusts and related private client matters.
  • Provide senior technical leadership and guidance on complex or high-value matters as appropriate.
  • Champion a client-first culture, ensuring services are accessible, empathetic and responsive, particularly when supporting clients through bereavement or sensitive family circumstances.
  • Maintain appropriate systems for supervision, quality assurance and risk management.
  • Ensure the department operates in accordance with relevant professional, regulatory and organisational requirements.
  • Lead, coach and develop senior managers, solicitors and other colleagues within the Wills, Trusts & Probate function.
  • Create a positive, inclusive and high-performance culture with clear accountability and expectations.
• Risk, Governance and Compliance
  • Promote a strong culture of professional integrity, risk awareness and accountability.
  • Ensure appropriate governance, supervision and controls are embedded across the department.
  • Work collaboratively with Risk and Compliance colleagues to identify and manage potential areas of exposure.
  • Maintain appropriate oversight of complaints, service issues and emerging risks.
  • Ensure colleagues understand and fulfil their individual professional and regulatory responsibilities.

To be able to perform this job you will need:

• Ideally be a fully qualified solicitor with around 8+ Years PQE.
• Significant senior-level experience within Wills, Trusts & Probate or a broader Private Client practice.
• Strong technical understanding of areas including wills, estate administration, trusts, inheritance and succession planning.
• Demonstrable experience of leading and developing high-performing professional teams.
• A proven track record of delivering commercial growth and improving business performance.
• Experience of developing and implementing departmental or practice-area strategy.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience managing budgets, forecasts and performance indicators.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong understanding of professional standards, governance, risk and compliance within a legal environment.
• Ability to lead through change and bring colleagues with you.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to represent the organisation confidently at senior level.

A little bit about the colleague we’re looking for: We’re looking for a colleague who aligns with our core values of: Cooperation - we proactively support our clients and each other. Courage - we are ambitious and think big. Excellence - we deliver excellence. Integrity - we are open and transparent. Kindness - we value people, communities, having fun and being happy. We want someone who will work proactively to deliver exceptional client service through the knowledge and skills they bring to the role. We want someone who will go the extra mile for both their clients and their colleagues, so we can all achieve anything from our basic needs to our wildest dreams and everything in between.

What you can expect from us:

• Firm wide annual bonus scheme, in addition to a competitive salary.
• 4% Pension employer contributions offered through Standard Life.
• 25 days holiday entitlement per year (FTE) with an additional three days off at Christmas.
• 5 extra days paid leave on your 5-year anniversary – (and every 5 years thereafter).
• Life Assurance providing your loved ones with a 3x salary death in service benefit.
• Employee Assistance Program – a Freephone number you can call 24/7 for personal, legal and financial issues; to arrange counselling and a GP helpline.
• Free annual flu injection.
• EMG Rewards – Vivup well-being & Tastecard apps offering discounts across a large number of retailers & restaurants.
• £50 Gift card on your birthday as well as a late start or early finish.
• £50 Gift card at Christmas plus Christmas closure (subject to variation).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme.
• Fruit and refreshments in each office.
• If you want to take the family or friends out, we have two passes for Beamish open air museum which you can book out and take up to 10 people.
• Opportunity to join EMG working groups, such as our Green Team, Better Health at Work Team, Justice, Empowerment, Diversity and Inclusion Team (JEDI) & our Community Team.
• Regular surveys to understand issues our team care about.
• Includes regular guest speakers on a wide range of topics.

EMG Solicitors are an equal opportunities employer. To apply for this role you must have the right to work within the UK.