Senior private client solicitor in England

We are seeking a Senior Private Client Solicitor to take on the role of Head of Legal. The successful candidate will oversee the legal aspects of our work - focused entirely on delivering completed legal advice and documents to members of the public and colleagues. You will hold responsibility for technical quality and compliance across the organisation, working as part of a team alongside our other Partners and Directors, and reporting to the Operations Director.

The central aim of the role is to manage the workload: to keep matters moving, deliver completed documents promptly, and maintain efficiency across the organisation. This is not a purely supervisory position. You will personally advise on, draft and complete instruments - hands-on technical work sits at the heart of the role - while also taking responsibility for how the wider workload is organised and progressed.

Key responsibilities

• Advise on, draft, review and complete a range of legal instruments, including but not limited to lifetime trusts, will trusts, deeds of variation and declarations of trust.
• Draft complex Wills and prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney, including registration of the completed deeds with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
• Handle the trust-related conveyancing arising from settling residential property into will and lifetime trusts, including preparing and completing the associated Land Registry applications.
• Provide technical oversight and act as the point of reference for colleagues on complex drafting and trust matters.
• Conduct probate matters on a grant-only basis, including complex estates where an IHT400 is required, as well as full estate administration from application through to final distribution.
• Prepare and manage Court of Protection (COP) deputyship applications.
• Manage the department’s workload as the primary aim of the role - delivering completed documents on time and maintaining efficiency across the team.
• Maintain consistently high standards of quality and compliance, in line with SRA requirements.
• Support the training and development of colleagues where required.

Candidate requirements

• A minimum of 7+ years’ PQE as a Private Client Solicitor, within a wills, tax and estate planning and probate team.
• Supervisory experience, with the ability to mentor trainees and paralegals.
• An ambitious team player with a collaborative, long-term mindset and business orientated.
• Strong technical expertise and commercial awareness.
• Strong knowledge of trusts, particularly their creation, administration and variation.
• Sound understanding of trust-related conveyancing and Land Registry practice.
• Experience of probate and estate administration.
• Ability to manage caseloads independently and efficiently, with excellent attention to detail.
• Familiarity with case management systems and digital document platforms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

This firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.