Senior Associate - Private Client 8+PQE

Russell-Cooke

  • Kingston upon Thames
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 2 months ago
8YR+ - Senior Associate SolicitorHours9.30am – 5.30pmDepartmentPrivate Client KingstonThe RoleWe are looking for an ambitious, professional candidate to join our large and expanding Private Client team in Kingston.The candidate should be highly motivated and demonstrate experience of a wide range of private client work, with a keen desire to develop their knowledge and practice. The caseload would include all the variety of private client work, and experience in one or more of the following areas would be a bonus: mental capacity, business succession or cross border work.STEP qualification or tax focused qualifications, such as ATT, will be strongly supported.We would also expect them to develop and maintain excellent relationships with both clients and with other professionals.In additional to the provision of technically expert legal advice, the candidate will be expected to take responsibility and ownership of their work and clients, engage in proactive financial management of their matters, engage in business development and marketing to build their own network and bring in instructions, and work towards developing their management skills.The Private Client team at Russell-Cooke has a well-established reputation and broad experience over the entire sector. The technical expertise in the team rivals many other Top 100 law firms.This role is based in our Kingston office. Attendance at our other offices in Holborn (8 Bedford Row) and Putney will depend on client need or meetings with referrers. We have an agile working policy which includes working from home for up to 40% of working time each month.We handle varied and high quality work to include: advising on and drafting wills; estate and inheritance tax planning advice; the administration of estates of varying degrees of complexity; the creation, administration and taxation of UK trusts; cross-border advice; inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax advice in relation to trusts and estates; advising on mental capacity issues and Lasting Powers of Attorney (or equivalent).A particular focus of our Kingston office is acting for UHNW and HNW clients, international clients as well as entrepreneurs and family businesses. Russell Cooke is a full-service law firm (17 areas of practice) and often legal advice is provided to clients collaboratively by several teams within the firm.Russell-Cooke offers an excellent opportunity to join a stimulating work environment, working alongside friendly and supportive colleagues. The Private Client Team is client-focused in its approach and offers superb career development opportunities.Technical skills and expertiseMain Duties:
  • Conduct of own caseload under line management of supervising partner
  • Strong focus on business development to include networking, article writing, cross-departmental relationship building, developing referrer relationships such as accountants, wealth managers, trust companies etc
  • Excellent financial management including time recording and billing to reach annual targets.
  • Participation in firm wide cohort and other events
Client Relations:
  • To provide a high quality service to all Russell-Cooke clients
  • To develop and maintain good client relationship skills, gaining clients’ confidence and that of other professionals
  • Receive requests for advice from current and potential clients and deciding on the most appropriate responses to make to these requests
  • Establishing what needs to be done to solve a client’s problems
Personal Development:
  • Qualify into and maintain professional development in a professional body such as STEP, ATT or similar
  • Support internal procedures and systems of Russell-Cooke including file and financial management
  • Participate in team meetings
  • Attend internal training and external training as and when required
  • Read journals and attend courses as part of continuing professional development
  • Maintain high standards of professional conduct while generating adequate practice income, ensuring that the fees earned sufficiently exceed total costs and expenses incurred
Qualifications & Experience
  • Degree level 2:1 and ideally commendation at LPC level
  • Highly numerate, IT literate, with excellent working knowledge of Excel.
Motivation & Competencies
  • Evidence of interest in, and commitment to, the success of the firm.
  • Relevant experience within a professional services firm.
  • Understanding of and commitment to Russell-Cooke’s values and ethos which can be seen at
  • Excellent communication both written and verbal - the role involves liaison with internal and external people at a senior level
  • A self-starter, able to demonstrate high levels of initiative and motivation, but also work closely with other team members and display trust, loyalty and integrity.
  • The successful candidate will be highly organised with an ability to manage assigned tasks in an assertive, efficient and timely manner
  • Good interpersonal skills, demonstrating professionalism in all dealings
  • Excellent attention to detail and a positive professional attitude
  • Must be able to multitask and keep calm under pressure
  • The flexibility to work outside normal office hours as may be required from time to time.
Your career developmentRussell-Cooke’s lawyers are rounded professional advisers with strong commercial awareness and a commitment to exceeding client expectations. All our lawyers benefit from our cohort based career development programme. We understand the importance of building an internal network and have developed this programme to enable our lawyers to work together across practice areas and share their knowledge, experiences and networks.At each stage of your career, and as you move through the cohorts, a bespoke training programme will be provided to support you with your career development and progression.Salary and benefitsWe offer competitive salaries and generous benefits.We welcome direct applications. If you would like any further information about the firm please contact a member of the HR team.We have a diverse workforce and aim to attract high calibre applicants who reflect the demography of our geographical location and client base. Individuals will be employed solely on merit and the requirement of the position. No applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, marital status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender Identity or religion. Reasonable adjustments will be made to eliminate or reduce disadvantage.

Russell-Cooke