Associate Director – Private Client

• £65,000–£75,000 salary with the opportunity to become a key technical specialist within a Legal 500 Private Client team
• Focus on complex trusts, succession planning and HNW work without the pressure of managing a department
• 2 days working from home, flexible hours and a 35-hour working week

Reaching a senior level in Private Client doesn’t have to mean moving away from the technical work you enjoy and into people management. This Harrogate-based opportunity is for an experienced Private Client lawyer who wants to remain close to complex client work while becoming one of the key technical figures within a highly regarded Yorkshire team. Private Client is a strategic growth area for the firm, with a significant volume of work already coming from a loyal client base of business owners, landed families, HNW individuals and multi-generational families. Trusts are a particular area of growth, so you’ll have the opportunity to use and deepen your expertise across trust creation, administration, succession and wealth planning. With new leadership in place and continued investment in the department, you’ll join at an important point in its development. There is room to progress and increase your influence, but no expectation that you take responsibility for managing the team or building a practice from scratch.

Who we’re looking for

• Qualified Solicitor, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent with significant Private Client experience (Essential)
• Strong technical expertise in trusts, including establishing and administering trusts (Essential)
• Experience advising HNW clients and dealing with complex estates (Essential)
• Ability to independently manage sophisticated Private Client matters (Essential)
• Excellent client relationship and communication skills (Essential)
• Strong commercial awareness and a pragmatic approach to advice (Essential)
• Collaborative personality and desire to contribute as part of a senior team (Essential)
• Experience advising business owners, landed estates or agricultural clients (Desirable)
• Tax planning experience (Desirable)
• Existing referral relationships (Desirable)
• Court of Protection experience (Desirable)

What you’ll be doing

• Managing a varied caseload of complex Private Client matters
• Advising on lifetime and Will trusts, including their creation, structuring and ongoing administration
• Handling complex wills and succession planning
• Advising on wealth preservation and tax-efficient succession
• Managing high-value and complex estate administration
• Advising trustees and families on ongoing trust matters
• Handling Lasting Powers of Attorney and wider Private Client work
• Acting as a technical resource for colleagues on particularly complex matters
• Working closely with the Head of Department on significant client work
• Developing long-term relationships with HNW individuals, families and other clients
• Supporting business development where appropriate without the role being heavily dependent on generating work
• Helping further develop the team’s trusts offering and technical reputation

Salary & Benefits

• £65,000–£75,000
• 2 days working from home and 3 days in the office
• Harrogate as your primary base, with access to the Leeds office when useful
• 35-hour working week
• Flexible working hours
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced sick pay
• Dedicated mental health days
• Family-friendly working culture
• Significant existing workflow from day one
• Progression based on your individual ambitions
• Scope to move into increasingly complex and high-value work
• Potential involvement with the firm’s Trust Corporation for those with the appropriate experience
• Strong technical support from experienced colleagues
• Quality-focused environment with realistic fee-earning expectations
• Opportunity to develop as a senior technical specialist without taking on departmental management responsibilities

Contact Bill Szajna-Hopgood
📩 bill.szajna-hopgood@realmrecruit.com
📞 03300 245 606

Bill specialises in private client recruitment across Yorkshire and can give you a clear picture of how this opportunity compares with other senior 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.