Russell-Cooke Solicitors are looking for an ambitious, professional candidate, 3-6 years PQE, with excellent academics (ideally 2:1) to join their Private Client team in Kingston.

They 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, including professional private client focused qualifications.

The Private Client team at Russell-Cooke is highly regarded, has a well established reputation and broad experience over the entire sector.   This role is based in our Kingston office.  Attendance at our other offices in London (Bedford Row) and Putney will depend on client need.

We handle varied and high quality work for high net worth individuals, international clients, as well as UK based clients. The work includes: 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 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.

The Cross-Border group has an excellent reputation for advising on and assisting with the resolution of tensions between laws of different jurisdictions. In particular, we provide estate planning advice to clients with assets in more than one jurisdiction, advise on domicile and assist with the administration of estates with an international dimension.

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate sound knowledge and experience of a range of private client work and is likely to have had broad experience in estate planning and the administration of trusts and estates. It is also essential for the candidate to be able to demonstrate an eagerness to learn and they can develop and maintain excellent relationships with both clients and with other professionals

Please include the following information when making your application: your current location, why you have chosen to apply to Russell-Cooke, why you are leaving your current employment (if applicable) and your current salary.

Main Duties:

• Conduct of own caseload under line management of supervising partner
• Business development to include networking, article writing, cross-departmental relationship building, developing referrer relationships such as Accountants, Wealth managers 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
• 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
• Working towards qualification of a relevant professional body such as STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) or ATT
• 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 www.russell-cooke.co.uk
• 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 development

Russell-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 excellent cohort programme to allow 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 development and progression.

Salary and benefits

We 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.

How To Apply

Please visit Russell-Cooke Solicitors website for details on how to apply.