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⚡ Source: ReedRef: 50168177

Private Client Fee Earner - Full Flexibility - Associate/Partner available

Reed·Colchester, Essex·Posted 38 months ago
💰 £48-62k/year
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Job description

Original text imported from Reed

Private Client Fee Earner required for a unique opportunity. Whatever your motivation may be, this forward thinking, agile firm are happy to listen and adapt to exceed your expectations. We all have our personal criteria when considering a move, is your own:

  • Salary?
  • Environment?
  • Support?
  • Progression?
  • Location?
  • Benefits?
  • Flexibility?
  • Reduced hours?
  • Adjusted responsibility?

It could be some or all of the above, maybe something small yet important to you? Whatever it is then please let us know when you get touch. If you have experience ddealing with all matters of Private Client including:

  • Wills - from basic to more complex
  • Lasting Power of Attorneys
  • Probates
  • STEP qualification would be advantageous but not essential as funding will be provided
  • Supervisory experience also would be an advantage

The firm also offers progression bespoke to your desired career aspiration and the same, unique tailoring to their exceptional portfolio of benefits. For more detail, please apply with a current CV, I look forward to working with you.

SpeedCV AI

Key skills

AI-extracted from the job advert

Must-have skills
Private Client lawWills draftingLasting Power of Attorney (LPA)Probate administration
Nice-to-have
STEP qualificationSupervisory experienceTrust lawInheritance Tax planning
Soft skills
AutonomyAdaptabilityCommunicationLeadershipClient focus
SpeedCV AI

Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

1

⭐ Highlight your Private Client specialism prominently at the top of your CV — the advert lists Wills, LPAs and Probate as core requirements, so name each explicitly in your Personal Statement.

2

📊 Quantify your caseload: e.g. 'Managed a portfolio of 80+ active probate and LPA matters simultaneously, reducing average file completion time by 15%'.

3

🎯 If you hold a STEP qualification, place it directly after your name or in a dedicated 'Qualifications' section — the advert flags it as advantageous and funded if absent, so it will differentiate you immediately.

4

🤝 Demonstrate supervisory experience with concrete examples: 'Supervised 2 paralegals and 1 trainee across a Private Client team of 6, conducting monthly file reviews'.

5

🌐 Tailor your cover letter to the firm's flexibility ethos — reference your preferred working arrangement (hours, hybrid, progression level) to align with their stated bespoke benefits offering.

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Suggested CV bullets

3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.

How to tailor your CV

Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:

  • Managed a caseload of 75+ active Private Client matters — including complex Wills, LPAs and contested probate — achieving a 92% file closure rate within target timescales over 12 months.
  • Supervised 2 paralegals across a Private Client team, conducting fortnightly file reviews that reduced compliance errors by 30% over two quarters.
  • Advised 40+ clients annually on Inheritance Tax mitigation strategies, including nil-rate band trusts and lifetime gifting, generating an average estate saving of £18,000 per client.

Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.

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Letter preview — tailored to Reed

Dear Hiring Manager,

Private Client work — specifically Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Probate — has been the focus of my legal career, which is why this Fee Earner opportunity at your Colchester firm immediately stood out. Your commitment to tailoring progression and working arrangements to individual ambitions aligns precisely with where I want to take my practice.

My background in Private Client law spans the full lifecycle of estate planning and administration, from drafting straightforward Wills through to managing complex probate matters with Inheritance Tax considerations. I have supervised junior fee earners and paralegals, supporting their development while maintaining high standards of client care across a caseload of 70+ active files. I am currently working towards my STEP qualification and would welcome the opportunity to complete this with your support.

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SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • Walk me through your process for drafting a complex Will involving a discretionary trust and multiple beneficiaries.
  • How do you approach an estate where Inheritance Tax mitigation is a key concern for the client?
  • Describe your experience handling contested probate matters — what steps do you take to manage risk?
  • What is your understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how does it inform your LPA drafting practice?
  • How do you keep up to date with changes in Private Client law, such as HMRC reporting requirements or SRA compliance updates?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you managed a particularly complex or sensitive estate — how did you handle the client relationship?
  • Describe a situation where you had to supervise a junior fee earner through a difficult matter. What was your approach?
  • Give an example of when you identified a risk on a file early and the steps you took to mitigate it.
  • Tell me about a time you had to balance a high caseload with competing deadlines. How did you prioritise?
  • Describe a situation where a client was unhappy with progress on their matter. How did you resolve it?
SpeedCV AINEW

STAR answer examples

Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.

1Question

Tell me about a time you managed a particularly complex or sensitive estate — how did you handle the client relationship?

Situation: A client came to me following the sudden death of their spouse, leaving an estate valued at £850,000 with no valid Will and three adult children in dispute over distribution. Task: I needed to administer the intestacy correctly while managing highly charged family dynamics and an HMRC Inheritance Tax query. Action: I held separate initial meetings with each beneficiary to understand their concerns, then facilitated a joint meeting to agree a Deed of Variation. I liaised directly with HMRC to resolve the IHT query within six weeks. Result: The estate was distributed within nine months — three months ahead of the average for contested intestacies at the firm — and all three clients subsequently instructed me to draft their own Wills.
2Question

Describe a situation where you had to supervise a junior fee earner through a difficult matter. What was your approach?

Situation: A newly qualified paralegal on my team was handling their first unassisted probate file when a creditor dispute emerged that risked delaying distribution by several months. Task: I needed to guide them through the resolution process without taking over the file, preserving their learning while protecting the client. Action: I introduced daily 15-minute check-ins, provided a structured action plan for the creditor correspondence, and reviewed all outgoing letters before despatch. I also arranged a one-hour session on creditor priority rules under the Administration of Estates Act. Result: The dispute was resolved within four weeks, the estate distributed on time, and the paralegal subsequently handled two similar matters independently with no escalation required.

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