Private Client Solicitor/Associate
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Private Client Solicitor/Senior Solicitor/Associate/Legal Executive. If you are recently qualified to mid-level with solid experience in Private Client matters. This opportunity is with a highly successful, modern and agile firm offering a defined career path, superb benefits and exceptional rewards.
You will need to have a good grounding in a range of Private Client matters dealing with such areas as Wills, Trusts, Probate and Administration of Estates. Ideally STEP membership or interested in working towards/interested in.
Working for a highly successful, modern and agile firm offering a defined career path, superb benefits and exceptional rewards.
For a confidential chat please apply with a current CV, we look forward to speaking with you.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your Personal Statement with explicit mention of Wills, Trusts, Probate and Administration of Estates — the advert lists all four as core requirements.
📊 Quantify your caseload: e.g. 'Managed a portfolio of 80+ active probate and estate administration files simultaneously, reducing average closure time by 15%.'
🎯 If you hold STEP membership or are studying towards it, place this prominently in your qualifications section — the advert specifically calls it out as a differentiator.
🌐 Highlight any experience with complex or high-value trust structures, as the firm's 'modern and agile' positioning suggests a sophisticated private client base in the Chichester/West Sussex area.
🤝 Emphasise your track record of building long-term client relationships in private client work, as this directly supports the firm's defined career path narrative and client retention focus.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Administered 35 concurrent estate files annually, achieving full distribution within an average of 9 months and reducing client complaints to zero over a 2-year period.
- •Drafted 60+ Wills and discretionary trust deeds per year, incorporating inheritance tax planning strategies that saved clients a combined £420,000 in potential IHT liability.
- •Led probate matters for 3 high-value estates exceeding £1.2M each, coordinating with HMRC, financial institutions and beneficiaries to resolve title disputes and secure timely grants.
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Letter preview — tailored to Reed
Dear Hiring Manager,
Private client work — specifically Wills, Trusts, Probate and Administration of Estates — has been the focus of my legal career to date, which is precisely why the Private Client Solicitor/Associate opportunity at your Chichester firm immediately stood out. Your firm's reputation for a defined career path and commitment to STEP-qualified practice aligns directly with my professional development goals.
My background in private client law includes managing a caseload of estate administrations from grant of probate through to final distribution, drafting complex discretionary trusts, and advising high-net-worth clients on inheritance tax mitigation strategies. I am currently working towards my STEP qualification and am keen to develop this specialism further within a firm that actively values it.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk us through your end-to-end process for administering a complex estate, from grant of probate to final distribution.
- ›How do you approach drafting a discretionary trust to minimise inheritance tax exposure for a client?
- ›What are the key differences between a bare trust and a discretionary trust, and when would you recommend each?
- ›How do you keep up to date with changes in probate law, HMRC practice and STEP guidance?
- ›Describe a technically challenging Wills or Trusts matter you have handled and how you resolved the complexity.
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult news to a bereaved client during an estate administration — how did you handle it?
- ›Describe a situation where you managed competing deadlines across multiple probate files. How did you prioritise?
- ›Give an example of when you identified a risk or error in a Will or trust document and the steps you took to rectify it.
- ›Tell me about a time you built a strong long-term relationship with a private client and the impact that had on the firm.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to work autonomously on a complex matter without senior supervision. What was the outcome?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult news to a bereaved client during an estate administration — how did you handle it?
Describe a situation where you managed competing deadlines across multiple probate files. How did you prioritise?