Private Client Solicitor/Associate
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Private Client Solicitor/Senior Solicitor/Associate. 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 working towards.
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 CV personal statement with explicit mention of Wills, Trusts, Probate and Administration of Estates, as 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 completion time by 15%'.
🎯 Prominently feature your STEP membership or progress towards it — the advert flags this as an ideal differentiator that will set you apart from other recently qualified candidates.
🌐 Highlight your post-qualification experience (PQE) clearly near the top of your CV, as the role targets recently qualified to mid-level solicitors and recruiters will scan for this immediately.
🤝 Include a brief note on client-facing experience, particularly handling sensitive estate and bereavement matters, as Private Client work demands high levels of empathy and discretion with high-net-worth individuals.
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:
- •Managed a caseload of 75+ active Wills, Probate and Estate Administration files, achieving an average estate closure time 20% below the firm's target through proactive client communication and HMRC correspondence.
- •Drafted complex discretionary trust structures and inheritance tax mitigation strategies for 30+ high-net-worth clients, collectively preserving over £2.1M in taxable estate value across a 12-month period.
- •Prepared and lodged Lasting Powers of Attorney for 50+ clients annually, maintaining a 100% HMRC registration acceptance rate through rigorous document review prior to submission.
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Letter preview — tailored to Reed
Dear Hiring Manager,
Private Client law sits at the heart of my legal practice, and the Solicitor/Associate opportunity at your Colchester firm is precisely aligned with the next step in my career. Having built solid experience across Wills drafting, Trust administration, Probate and Administration of Estates, I am confident I can contribute meaningfully from day one while continuing to develop towards STEP qualification.
My background in Private Client work includes advising a broad range of clients on estate planning, inheritance tax mitigation and the preparation of Lasting Powers of Attorney. I am experienced in managing complex probate files through to completion and am accustomed to handling sensitive matters with the discretion and empathy that bereaved families require.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk me through your process for drafting a complex Will involving multiple trusts and inheritance tax planning considerations.
- ›How do you approach the administration of an estate where there is no valid Will and the intestacy rules apply?
- ›What experience do you have with Lasting Powers of Attorney, and how do you advise clients on the differences between property/financial and health/welfare LPAs?
- ›How do you identify and mitigate inheritance tax exposure when advising on estate planning for a high-net-worth client?
- ›What is your understanding of the STEP Diploma and how does STEP membership benefit a Private Client practitioner?
Behavioural
- ›Describe a time you managed a particularly complex or contentious probate matter — how did you handle competing family interests?
- ›Tell me about a situation where you had to deliver difficult news to a bereaved client. How did you approach the conversation?
- ›Give an example of when you identified a legal risk in a client's estate plan that they had not considered. What did you do?
- ›Describe a time you managed a high volume of Private Client files simultaneously. How did you prioritise and stay organised?
- ›Tell me about a time you went above and beyond to build a long-term relationship with a Private Client.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Describe a time you managed a particularly complex or contentious probate matter — how did you handle competing family interests?
Tell me about a time you identified a legal risk in a client's estate plan that they had not considered. What did you do?