Paralegal – Private Client (Probate) – Taunton
Vacancy details
We are seeking an experienced Paralegal to assist the estate administration unit in our Private Capital team with managing their broad caseload of mainly taxable and complex estate work. This is a hybrid role that requires travel to our Taunton office. You will be joining our well-regarded Private Capital team, who have a presence in Taunton, Bristol and Manchester and holds consistent top tier rankings in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
As the paralegal you will assist the estate administration unit who manage a broad caseload of mainly taxable and complex estate work. Providing high quality and pro-active Paralegal support, you will have a varied workload and be adept at organisational skills, managing your own time and juggling priorities accordingly.
This role offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Hybrid working
- 26 days holiday + bank holidays
- Additional Christmas leave
- Life Assurance
- Gym subsidy
- Free parking
- All the technology needed to thrive when working from home.
- Career development opportunities
An opportunity to work with and learn from an incredibly talented and supportive team.
Role: Paralegal
Location: Taunton
Hours: Full time
Term: Permanent
Vacancy Reference: 1248-PTN
Who we are
You’ll be joining a national law firm that enjoys a strong reputation, made possible by our exceptional people – each chosen for their industry knowledge and passion for their field. We want to help you to reach your full potential, love the work you do and deliver the best results for your clients. It’s our goal to make you feel great about working with us, and we work hard to cultivate a culture that makes it easy for you to stay with us for many years.
We work flexibly and you’ll be empowered to work where you do your best work, balancing your individual needs with the need for us to engage as teams and deliver excellent client service.
Most of our people choose to work in a hybrid fashion, working from home and attending our offices on occasion. Our offices are in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton, and Taunton.
Day to day, you’ll be successful in this role by:
Our Private Capital team in Taunton has an opportunity for a talented Paralegal to support the estate administration unit.
You will be advising on the following:
• Advising executors about the content and the effect of Wills including any connected issues regarding the validity of the Will and on the operation of the Intestacy Provisions where no Will exists.
• Advising on inheritance tax and capital gains tax issues that arise in connection with the deceased’s estate.
• Liaising/negotiating directly with HMRC regarding the availability of reliefs and exemptions from inheritance tax.
• Advising on the treatment and taxation of settlements under which the deceased had a life interest.
• Advising on the utility and the operation of trust structures contained in Wills.
• Advising on Deeds of Variation and Disclaimers.
• Advising and preparing the full suite of inheritance tax returns and estate accounts.
• Meeting with and liaising with clients directly throughout the administration process.
• Meeting with and liaising with clients throughout the administration process.
• Assisting generally in responding to correspondence, producing letters to clients and other parties, chasing by phone and email, undertaking tasks on the file.
• Creating and managing Excel spreadsheets – particularly Estate Accounts.
• Checking and collating documentation.
• Running own caseload.
• Responsibility for specific tasks at stages of the administration of active matters.
• Being proactive in matters to progress them as efficiently as possible.
• Organising files; keeping them correct and up to date.
• Meeting financial and time recording targets throughout the year.
We are a large and experienced team, led by four Partners, and there will be lots of training, guidance and support to assist you in getting fully up to speed with this complex area of law, and begin developing your own relationships with our clients.This role provides an excellent opportunity to develop your private capital career.
It is an integral part of this role that you comply with information security and all firm policies and procedures.
This role is right for you if you have:
To be successful in this role, you will have previous experience working within probate/estate administration. You will need to hit the ground running, supporting the team and pre-empting their needs as much as possible.
We expect you to be someone who takes pride in your work and in providing a first-class service at all times, anticipating our clients’ needs in advance wherever possible, and paying meticulous attention to detail in all of your work.
You will have excellent communication skills, impeccable spelling, and grammar, and be proficient with the usual Microsoft packages, including Excel and PowerPoint. We use a variety of different software packages here and so you need to be comfortable with learning new databases and bespoke IT systems.
This role will suit you if you would like to prioritise your own workload, work closely to deadlines, and can work with minimum supervision and under pressure. You will need to demonstrate from experience that you are exceptionally organised and proactive, helpful, with a flexible ‘can-do’ attitude, and that you have the skills to work closely with various stakeholders and have direct contact with clients.
You will have regular one-to-one contact with our clients, so you will be professional and credible, with integrity and the ability to build rapport with clients.
Finally, we are looking for someone who can demonstrate initiative and problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn and develop, which will help you thrive in this role.
What we can offer you:
A career at Clarke Willmott will feel different to other law firms. We thrive on our individual differences and diversity because as a team, we are united by our shared values and mutual respect. Working with us you will feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.
Our mission is to help you realise your full potential whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance. We provide a comprehensive learning and development programme and a range of wellbeing initiatives to support your career journey.
There’s no doubt we expect the best from our people and even the occasional extra mile. In return, your dedication and commitment to the continued success of the firm will be rewarded with a comprehensive range of flexible benefits.
Listen to what a few members of our team have to say about what life here at Clarke Willmott is really like, to see if it’s the right fit for you.
Apply
If you would like to apply for this vacancy, please send us your CV and covering letter using the form below.
(If you have any difficulties with the form, you can email your application to us at careers@clarkewillmott.com)
As a firm we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. Our recruitment privacy notice details how information is collected, processed and how long it is retained for.