Head of Family

Realm Recruit; Chester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Discretionary bonus up to 20%

Leadership development opportunities

Investment in growth and marketing

Job summary

Realm Recruit in Chester is seeking a senior Family Lawyer to lead a growing team and shape the office's profile. You will manage privately funded family matters, with autonomy and leadership responsibilities as the office expands.

The role offers a discretionary bonus up to 20% based on chargeable hours and performance, plus annual salary reviews. Hybrid working to support a strong client and business development focus in the Chester market.

Qualifications

• Experienced private Family Lawyer with a strong reputation in Chester.
• Proven business development capability and strong client relationships.
• Ability to manage complex financial remedy matters independently.
• Leadership experience and appetite for building a Chester team.
• Commercial awareness of running a successful family practice.

Responsibilities

• Manage a full caseload of privately funded family matters.
• Handle complex financial remedies and private children work.
• Develop the Chester office profile and generate new work.
• Mentor and develop other lawyers as the office expands.
• Lead client relationships and networking with referrers.

Skills

Private Family Law

Financial Remedy Expertise

Business Development

Networking & Referrals

Leadership & Team Building

Independent Case Management

Client Relationship Management

Commercial Awareness

Job description

• Become a foundational senior hire in a growing Chester office, with the opportunity to build a team around you
• Earn up to 20% of salary through the bonus scheme, alongside annual salary reviews linked to performance and contribution
• Shape the direction of the office while handling high-quality private family work, with hybrid working and genuine autonomy

If you’re a senior Family Lawyer with a strong reputation in the Chester market and ambitions to build something of your own, this is an opportunity to have far more influence than simply inheriting a Head of Family title.

You’ll become a key figure in a growing Chester office, combining your own private family practice with responsibility for developing its profile, generating work and helping shape the team around you. There’s already significant investment behind the growth strategy, with recent marketing activity contributing to a 29% year-on-year increase in enquiries.

The work will predominantly focus on privately funded family matters, particularly complex financial remedies, alongside private children work. You’ll have the autonomy expected at your level, direct access to the firm’s leadership and the opportunity to bring lawyers with you or gradually build a team as the office grows.

The longer-term ambition is to establish a team of around five lawyers in Chester. For someone commercially minded who enjoys networking, developing relationships and leading from the front, there’s significant scope to make the office their own while remaining part of a wider collaborative specialist family practice.

Who we’re looking for

• Experienced private Family Lawyer (E)
• Strong technical expertise in financial remedy work (E)
• Ability to independently manage complex matters without technical supervision (E)
• Proven business development capability (E)
• Ability to generate work through professional relationships, networking and personal reputation (E)
• Strong client relationship management skills (E)
• Commercial awareness and understanding of what drives a successful family practice (E)
• Confidence handling difficult and sensitive matters independently (E)
• Proactive approach to developing work and raising your profile (E)
• Collaborative and willing to contribute to the success of the wider firm (E)
• Strong work ethic and dependable approach (E)
• Receptive to feedback and continued development (E)
• Previous supervision or mentoring experience (D)
• Team leadership experience (D)
• Ability to introduce additional work or lawyers to the Chester office (D)
• Established reputation and professional network within Chester (D)
• Entrepreneurial mindset and interest in building a team (D)

What you’ll be doing

• Managing a full caseload of privately funded family matters
• Handling complex financial remedy work
• Advising on private children matters where appropriate
• Potentially developing experience in fertility and modern family law where this aligns with your interests
• Managing matters independently from initial instruction through to conclusion
• Conducting negotiations, settlement discussions and court preparation
• Attending court where required
• Building and maintaining relationships with clients and professional referrers
• Developing your profile within the Chester family law market
• Generating new work through networking, referrals and business development
• Helping increase the visibility of the Chester office
• Supporting recruitment and potentially bringing or building a team around you
• Mentoring and developing other lawyers as the office expands
• Collaborating with colleagues across the wider practice
• Contributing to the longer-term strategy for the Chester office

Salary & Benefits

• Open to Senior Associate or Partner-level appointments
• Discretionary bonus scheme offering the potential to earn up to 20% of salary for achieving chargeable-hour expectations
• Bonus based on cash collected and paid monthly
• Annual salary reviews
• Opportunity for salary growth based on contribution and performance
• Hybrid working with at least 3 days per week in the Chester office
• Flexible, trust-based approach to working
• Direct access to the firm’s leadership
• Opportunity to shape and grow the Chester office
• Potential to build a team around you
• Leadership development opportunities
• Fair allocation of work based on capacity
• Collaborative rather than internally competitive culture
• Significant investment in marketing, business development and continued growth
• Regular feedback, training and development
• Long-term opportunity to become a key figure within the wider leadership team

Mel specialises in family law recruitment across the North West and can give you a clear picture of the growth plans for Chester, the level at which you could join and how this opportunity compares with other senior family leadership roles in the market.

While this advert sets out the criteria applicable to each salary band, the salary guidance given is purely indicative. The precise salary offered within that band will ultimately be determined by the hirer, taking into account the individual candidate’s experience, qualifications and overall suitability for the role.