Knowledge Lawyer – Tax & Trusts

Stevens & Bolton LLP; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pensions Scheme (5% employer contribution)

Private medical insurance

Critical illness insurance

Discounted gym memberships

Profit share and discretionary bonus schemes

Season ticket loan (interest-free)

Enhanced maternity/paternity pay

Critical illness insurance

Cycle to work

Give as you earn

Gym discounts

Profit sharing

Job summary

A prestigious law firm in Guildford is looking for a Knowledge Lawyer to support its Tax & Trusts practice. The ideal candidate will have expertise in UK and international tax, with responsibilities including maintaining precedents, providing legal support, and drafting thought leadership pieces. The role allows flexibility with options for full-time or part-time work, promoting a supportive and collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Established private client knowledge lawyer with strong background in trusts and estates.
• Experience in designing and delivering training programmes is desirable.
• Proactive, able to manage own workload and meet deadlines
• Experience in designing and delivering training programmes (desirable)

Responsibilities

• Maintain and expand precedents and guidance notes for the team.
• Provide specialist support and assist with research on complex legal issues.
• Draft client-focused articles and thought leadership pieces.
• Providing practical and technical support to the team and acting as a sounding board
• Managing learning and development plans for trainees and new joiners
• Supporting business development and contributing to internal projects
• Drafting client-focused articles and briefing notes
• Keeping up-to-date with legal tech solutions and implementing them
• Liaising with Information Services to access resources
• Collaborating with Knowledge Lawyers across the firm on cross-department issues

Skills

Excellent legal research skills

Outstanding oral and written communication skills

High attention to detail

Proactive and self-managing

Education

Background in UK and international tax and estate planning

Job description

We are recruiting a Knowledge Lawyer to support our Tax & Trusts practice. If you have excellent private client experience within a quality practice and are looking to join a growing, dynamic team, working within an ambitious yet supportive environment, this role might be a good fit for you.

Led by five partners, and supported by around 15 further lawyers, accountants and paralegals, the team is highly respected in the market, being ranked in the top tier by the legal directories. We are one of the few teams to be listed in the London section of The Legal 500 without a London presence. We act for a broad spectrum of national and international clients. Many are affluent families based in Surrey and the South East, but our client base also includes Sunday Times Rich List individuals, globally wealthy families, trustees, family offices, landowners, business owners and entrepreneurs. We work closely with, and benefit from the experience of, our colleagues in the Contentious Trusts and Estates, and Family, teams, leading to a wide variety of interesting and challenging work.

The Knowledge Lawyer role is a key role, sitting at the heart of the team, and the right candidate will be proactive, with a drive for excellence, yet approachable and friendly, forming good relationships with team members at all levels. The focus of the role is to provide support to the team by developing and managing its precedents, knowhow and training programmes as well as helping to manage internal projects to enhance our client service and increase efficiencies.

We welcome applications from candidates looking to work on a full-time or part-time basis (minimum three days). As a firm we work flexibly and remote/hybrid working is available, with employees encouraged to be in the office at least two days per week (pro-rated for part-time workers)

Qualifications and Experience

Our ideal candidate will be an established private client knowledge lawyer with a strong background in UK and (preferably) international tax and estate planning, trusts and other asset holding structures, lasting powers of attorney and other advance care planning, and estate administration. We welcome applications from proactive private client fee earners with strong relevant experience, who are looking to transition into a knowledge lawyer role. Training and development will be provided to support a successful transition.

You will need to demonstrate that you are or have:

• Highly personable, with a desire to work with people at all levels and roles; a flexible and cooperative approach
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts clearly and concisely
• The ability to quickly gain the confidence of lawyers at all levels
• Excellent legal research skills with the ability to analyse and interpret complex legal issues
• Excellent attention to detail
• Experience in designing and delivering training programmes (desirable)
• Membership of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (desirable)
• Proactive, able to manage own workload, set priorities and set and meet deadlines.

Key responsibilities

The role is broad, and priorities may alter from time to time, but typically involves:

• Maintaining and expanding a comprehensive suite of precedents and guidance notes for use by the team, ensuring they are up-to-date and easily accessible.
• Staying up-to-date with important legal developments in our key areas and communicating these to the team.
• Formulating (and delivering, where necessary) a regular programme of engaging and relevant knowhow and team training sessions.
• Providing specialist practical and technical support to the team, including assisting with research and acting as a sounding board on complex or esoteric points of law or practice.
• Managing the team’s learning & development plans (including for trainees and new joiners) and supporting delivery.
• Supporting our business development initiatives as appropriate, including contributing to strategy discussions based on current awareness, and helping to scope and implement identified internal projects.
• Drafting client-focused articles, thought leadership pieces and briefing notes,
• Keeping up-to-date with legal technology solutions and assisting with implementation.
• Liaising with the firm’s Information Services Officer to ensure the team has access to a comprehensive suite of relevant resources.
• Liaising with Knowledge Lawyers from across the firm on cross-departmental issues and initiatives.

The Opportunity

• Pensions Scheme (5% employer contribution)
• Private medical insurance
• Permanent health insurance
• Life assurance
• Receive either the sum of £750 per annum as a travel allowance or reimbursement of carparking expenses via a pay as you go card at a local carpark (likely to be Farnham Road carpark)
• Travel – option to apply for an interest free loan for a season ticket or parking permit
• Enhanced maternity/paternity pay (after sufficient service)
• Critical illness insurance
• Cycle to work schemes
• Give as you earn
• Discounted gym memberships and shopping
• Profit share and discretionary bonus schemes

The Firm

Stevens & Bolton – making a positive difference to your career

You’ll work with people who listen, and who actively and willingly support one another within a collaborative and engaging environment. We genuinely care about our people and strive to build and maintain a diverse, inclusive and happy workforce.

We are recognised as a top firm in The Times Best Law Firms 2024 and shortlisted for ESG Initiative of the Year at the upcoming Women, Influence & Power in Law UK 2024 Awards. We were highly commended for both “Regional/Offshore Firm of the Year” – Legal Business Awards 2023 and “Law Firm of the Year” – SLS Legal Awards 2023, commended for “Law Firm of the Year: The Independents” – The Lawyer Awards 2023, and were shortlisted for “UK Law Firm of the Year - Small/Mid Sized Firm” – The British Legal Awards 2023 and “Workplace Fit-out of the Year” – Insider South East Property Awards 2023. Our refurbished office has been awarded a RICS SKA silver certificate and a 2 star Fitwel accreditation.

We’ve made excellence the hallmark of our firm: in the clear advice we give, in the enduring client relationships we build and in our proactive and highly responsive service. We seek to recruit people who will help us maintain and build on this, and in return we offer excellent long-term career and development opportunities.

Diversity & Inclusion

We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I). This drives a strategy which focuses on constant promotion of an inclusive culture that encourages everyone to realise their full potential and be themselves at work. Previously we have been shortlisted for “Best D&I Initiative” at The HR Awards and for “Best Talent and Inclusion Initiative” at The Lawyer Awards.