Private Client Legal Director 8+ years’ PQE LEEDS

Farrar Levin Legal Recruitment; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading private wealth team in Leeds is seeking a STEP qualified Legal Director with significant experience in private wealth law. This role offers an opportunity to manage high-value client cases, oversee a team, and engage in strategic business initiatives. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in wills, estate planning, and probate, and be comfortable working with high net worth individuals, all while maintaining a balance of autonomy and team collaboration.

Qualifications

• At least 8 years of Private Wealth experience.
• Experience with high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients.
• Proficient in wills, succession planning, trusts, and probate.

Responsibilities

• Manage a varied mix of Private Client work including wills and trusts.
• Supervise team members handling complex caseloads.
• Engage in strategic business development and educational projects.

Skills

Client management

Technical expertise

Team supervision

Business development

Cross-border experience

Education

STEP qualification

Job description

This Private Wealth team in Leeds is expanding and they are looking to hire a STEP qualified Legal Director, with at least 8 years’ Private Wealth experience. Your caseload will include a broad and varied mix of Private Client work including Wills, Succession Planning, IHT planning, Trusts, Administration of Estates and LPAs. A large proportion of your clients will be high net worth or ultra-high net worth individuals and business owners. Clients will often have cross border issues and deceased estates will regularly be high value and complex. As Legal Director you will also be involved in firm-wide projects and take responsibility for certain tasks outside of the day-to-day legal work, such as strategic business development and team supervision, and learning and development. Due to the nature of the team’s clients, they are seeking someone with experience of working with high and ultra-high net worth individuals. You will be used to managing your own clients and possess excellent technical expertise. Your experience will span across lifetime planning, estates, inheritance tax planning and probate. In respect of probate work, whilst the firm has a separate contentious private client team, they are regularly engaged to act as independent administrators of highly contentious estates. You will therefore ideally have experience, and be comfortable, administering the complexities of contentious families in probate cases.

Having experience of successfully supervising members of a team with complex caseloads is essential. The ability to generate your own work from existing professional connections would also be desirable but not essential. Candidates with strong cross-border experience would also be of interest. To enjoy working in this team and thrive in the firm you will need to be motivated, a team player, commercially minded, calm under pressure and be able to work equally well autonomously and collaboratively. The role is based in Leeds with the ability to work from home 2-3 days per week.