Private Client Solicitor

JMC Legal Recruitment; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

STEP training and support

Career progression

Competitive salary

Job summary

JMC Legal Recruitment is assisting a respected regional firm in Southampton to find a Private Client Associate (3–6 PQE). You will manage your own caseload, handle wills, trusts, estate administration and LPA work, and contribute to the firm’s ongoing private client growth.

You’ll work with an experienced team, mentor junior lawyers, and enjoy a hybrid working pattern with a competitive salary and benefits package.

Qualifications

• 3–6 years PQE in Private Client law (ideally across complex matters).
• Solid technical knowledge across wills, LPAs, trusts, IHT and CGT.
• Strong drafting skills and excellent client care.
• STEP qualification desirable or in progress.

Responsibilities

• Manage a diverse, high-quality caseload including wills, trusts and estate administration.
• Provide tax planning advice for inheritance tax, CGT and related matters.
• Draft documents and registrations for Lasting Powers of Attorney.
• Mentor junior lawyers and contribute to the department's growth and reputation.
• Develop client relationships with autonomy and commercial awareness.

Skills

Private Client Law

Drafting

Client Care

Mentoring

STEP

Education

Solicitor qualification

Job description

Private Client Solicitor (Associate) | 3+ PQE | Southampton

Some private client roles involve processing wills and LPAs on repeat. This one involves shaping a tax and estate planning practice within a respected regional firm, managing your own caseload, mentoring junior lawyers, and doing work that genuinely requires expertise.

A leading regional law firm is looking for an Associate Solicitor to join its Private Client department in Southampton. You'll handle a varied, high-quality caseload of wills, trusts, estate administration, lasting powers of attorney, and tax planning for business owners, professionals, and high-net-worth families. You'll work on complex matters that demand real technical knowledge, with the backing of an experienced team and the autonomy to build your own client relationships.

This is private client work where your development actually matters.

The Firm

A well-regarded regional practice recognized for technical excellence, collaborative culture, and genuine commitment to client care. They're investing in their Private Client offering and looking for someone ready to contribute to its continued growth and reputation.

The Work

You'll manage a diverse, sophisticated caseload:

• Wills and estate planning for high-net-worth clients and business owners
• Trust administration and drafting across complex structures and inheritance planning
• Estate administration from initial instruction through completion
• Lasting Powers of Attorney preparation and registration
• Tax planning covering inheritance tax, capital gains tax, income tax implications
• Variation of wills and other contentious private client matters

You'll work independently on your own matters while supervising junior colleagues and contributing to the department's development and reputation.

You

• 3-6 years PQE in Private Client law (ideally with experience across complex matters)
• Solid technical knowledge across wills, LPAs, trusts, IHT, and CGT
• Strong drafting skills and attention to detail
• Excellent client care skills with genuine empathy and professionalism
• STEP qualified or working toward it (desirable)
• Commercial awareness and real initiative
• Organized, collaborative, and genuinely interested in mentoring junior colleagues

What's On Offer

• Manage your own caseload with genuine autonomy and responsibility
• Work on complex, high-quality matters for sophisticated clients
• Mentor and support junior colleagues as the department grows
• Competitive salary and benefits package supporting your health and happiness
• Hybrid working with flexibility around how and where you work
• Genuine career progression within a growing department
• Investment in your development and long-term career path
• STEP training and support to build your expertise
• Collaborative culture with strong internal resources and support

Why This Works

This firm has genuinely invested in building a respected Private Client practice. They're not just hiring to fill gaps; they're looking for someone who'll contribute to strategy, mentor juniors, and help shape the department's future.

You'll work on work that requires real expertise, not just template advice. The clients are sophisticated. The matters are complex. And the firm backs its lawyers with resources, support, and genuine investment in development.

If you're an Associate ready for increased responsibility, real client ownership, and the chance to contribute to a growing practice within a firm that values you, this is it.