Probate Associate

JMC Legal Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

JMC Legal Recruitment is seeking a Probate Associate with 3-4 years' PQE to join a leading Private Wealth team in London. You will handle complex, high-value estates for UK and international clients and work closely with Partners to manage administration from instruction to distribution.

You will develop expertise in inheritance tax, grant applications, and estate accounts while benefiting from mentoring, a collaborative culture, and a flexible, supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor with 3-4 years' PQE in probate and estate administration.
• Strong experience handling taxable, high-value estates.
• Excellent understanding of inheritance tax and probate procedures.
• Experience preparing estate accounts and tax returns.
• Excellent communication and client relationship skills.

Responsibilities

• Managing the administration of complex estates from instruction to distribution.
• Preparing inheritance tax returns and calculations.
• Preparing grant applications and probate documentation.
• Drafting estate accounts, including STEP-compliant accounts.
• Liaising with executors, beneficiaries, financial institutions, valuers, accountants, and advisers.
• Assisting with deceased tax affairs and ensuring efficient administration.
• Building trusted relationships with clients and supporting the Private Wealth team.

Skills

Probate

Estate administration

Inheritance tax

Client relationships

Job description

Probate Associate | 3-4 PQE | Leading Legal 500 | Chambers, Spears & Legal 500 Ranked

Are you a Probate Solicitor with 3-4 years' PQE and strong experience in estate administration, looking to join one of London's most highly regarded Private Wealth teams where you'll work on complex, high-value estates for UK and international clients?

Progress your legal career in this highly respected London law firm, recognised for its market-leading Private Wealth practice, outstanding client relationships and collaborative, people-first culture.

The Firm

This highly regarded London law firm is consistently ranked in the Legal 500, Chambers and Spears, with an exceptional reputation across Private Wealth, Real Estate, Dispute Resolution and Corporate law.

The firm advises high-net-worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs, trustees and family offices on some of the most complex and valuable private wealth matters in the market. Its Private Wealth practice is regarded as one of the finest in London, offering truly integrated advice across succession planning, trusts, tax, property, family offices and estate administration.

Despite its prestigious reputation, the firm has cultivated a genuinely supportive and collaborative culture where people are encouraged to build long-term careers. Lawyers benefit from outstanding mentoring, early responsibility and direct client contact, alongside realistic expectations around work-life balance, including a 1300-hour chargeable target and hybrid working.

The firm also places a strong emphasis on wellbeing, inclusion and professional development, creating an environment where ambitious lawyers can thrive both personally and professionally.

The Role

This is an excellent opportunity for a 3-4 PQE Probate Solicitor to join one of London's leading Private Wealth teams.

Working alongside an experienced team of Partners, Counsel, Senior Associates and dedicated probate specialists, you'll play a key role in administering a broad range of complex, high-value estates for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, often involving international assets, business interests, valuable collections and sophisticated tax considerations.

Led by a highly regarded Private Wealth Partner recognised for advising generations of high-net-worth families, trustees and entrepreneurs, the team combines exceptional technical expertise with a deeply personal approach to client service. Their reputation for handling some of the market's most complex estate administrations makes this an outstanding environment in which to further develop your expertise.

You'll be given significant responsibility from the outset, managing your own estate administrations while receiving excellent support from experienced senior lawyers, dedicated probate professionals and an established private wealth team.

Your work will include:

• Managing the administration of complex estates from initial instruction through to final distribution.
• Preparing inheritance tax returns and undertaking detailed inheritance tax calculations, including matters involving business and agricultural reliefs and conditionally exempt assets.
• Preparing grant applications and associated probate documentation.
• Drafting comprehensive estate accounts, including STEP-compliant accounts where required.
• Liaising with executors, beneficiaries, financial institutions, valuers, accountants and other professional advisers throughout the administration process.
• Assisting with the management of deceased tax affairs and ensuring estates are administered efficiently to completion.
• Building trusted relationships with clients while contributing to the continued success and reputation of the Private Wealth team.

The Ideal Candidate

• A qualified Solicitor with ideally 3-4 years' PQE specialising in probate and estate administration.
• Strong experience administering taxable and high-value estates, ideally gained within a leading private client practice.
• Excellent understanding of inheritance tax, probate procedures and estate administration.
• Experience preparing estate accounts and inheritance tax returns.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and client relationship skills, with a professional and empathetic approach.
• Commercially minded, highly organised and committed to delivering exceptional client service.
• A collaborative team player with the ambition to continue developing within one of London's premier Private Wealth practices.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a Probate Solicitor with 3-4 years' PQE to join one of London's leading Private Wealth teams, working on exceptional quality estate administration matters while developing your career within a market-leading, supportive and ambitious environment.