Senior Associate

Birketts; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Long service holiday

Private healthcare

Profit share and bonus scheme

Salary sacrifice pension

Life Assurance

Job summary

Birketts is seeking a Senior Associate in Private Client Advisory to provide expert guidance to high-net-worth individuals and families. The role focuses on succession planning, trusts, wills, and tax planning, with a client-first approach and a collaborative team environment across multiple offices.

You will advise on complex estate matters, work with trustees and family offices, and contribute to developing client relationships and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years PQE in a professional legal environment.
• Proven track record advising high net worth clients in private client advisory law.
• High attention to detail to produce consistently high-standard work.
• Flexible approach to meet client deadlines and maintain regular communication.
• Experience in business development and establishing presence in new markets.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with high-net-worth clients.
• Provide tailored advice on succession planning, tax planning, wills, and estate administration.
• Draft and review complex documents including wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
• Advise on mitigating tax liabilities and structuring estates effectively.
• Lead and mentor junior lawyers within a collaborative environment.
• Contribute to the firm's strategic plan within Private Client Advisory Team.
• Participate in events and marketing activities to attract and retain clients.

Skills

High net worth client advisory

Client relationship management

Tax planning

Wills & trusts drafting

Attention to detail

Education

Solicitor/Bar admission

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Case management software

Outlook

Time recording software

Digital dictation

Job description

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 6th best law firm to work at in 2026.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 45% of our partnership.

The team you will join

The Birketts Private Client Division is recognised as one of the leading teams for advising individuals, families, and trustees. We provide bespoke advice on protecting wealth, planning for the future, and managing complex personal and family matters, often in conjunction with corporate structures and business interests. Our expertise spans everything from succession and tax planning to trusts, family law, Court of Protection, agricultural estates, ecclesiastical issues, and dispute resolution. We pride ourselves on delivering technically excellent, practical solutions with a personal approach that clients can trust.

Our lawyers bring experience from leading City practices and major national and regional firms. This depth of knowledge enables us to work together on complex matters and deliver exceptional client service and where appropriate, a sector-based offering for our clients.

Our Private Client Advisory team work across all seven of our offices. We act as trusted advisers to individuals, families, trustees, family or owner-run businesses and trust companies both in the UK and internationally. We place particular priority on continuity and fostering close long-term relationships with contacts and clients in order to provide practical advice and commercial solutions on a very wide variety of tax, trust and estate planning situations that arise.

We are proud to be accredited as a STEP Employer Partner, demonstrating our commitment to the continuous professional development of our trust and estate practitioners.

The work you will be doing

The successful candidate will play a critical role in providing expert legal advice and services to high-net-worth clients. This position will involve acting for high-net-worth clients, offering guidance on succession planning, trusts, wills, tax planning and estate administration.

As part of your day to day role, you will:

• Build and maintain strong relationship with high-net-worth clients.
• Provide tailored legal advice on succession planning, tax advice, wills and estate administration.
• Draft and review complex legal documents including wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
• Advise clients on mitigating tax liabilities and structuring their estates effectively.
• Help lead and mentor a team of junior lawyers fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Contribute to the development and execution of the firm’s strategic plan, particularly within the Private Client Advisory Team.
• Participate in networking events, conferences and other business development activities to promote the firm’s services.
• Develop and implement marketing initiatives to attract new clients and retain existing ones.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for

• A minimum of 6 years PQE in a professional legal environment
• Proven track record of advising high net worth clients in all areas of private client advisory law.
• A high attention to detail to produce work/ documentation which is consistently of a high standard.
• To have a flexible approach to work to ensure client deadlines are always met and clients are communicated with on a consistent and regular basis.
• Previous experience in business development and establishing a presence in new markets.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain client relationships.
• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation

Birketts has designed a 'Talent Management Framework' which provides a career structure that will help us develop, retain and reward talented people.As a Senior Associate, we typically expect candidates to have a minimum of 6 years PQE.

Any information provided in relation to PQE should be used for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Applicants will be considered on their individual merits.

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visithttps://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.

If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team [e-mail]