Senior Associate

Realm Recruit; Harrogate; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

35-hour week

Flexible hours

Harrogate base

Enhanced maternity leave

Enhanced sick pay

Mental health days

Family-friendly culture

Strong workflow

Clear progression

Job summary

Realm Recruit is seeking a Senior Private Client Lawyer in Harrogate to lead complex trusts work for high-net-worth clients. The role focuses on creation, administration, and advanced succession planning while remaining closely connected to clients and experienced colleagues.

You will handle sophisticated Private Client matters, with progression opportunities beyond Senior Associate. The team emphasises high-quality work and collaborative client service within a supportive department.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent with significant Private Client experience.
• Strong experience advising on, establishing and administering trusts.
• Experience acting for HNW clients and dealing with complex estates.
• Ability to independently manage sophisticated Private Client matters.
• Strong technical knowledge across Private Client and trusts.
• Excellent client relationship and communication skills.
• Commercially aware, pragmatic and highly organised.
• Collaborative approach and senior team contribution.
• Desirable: experience advising business owners, landed estates or agricultural clients.
• Desirable: tax planning experience.
• Desirable: existing referral relationships.
• Desirable: Court of Protection experience.

Responsibilities

• Managing a varied caseload of complex Private Client matters.
• Advising on lifetime and Will trusts, including creation, structuring and administration.
• Handling complex wills and succession planning.
• Advising HNW clients on wealth preservation and tax-efficient succession.
• Managing complex and high-value estate administration.
• Advising trustees and families on ongoing trust matters.
• Handling Lasting Powers of Attorney and wider Private Client work.
• Providing technical input on complex trusts and estate matters.
• Working with Head of Department on significant client matters.
• Developing relationships with clients and referrers.
• Contributing to business development without heavy generation expectations.
• Strengthening the department’s trusts offering.

Skills

Private Client expertise

Trusts knowledge

HNW client advisory

Client relationship

Communication skills

Commercial awareness

Team collaboration

Senior lawyer mindset

Proactive problem-solving

Time management

Education

Solicitor qualification (or equivalent)

Job description

• £55,000–£65,000 salary with scope to progress beyond Senior Associate as the team continues to develop
• Become a key technical specialist within a Legal 500 team, with a strong focus on complex trusts and HNW work
• 2 days working from home, flexible hours and a 35-hour working week

If you’ve reached Senior Associate level but still want your career to be centred around technically interesting Private Client work, this role offers an attractive alternative to moving straight into management. The Harrogate team is entering its next phase of development, with new leadership in place and Private Client remaining a key area of investment for the firm. There is already a significant volume of quality work coming from business owners, landed families, HNW individuals and multi-generational clients, so you won’t be expected to arrive with a following or build a practice from scratch.

Trusts are a particular priority. You’ll use your existing expertise across their creation, administration and ongoing management while handling wider complex succession planning and estate work. Over time, there is scope to become one of the department’s recognised technical specialists and progress further according to your ambitions. Importantly, progression doesn’t have to mean taking responsibility for managing a department. The firm is looking for someone who enjoys being a senior lawyer, wants to remain close to clients and complex matters, and values having experienced colleagues around them to discuss the more challenging work.

Who we’re looking for

• Qualified Solicitor, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent with significant Private Client experience(Essential)
• Strong experience advising on, establishing and administering trusts(Essential)
• Experience acting for HNW clients and dealing with complex estates(Essential)
• Ability to independently manage sophisticated Private Client matters(Essential)
• Strong technical knowledge across Private Client and trusts(Essential)
• Excellent client relationship and communication skills(Essential)
• Commercially aware, pragmatic and highly organised(Essential)
• Collaborative approach and desire to contribute as a senior member of a team(Essential)
• Experience advising business owners, landed estates or agricultural clients(Desirable)
• Tax planning experience(Desirable)
• Existing referral relationships(Desirable)
• Court of Protection experience(Desirable)

What you’ll be doing

• Managing a varied caseload of complex Private Client matters
• Advising on lifetime and Will trusts, including creation, structuring and administration
• Handling complex wills and succession planning
• Advising HNW clients on wealth preservation and tax-efficient succession
• Managing complex and high-value estate administration
• Advising trustees and families on ongoing trust matters
• Handling Lasting Powers of Attorney and wider Private Client work
• Providing technical input to colleagues on complex trusts and estate matters
• Working closely with the Head of Department on significant client matters
• Developing strong relationships with existing clients and referrers
• Contributing to business development where appropriate without carrying a heavy work-generation expectation
• Helping further strengthen the department’s trusts offering

Salary & Benefits

• £55,000–£65,000
• 2 days working from home and 3 days in the office
• 35-hour working week
• Flexible working hours
• Harrogate as your primary base, with access to the Leeds office when needed
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced sick pay
• Dedicated mental health days
• Family-friendly working culture
• Significant existing workflow from day one
• Progression based on your individual aspirations
• Scope to progress beyond Senior Associate without needing to move into departmental management
• Route into increasingly complex and high-value work
• Potential involvement with the firm’s Trust Corporation for those with relevant experience
• Strong technical support network
• Quality-focused environment with realistic fee-earning expectations

While this advert sets out the criteria applicable to each salary band, the salary guidance given is purely indicative. The precise salary offered within that band will ultimately be determined by the hirer, taking into account the individual candidate’s experience, qualifications and overall suitability for the role.