Senior Associate/ Legal Director - Private Client Advisory

Birketts LLP; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday

Private Medical Insurance

Pension scheme

Profit sharing

Life assurance

Gym subsidies

Job summary

Birketts LLP in Ipswich seeks a Senior Associate or Legal Director for its Private Client Advisory team. You will advise individuals, families and trustees in tax, trusts and estate planning, maintaining close client relationships and guiding junior lawyers.

The role blends office days with homeworking across a hybrid framework. The position requires 6+ years PQE (Senior Associate) or 8+ years (Legal Director) with strong drafting, research and client-facing skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years PQE for Senior Associate, or 8 years PQE for Legal Director.
• Ability to mentor junior team members and contribute to team development.
• Expertise in tax, trust and estate planning with commercial acumen.
• Demonstrates strategic business development, winning new clients and pitches.

Responsibilities

• Ensure client needs are met with high professionalism and efficiency.
• Maintain and grow client relationships and contribute to firm strategy.
• Lead and mentor a team of junior lawyers in a collaborative environment.
• Participate in networking events and business development activities.

Skills

Mentoring juniors

Client relationship management

Business development

Strategic advisory

Risk & compliance awareness

Documentation drafting

Time recording & billing

Cross-selling awareness

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Outlook

Case management

Time recording software

Job description

About us

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 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.

The team you will join

Our Private Client Advisory team sits within the wider Private Client Division. The team work across all seven of our offices and act as trusted advisers to individuals, families, trustees, family or owner-run businesses and trust companies both in the UK and internationally.

They 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

You will be responsible for:

• Ensuring client needs are met with the highest standard of professionalism and efficiency
• Maintaining and growing client relationships and contributing to the strategic direction and success of the firm.
• Leading and mentoring a team of junior lawyers, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Participating in networking events, conferences and other business development activities to promote the firm’s services.

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

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. As a Legal Director, we typically expect candidates to have a minimum of 8 years PQE.

• Ability to mentor junior team members and contribute to team development
• Brings specialist legal expertise, aligns advice with clients’ commercial objectives, directs research effectively, and drafts clear, accurate complex documentation
• Manages time recording and billing effectively, prices work profitably, supports credit control, meets financial targets.
• Demonstrates strategic business development, winning new clients, driving high-profile pitches, building a strong regional profile, and identifying cross-selling opportunities across the firm

• Manages matters and client relationships to a high standard, maintaining regular contact, meeting expectations, and demonstrating deep understanding of clients’ businesses and strategic objectives
• Builds credibility and trust through strong relationships, continuous professional development, and championing positive change
• Proactively manages risk and compliance tasks, follows best practice, maintains practical Lexcel knowledge, and seeks feedback to drive continuous improvement
• Strong attention to detail to produce work documentation which is consistently of a high standard
• Professional integrity and a commitment to providing excellent client service
• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation

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.

Benefits

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

• 30 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy

You can find out more on our website: https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Inclusivity and Culture

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.