Job Description

Bilingual (English/French) Associate - Private Client

Hours

9.30am - 5.30pm

Department

Private Client Putney

The Role

We are looking for an ambitious, professional English qualified Associate to join our large and expanding Private Client team based in Putney. Candidates also qualified in another jurisdiction are welcome to apply too.


The candidate should ideally be around 2 years + PQE (although we will consider all levels) with excellent academics (ideally 2:1 or equivalent). Speaking fluent French is a must.


The candidate should be highly motivated and demonstrate experience of a wide range of private client work, with a keen desire to develop their knowledge and practice specifically for cross-border work. The caseload would include all the variety of private client work, and expertise and experience in one or more of the following areas would be a bonus: trusts, tax, mental capacity, cross border work. STEP qualification or tax focused qualifications, such as ATT, will be strongly supported.


In addition to the provision of technically expert legal advice, the candidate will be expected to take responsibility and ownership of their work and clients, engage in proactive financial management of their matters, engage in business development and marketing to build their own network and bring in instructions, and work towards developing their management skills, with a view to progressing within the firm.


The Private Client team at Russell Cooke has a well-established reputation and broad experience over the entire sector. The team is well known for its Cross-Border expertise in international matters and includes dual French, Italian and Spanish qualified teams. This role will involve working with those teams and assisting clients with, for example, French property and private client matters.


This role is based in our Putney office and candidates should live within reasonable travelling distance of the office. Attendance at our other offices in Holborn (8 Bedford Row) and Kingston will depend on client need or meetings with referrers. We have an agile working policy which includes working from home for up to 40% of working time each month.


We handle varied and high-quality work to include: advising on and drafting wills; estate, business succession and inheritance tax planning advice; the administration of complex estates; the creation, administration and taxation of UK trusts; inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax advice in relation to trusts and estates; advising on mental capacity issues and Lasting Powers of Attorney (or equivalent).


Russell Cooke offers an excellent opportunity to join a stimulating work environment, working alongside friendly and supportive colleagues. The Private Client Team is client-focused in its approach and offers superb career development opportunities.

Technical skills and expertise

Main Duties:

Proactive conduct of own caseload - under line management of supervising partner and with support of other more junior fee-earners including trainee solicitors and legal assistants (paralegals) Strong focus on business development to bring your own work, to include networking, article writing, cross-departmental relationship building, developing referrer relationships such as Accountants, Wealth managers etc Excellent financial management including time recording and billing to reach annual targets (measured on fees received). Participation in firm wide events

Client Relations:

To provide a high-quality service to all Russell Cooke clients To independently develop and maintain good client relationship skills, gaining clients' confidence and that of other professionals Receive requests for advice from current and potential clients and deciding on the most appropriate responses to make to these requests Establishing a plan to solve a client's problems

Personal Development:

Qualify into and maintain professional development in a professional body such as STEP, ATT or similar Support internal procedures and systems of Russell Cooke including file and financial management Participate in team meetings Develop management skills e.g. by supervising junior fee earners, especially trainees Attend internal training and external training as and when required Read journals and attend courses as part of continuing professional development and to share knowledge Maintain high standards of professional conduct while generating adequate practice income, ensuring that the fees earned sufficiently exceed total costs and expenses incurred

Qualifications & Experience

Degree level 2:1 and ideally commendation at LPC level Working towards qualification of a relevant professional body such as STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) or ATT Highly numerate, IT literate, with excellent working knowledge of Excel.

Motivation & Competencies

Evidence of interest in, and commitment to, the success of the firm. Relevant experience within a professional services firm. Understanding of and commitment to Russell Cooke's values and ethos which can be seen at www.russell-cooke.co.uk Excellent communication both written and verbal - the role involves liaison with internal and external people at a senior level A self-starter, able to demonstrate high levels of initiative and motivation, but also work closely with other team members and display trust, loyalty and integrity. The successful candidate will be highly organised with an ability to manage assigned tasks in an assertive, efficient and timely manner Good interpersonal skills, demonstrating professionalism in all dealings Excellent attention to detail and a positive professional attitude Must be able to multitask and keep calm under pressure The flexibility to work outside normal office hours as may be required from time to time.

Your career development

Russell Cooke's lawyers are rounded professional advisers with strong commercial awareness and a commitment to exceeding client expectations. All our lawyers benefit from our cohort based career development programme. We understand the importance of building an internal network and have developed this excellent cohort programme to allow our lawyers to work together across practice areas and share their knowledge, experiences and networks.


At each stage of your career, a bespoke training programme will be provided to support you with your development and progression.

Salary and benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits.


We prefer direct applications. If you would like any further information, please contact a member of the HR team.


We have a diverse workforce and aim to attract high calibre applicants who reflect the demography of our geographical location and client base. Individuals will be employed solely on merit and the requirement of the position. No applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, marital status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender Identity or religion. Reasonable adjustments will be made to eliminate or reduce disadvantage.