Job Description

About your new role

Our Disputed Wills, Trusts and Estates team is one of the leading private wealth disputes groups across the UK. Our multiple award-winning department and people are ranked across both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 for their specialist expertise in contentious trusts and estates work. This is therefore an excellent opportunity to develop your career in a market-leading contentious trusts and probate team and work alongside Partners

David McGuire

and

Matthew Morton

, who are both ranked leaders in this field.
Our team has experience in some of the most high-value and complex disputes in the country, extending to multi-jurisdictional disputes and including reported cases such as the landmark case of Illot v Mitson and other reported cases including Singh v Kaur and Others [2011] and Nahajec v Fowle [2017]. We have specialist expertise in will validity claims and challenges, trust disputes, claims involving the administration of estates, proprietary estoppel, Inheritance Act claims, professional negligence claims and disputes involving trustees, executors and beneficiaries. We are regularly instructed by high net worth individuals, landowners, executors, beneficiaries and trustees, trusts, local authorities, charities and charitable trusts, community interest companies, solicitors, financial advisors and accountants.


Our team is supported by a national network with offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, London, Newcastle and Nottingham, giving us national coverage for private client services. We are also supported and complimented by a number of non-contentious specialist STEP qualified lawyers and a specialist Court of Protection team. As part of a full service firm, we are able to provide top quality private client advice alongside essential corporate, employment, tax and property advice and support.



This is a chance to join a specialist and experienced team exclusively working in the contentious probate arena and handling a wide variety of work types within that sphere.

Main duties and responsibilities

Assisting the partners with their caseloads Pro-actively manage your own caseload with supervision Draft and perform legal research, investigations, etc Attend conferences, court and client meetings Communicate with clients, counsel and other parties Involvement in business development (ConTrA, ACTAPS, STEP, NCPG etc) and profile raising initiatives as well as alignment to relevant segment/sector groups Preferably work across our Manchester/Liverpool offices directly reporting to David McGuire but also attend the firm's other offices as necessary from time to time Complete client and internal MI procedures Achieve set financial and chargeable targets Ensure relevant deadlines, quality measures and KPIS are adhered to Comply with relevant policies and procedures Work in accordance with Weightmans' values

About You

You will have previous experience and a genuine and demonstrable interest in the above area of work.

We also require you to have/be:



Experienced in private client work and specifically contentious trusts and probate work NQ - 6 PQE Be working exclusively as a contentious probate lawyer Ability to navigate emotionally charged matters Have obtained, or be willing to work towards, ACTAPS accreditation Have an enthusiasm for attending contentious probate specific events throughout the country and abroad Extensive litigation experience with proven technical ability and record of achievement Ability to work to deadlines / targets, to prioritise and manage a caseload and deliver effective solutions Ability to work well as part of a team and on your own initiative with a positive attitude A commercial, solution-driven and client-focused approach Strong legal and analytical skills with an eye for detail Good organisation and time-management skills Good communication and interpersonal skills Flexible approach and agile working Good IT skills
If you meet our criteria and think this is a job where you could bring enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn, then we look forward to receiving your application.

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates are encouraged to reach out directly. For inquiries or more details, feel free to contact us. Our recruitment team members are here to assist.

Why work for us

Come and join our award-winning organisation and team. Weightmans has been recognised as a leading employer for the 18th consecutive year at Britain's

Top Employers awards 2025

, and ranking

5th

in the list, the firm has also secured top positions in Chambers UK.



Embark on this journey with Weightmans towards becoming one of the Top 30 UK Law firms.



Why work for us? Take a look:

Work for Weightmans: voted a top employer | Weightmans

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