Broadfield UK is a law firm that serves mid-market clients in multiple practice areas and has a strong commitment to client service. It has offices in London, Cambridge, Reading and Southampton, and is a founding member of the global Broadfield network which also operates in Hong Kong and New York. Its commitment to client service is reflected in central investment in client management services, AI and document management systems.
The team
Our Private Wealth team provide advice on UK and international tax and estate planning, trusts and trust administration, landed estates and immigration. They also work closely with colleagues in other departments to provide assistance to individuals with matters related to residential property, employment, business affairs and family law.
The opportunity
The PSL is responsible for keeping the department advised on the latest developments, both legal and market practice driven, co‑ordinating and further developing training initiatives for fee earners at all levels within the department, providing assistance in promoting the department to the outside world and supporting fee earners in solving day to day practice issues. We are open to candidates who are looking for permanent or part time opportunities for this position.
The successful candidate will also be required to participate actively in promoting knowledge management across the firm by liaising with PSLs from other departments and the firm’s central Knowledge Management leader to develop best practice initiatives with a common applicability.
The main duties will include:
* Advising department of legal developments and best practices – the PSL will be expected to organise and have administrative responsibility for the regular knowledge sharing meetings which are department wide. This will involve identifying suitable topics for discussion and being largely responsible for leading such discussions and appropriate materials, with contributions from other members of the department where appropriate. The fee‑earners need to be kept updated on emerging issues and policy initiatives, as well as best practices and risk mitigation.
* General alerts – reviewing magazines, online subscriptions and resources and disseminating information to fee earners on an ad hoc basis. The PSL will maintain the department’s intranet pages and will develop/maintain a library of best practice documents, checklists and guides to assist with client work.
* Training – arranging, co‑ordinating and to a significant extent delivering much of the training programme rolled out twice yearly for the benefit of trainees and newly qualified solicitors joining the department. The PSL will also be responsible for co‑ordinating and delivering further ad hoc training for assistants, identifying training needs and responding to fee earner demand for training, often taking a hands‑on approach to the delivery of such internal training. At the same time, the PSL is responsible for managing the department’s training budget for attendance at external events, identifying both suitable courses and appropriate fee earners to attend, with administrative responsibility for booking such training and overseeing post attendance feedback for the benefit of the department as a whole. There is a further emphasis on sourcing suitable third party experts to present seminars in‑house on topical subjects for the benefit of the department. Monitoring individual fee earners’ compliance with CPD requirements also falls within the PSL role.
* Fee earner query helpdesk – providing guidance, research and answers to usually case‑specific queries from various members of the department on an ad‑hoc but often daily basis. The role will generally not involve fee earning and will not have a financial target, although there may be occasions where tasks undertaken are properly chargeable to client matters.
* Marketing and Business Development – collaborating with senior department members in identifying opportunities for developing client‑facing content, delivered through newsletters, client briefings, thought leadership articles, client seminars and external speaking and writing engagements. Similarly, PSL input is often required when putting together tender presentations and preparation of bids (whether written or oral) for the purpose of winning new business. Promoting cross‑selling of the Department and its various skill sets to other departments within the firm whether by way of seminars, informal receptions or developing cross‑department protocols for cross‑referral of work also forms part of the PSL function.
* Third party experts – maintaining the team’s registers of foreign lawyers, barristers instructed for legal opinions and third party experts, together with maintaining and updating the Department handbook from time to time.
* Participate in the Firm wide Knowledge Management Function –attending regular meetings with other PSLs from across the firm and the firm’s Knowledge Management leader, with a view to producing knowhow initiatives with a global benefit using technology and knowledge resources to find innovative solutions. This forum also provides PSL support across the firm, giving both a platform from which the collective PSL voice can be more loudly heard and at the same time allowing the PSLs to benefit from sharing their expertise on how best to disseminate knowledge and fulfil the support function role.
* Liaising with other support departments – focusing predominantly on IT and library services, operating as a contact point between Private Wealth and each of the other support departments.
Who we are looking for
* Solicitor of at least 5 years PQE gained in Private Wealth, ideally across a range of Private wealth work areas.
* Strong technical knowledge and research skills.
* Previous PSL experience is desirable but not essential for the role.
* Confident using IT packages such as Word, Excel and Outlook, Document Management Systems and also digital/online knowledge systems.
* Committed to using technology to improve processes and practices.
* Enthusiastic self‑starter ready to improve departmental processes and to support fee‑earners in their learning and development.
* Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) with the ability to appeal to a wide range of audiences.
* Ability to build strong relationships internally and externally.
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