We have a fantastic opportunity for a Paralegal to join our growing Trust, Probate and Court of Protection specialists, in our wider UK Private Client group. This is a great support role and the successful candidate will work closely with the solicitors, chartered legal executives and paralegals, dealing with high net worth individuals. We deal with a wide range of estate administration and Court of Protection work.
The role will suit someone who has excellent people skills and who is looking to develop their career within a friendly collegiate team that is widely recognised for its expertise in this area. All necessary training will be provided.
The focus of this role is to support the Probate team with a wide range of estate administration and Court of Protection work and work closely with the wider UK Private Client group, across all offices.
Roles and Responsibilities
Estate Administration
* Obtaining specific details and valuations of the deceased's assets and liaising with financial institutions and valuers in this regard
* Accurately drafting a schedule of assets and liabilities and keeping this up-to-date
* Liaising with foreign intermediaries regarding overseas assets
* Drafting inheritance tax returns and supplementary schedules and liaising with HMRC in this regard
* Drafting applications for probate and letters of administration and dealing with queries raised by the Probate Registry prior to issuing of the grant
* Upon receipt of the grant, preparing the relevant financial paperwork to enable the collection or transfer of the deceased's assets
* Liaising with the private property team regarding sale or transfer of the deceased's property (where relevant)
* Preparing and updating full estate accounts
* Obtaining UK Grants of Representation for foreign residents in relation to UK assets
* Arranging payments and distributions to beneficiaries and third parties in accordance with Firm procedures
* Liaising with utility providers and the council in relation to supply of services to the deceased's property
* Liaising with estate agents, clearance companies and contractors (where relevant) in relation to the deceased's property
* Collating income and capital gains tax information for accountants/HMRC as applicable
* Drafting simple income tax returns and liaising with HMRC in relation to tax for the administration period.
* Preparing statements of income (form R185) for beneficiaries.
* Any other day-to-day estate administration matters
* Generally supporting the team members
* Keeping managers and Partners regularly updated with progress on assignments and assisting with billing
Court of Protection Work
* Preparing all internal deputy/attorney accounts and updating these monthly
* Actioning all deputy/attorney payments from the relevant accounts and generally managing the online accounts/requesting new cards etc.
* Opening new bank accounts where required
* Preparing deputy reports
* Assisting with the costs process of deputyships
* Filing for deputyship/ attorneyship matters
General
* Complying with all relevant legal and regulatory obligations including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations, and Principles.
Person Specification
* Be confident to work autonomously and as part of a team
* Be enthusiastic, willing to learn and keen to pursue a career in estate administration work
* Be a quick learner
* Demonstrate excellent time management skills
* Be organised and capable of running a significant number of files and work matters simultaneously
* Have the ability to develop effective working relations at all levels
* Have a high degree of attention to detail
* Be confident in both verbal and written communication with a diverse range of clients
* Have a flexible approach and willing to go the extra mile
Competencies
Working together Integrity and respect
Inclusive Personal impact and growth
Driving high standards Commercial mindset
Client - centric Responsible Business
For a detailed specification please download the job description in the documents section of this page.
Please note we are not currently accepting agency CVs for this position. If you would like to make an application, please do so directly. Clicking 'apply' will direct you to the application tracking system, hosted for us by Reach-