Solicitor / Associate

An exciting opportunity has become available for an experienced Solicitor / Associate to join our private client department. Based in Newcastle, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality legal services across the North East; working closely with Partners and other senior fee earners to support the provision of a comprehensive range of services, including assisting high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, and trustees in a broad range of matters; while also supporting on complex and high-value estate planning work.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and client-focused individual to join a collaborative, forward-thinking, and high-performing team within a well-established and growing private client practice.

With a strong and varied caseload, ambitious growth plans and an expanding client base, the role offers the chance to develop specialist expertise across private client matters while benefiting from genuine, structured career progression within a supportive environment.

What will I be doing:

• Drafting bespoke Wills (including trust structures), LPAs, and related documents, ensuring proper execution
• Advising on inheritance tax mitigation, estate planning, and wealth preservation strategies
• Managing Trust matters including creation, administration, reviews, trustee advice, and associated documentation
• Handling complex estate administration (testate and intestate), including high-value, business, and cross-border assets
• Providing advice on business succession planning and collaborating with teams including Corporate, Family, and Real Estate
• Liaising with international lawyers and professional advisers (accountants, tax advisers, financial planners) to deliver coordinated advice
• Ensuring HMRC compliance and regulatory adherence, including maintaining precedents and risk procedures
• Building strong client relationships, contributing to business development, and maintaining up-to-date legal knowledge through continuous professional development

You'll have

• Ideally a minimum of 2 years PQE (4 years for those at Associate level) with experience in handling high-value and complex matters, including working with business owners
• Strong technical knowledge of Private Client law and understanding of related practice areas (Corporate, Family, Real Estate)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex issues clearly
• Strong planning skills, be highly organised and possess the ability to manage workload independently and meet deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and tailor approach to diverse clients
• A demonstrable problem-solving ability, sound judgement, and excellent attention to detail
• A commercially aware mindset, be proactive, resilient, and have effective prioritisation, IT and file management skills
• A positive, flexible, and collaborative approach, be motivated to learn and develop and have an appetite for developing business development skills

It would also be great if you had;

• A STEP qualification, be working towards one or have a willingness to work towards this.
• Full UK driving licence, with access to a reliable vehicle or the ability to travel easily between locations (as business need dictates) using alternative transport.

About us

We're proud to be an independent, full-service law firm providing exceptional legal expertise to businesses, the built environment, healthcare, the public and third sectors, and private individuals. With several office locations around the UK we're one of the UK's Top 100 law firms. When you join us you’ll be part of a team of over 500 passionate and talented individuals who take pride in offering an exciting and supportive environment allowing you to thrive.

We're passionate about promoting wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion, with dedicated committees to support ongoing efforts. We recognise that a healthy and thriving Firm filled with individuality and differences strengthen our teams, our clients and our communities.

What we can offer you

We’re committed to being a firm focused on support, development, wellbeing and inclusion and we’re always striving to improve. Our commitment to this has been recognised by our achievement of our Gold Investors in People award and by our Hive HR Employee Voice certification.

We reward our people with a whole range of benefits, some core and some flexible, designed to shape a reward package that’s right for you – now and in the future. Our core benefits include:

• An enhanced pension scheme with employer matched contributions of up to 6%.
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays (increasing to 28 days with length of service). There is also the option to purchase up to 5 additional days.
• Life assurance cover of 4 times basic salary, with the option to purchase additional cover.
• A range of health and wellbeing benefits.
• Hybrid working with a minimum requirement of 2 days per week working from one of our office locations.
• We also have a flexible benefits programme where you can purchase a wide range of additional benefits.

If you would like to request further information or to discuss the role, please contact people@wardhadaway.com quoting vacancy reference NTX1207363.

If you require any adjustments to be made to our recruitment process, please request a call back via the above email address.