Buckles Solicitors LLP is an award-winning firm, that provides world-class client experience and services on a comprehensive range of legal services to both businesses and individuals in the UK and internationally.

Delivering effective and cost-efficient legal solutions from our offices based in Cambridge, London, Nottingham, Peterborough, Stamford, Bristol, Swindon, with international presence in Paris and Milan.

We recognise that all this is possible due to our team of highly dedicated, enthusiastic professionals across our locations. We pride ourselves on providing a positive work environment where independent thinking and new ideas are actively encouraged and where every member of the team genuinely can make a difference.

Buckles carries the LawNet Mark of Excellence and is Investor in People Gold accredited.

We are recruiting for an enthusiastic and passionate Trusts and Tax Paralegal/Executive to join our well-established Private Client team. The role is a full-time permanent contract (37.5 hours per week) and we are flexible on the location across most of our offices.

This role will offer 1 days working from home and 4 days in an office. This could increase dependent on the confidence and experience levels of the successful candidate.

The paralegal role will provide supervised support to the Trusts team, whereas the successful candidate who would be considered for the Trust & Tax Executive role will be able to manage their own trust caseload autonomously with the ability to identify what was required to progress the matter and to have the knowledge, technical ability and experience to do it with little input and direction from the supervising colleague.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a high performing and innovative Private Client team and to work to agreed Key Performance Indicators and any benchmarking targets.

Accountabilities

• Report to Private Client Partners.
• Be an integral part of the Trusts team, delivering on agreed cases, thinking about new opportunities and supporting overall profile of the Trusts team and the Private Client department.
• Collaborate with the Trusts Manager in progressing the team’s caseload which will include routine trust administration work. Common duties will be drafting and updating trust accounts using Microsoft excel; completing and submitting straight forward tax returns to HMRC and paying any Income Tax; calculating, reporting and paying Capital Gains Tax to HMRC; calculating, reporting and paying anniversary and exit charges to HMRC; maintaining and adhering to the key dates calendar; registering and updating our trusts using the Trust Registration Service; drafting routine trust deeds, making trust payments to beneficiaries and third parties etc; assisting with the investment of trust assets; liaising with Trustees to seek their instructions and preparing Trust minutes.
• Delivery of individual targets (fees, time, business development etc.,) with minimal supervision.
• Ensuring high levels of client satisfaction and building appropriate and lasting relationships with clients.
• Adherence of agreed firm standards, quality procedures and management systems (including the maintenance of neat and proper files on all matters to meet ISO standards so that they can be easily picked up and dealt with by other members of the Department together with and any other instructions set by your Head of Department) and compliance with financial procedures and accounts rules.
• Undertake and deliver work in a commercially effective manner.
• Cross referral of work effectively to appropriate personnel.
• Continually develop technical and non-technical skills to meet client and firm requirements and demonstrate continuous improvement in all areas of work.
• Some travel as required and out of hours working for business development, meetings and training purposes.

Qualifications:

• Relevant professional qualifications.
• The candidate will have trust administration experience in the legal sector and/or perhaps have experience in preparing accounts using capital, income and reconciliation accounting in the finance sector.

Skills / Experience:

• Business development skills and enthusiasm.
• Strong numeracy and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Trust/Private Client knowledge.
• Uses initiative, plans and organises own time and workload so as to meet deadlines and prioritise work.
• Working knowledge of case management systems and Microsoft Office applications.

Personal attributes:

• You will be proactive and passionate about your career.
• You will be an empathetic individual who can deal with sensitive matters efficiently.
• As an autonomous client facing role, you will have a friendly and helpful manner in dealing with trust queries from clients and within the firm.
• A strong team player with a motivational hands-on approach.
• A measured and rational approach to problem solving.
• Deals confidently and diplomatically with clients and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrates integrity and congruence when dealing with people.

Competencies

• Delivering a quality service
• Achieve commercial outcomes
• Deliver at pace
• Collaborating and partnering
• Changing and improving
• Making Effective decisions

Reward and development:

Buckles recognise the success of every employee; working with you to ensure you have what you need to maximise your potential and develop your career.

Alongside a host of development, professionally and personally, we offer some fantastic benefits, which include (but not limited to):

• 25 days annual leave + all UK Bank Holiday + an additional day for your birthday each year (or closest working day to your birthday).
• Additional annual leave on Christmas Eve (1 full day) and New Years Eve (half day PM) if these days fall on a normal working day.
• Private healthcare options for you and your family – via Bupa.
• Free healthcare cash back plans for you and your family.
• Enhanced pension – 5% matched contribution by Buckles.
• Ability to buy additional holiday – up to 5 days per year.
• Group Life Assurance – 4 x your annual salary.

To apply:

Please submit a CV that demonstrates the skills and experience you have that is suitable for this role.

We are an equal opportunity and disability-inclusive employer and value diversity across the firm. We do not discriminate based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or parental or caring status.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to the recruitment process. If you would prefer to discuss this confidentially, please email careers@buckles-law.co.uk and add the job title in the subject line of the email.