Probate Litigation Solicitor

Duncan Lewis Solicitors (Ltd):

Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas - "a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients". A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.

Choosing a career with Duncan Lewis is choosing a law firm that is the largest provider of publicly funded (legal aid) legal services in the country and has a growing private client practice. We have been Investors in People Gold Standard accredited for over 15 years and are continuously applauded nationally for the work that it does.

Having demonstrated unparalleled legal expertise and a commitment to justice, we were awarded Law Firm of the Year at both the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards. We are named as one of the Times 200 Best Law Firms. In 2021 we were celebrated by the Chambers Europe Award as an 'outstanding firm’ for diversity and inclusion. In previous years we have been awarded a number of awards, including the Law Society Excellence Award for Large Law Firm of the Year in 2020, Access to Justice at the UK Legal Diversity Awards in 2019 and the Family Law Firm of the Year at the 2015 Family Law Awards, to name just a few. Duncan Lewis is Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001 Information Management accredited.

We look to recruit dedicated and talented employees in both legal and non-legal capacities, and we are always interested to receive applications from quality candidates. Training and diversity are at the heart of Duncan Lewis, and we remain proud of our diverse and inclusive workforce. If you can demonstrate a strong commitment to the areas of law provided by the firm, and you are keen to build a career with us, please apply online with your details and CV.

Department Background:

Our litigation team has extensive experience in acting for both claimants and defendants, representing individuals, companies, charities or those involved in group litigation, in complex and high value civil / commercial litigation matters, including:

• Bankruptcy and Insolvency
• Building Disputes
• Civil Fraud
• Consumer/ Commercial Disputes
• Contract Disputes
• Debt
• Interim Applications
• International Cross Border Disputes
• Contentious Probate Disputes
• Professional Negligence
• Residential Property Disputes

Our lawyers offer advice and assistance in dispute resolution and litigated cases and regularly acts in reported cases in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Litigation team is equipped to take swift action to protect our client’s interests and offer the best representation for any court action.

Main Responsibilities of the Role:

• Report directly to Department Director
• Professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and a sensitive and sympathetic understanding of clients’ needs
• Responsible for all aspects of Probate Litigation work and on occasions, where appropriate providing technical expertise and guidance to other team members
• Ability to manage appropriate caseload types and complexities
• Assisting with casework including dealing with a range of Probate Litigation cases including:
• nheritance Dependants Act 1975 claims, Proprietary estoppel claims, Will disputes - challenging Wills on the basis of capacity; duress and forgery, Removing Executors in their roles for failure to administer the estate and Devastate claims
• Undertaking your own advocacy
• Attending clients, taking instructions and preparing cases
• Dealing with correspondence
• Maintaining accurate time costing procedures
• Implementing any recommendations made by your supervisor following monthly file reviews ensuring that these are dealt with promptly
• Ensuring compliance with file management

Key Skills Required:

• 2+ years Probate Litigation experience in private practice
• Must have a clean, valid Practicing Certificate at the time of applying
• Committed team player and adapt well to new challenges
• Previous proven supervisory experience and working to key performance indicators is an advantage
• Professional with a pro-active approach; excellent client care skills and ability to deal with client matters in a sensitive manner and resolve complicated practicalities
• Excellent networking and communication skills with the ability to successfully market the Company and generate new business
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills
• Ability to use own initiative and sound judgment
• Working knowledge of the publically funded Litigation work and have the ability to service privately funded cases
• Have extensive experience in dealing with Litigation related work
• Experience in own advocacy is an advantage
• Excellent IT Skills -familiar with Microsoft Office applications and document management skills

The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.

Equal Opportunities:

Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce.

We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.

If you are interested in applying for this vacancy, please visit our website and apply using our online process for your application to be considered.