Careers

Vacancy

Job ID: PCS Closing Date: 11/11/2026
Position: Private Client Solicitor / Chartered Legal Executive / Qualified by Experience (4+ Years)
Hours: Full-Time/Part-Time, Permanent

overview

We are seeking an experienced and ambitious Private Client Lawyer to join our established and highly respected Private Client department. This is an excellent opportunity for a Solicitor, Chartered Legal Executive, or experienced fee earner qualified by experience with a minimum of 4 years' PQE or equivalent experience.

The successful candidate will be confident managing a varied caseload of private client matters, with particular expertise in advising high net worth individuals, families, business owners and trustees on complex estate planning and succession matters.

Part-time, minimum three days per week, considered.

The Role

You will be responsible for managing your own caseload and providing specialist advice across a broad range of private client work, including:

Wills and complex estate planning
Inheritance Tax planning
Trust creation, administration and taxation
Lasting Powers of Attorney
Probate and estate administration
Administration of high-value and complex estates
Succession planning for business owners
Asset protection strategies
Lifetime gifting and wealth preservation planning

You will work closely with clients, accountants, financial advisers and other professional contacts, delivering commercially focused and pragmatic solutions tailored to individual circumstances.

About You

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

A minimum of 4 years' PQE or equivalent qualified by experience
Strong technical knowledge of private client law
Experience dealing with complex estates and high net worth clients
Expertise in estate planning and inheritance tax mitigation
Excellent client relationship and communication skills
Ability to manage a busy caseload independently
Strong attention to detail and commitment to providing exceptional client service

Eaton Smith LLP is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment and in which all decisions are based on merit. We aim to ensure that all staff are treated and treat others with dignity and respect.

…with you every step of the way!

Eaton Smith is a strong, modern, forward-thinking, award winning Yorkshire law firm that continues to grow and develop. Our large team of solicitors and other legal advisors have been using their extensive experience to get results for both individuals and businesses for many years, throughout the region, across the UK and internationally.

We provide a full range of services to both businesses and private individuals and each year we help over 6,000 individuals and businesses who value our practical support and advice.

Eaton Smith’s highly regarded Business Services Team advises on starting out in business through to high profile corporate and international transactions, helping businesses with trading agreements, internet trading, business structures, reorganisations, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, investments, intellectual property, employment law, property, debt collection and disputes.

Our private client teams of legal professionals have an extensive range of skills and experience to offer our clients, who also enjoy the added benefit of dealing with a firm that is large enough to provide specialists in the many areas of legal issues that we cover including family matters, employment problems, house purchases and sales, wills, trusts and probate, personal injury, medical negligence and dispute resolution.

We are proud to have been nominated for and won multiple awards over the years.

We had the privilege of winning the award for Best Legal Service Supplier for the video games industry for a second time in three years at the national TIGA Games Industry Awards in 2022, having previously won the award in 2020. We were also shortlisted in both 2021 and 2023.

In 2022, our Corporate & Commercial team were honoured to win the award for the ‘Team of the Year – Business Law’ at the LawNet Awards and in 2023 our Commercial Property team were shortlisted for the same Business Law category. In 2023 our Corporate & Commercial team were shortlisted in the Corporate & Commercial category of the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards.

We are members of LawNet, a national group of quality assured law firms who must all hold and maintain the ISO 9001 quality standard, something that we are very proud to do.

Working at Eaton Smith means you will not only work with experienced and competent lawyers and legal advisors, but will also enjoy a range of excellent employee benefits, including:

Holidays
- Minimum of 24 days’ holiday plus bank holidays;
- Birthday holiday and additional days at Christmas;
- Extra days of holiday are accrued after 5 years at 1 day per year up to 5 extra days (taking you to 29 days at 10 years);
- Buy/Sell holidays – Option to buy or sell annual leave each year;
Group Pension Scheme - 4% Employer/5% Employee with the option to make additional contributions.
Life Assurance - 3 x Annual Salary in the unfortunate event of death in service.
Perkbox Membership - Employee Discounts on hundreds of high street stores.
Remote Flexible Working - Dependent On Role
On-Site Parking - Dependent On Role

Eaton Smith Solicitors have some exciting opportunities available - if you think you have what it takes to join our team, we would love to hear from you! The vacancies available include:

Contact Jonathan Clegg (Head of HR) on 01484 821311 or by email at jonathanclegg@eatonsmith.co.uk

We are always interested in receiving CVs from talented individuals who would like to contribute to the future of our firm so even if there are no vacancies listed, please do send in a CV if you are considering a job move and you think that we could be a good match.