Part-time – initially 3 days per week
£28,000–£32,000 FTE, pro rata, depending on experience
Plus performance-related bonus
Ormskirk, Lancashire
Hexagon Life Planning Services is a growing specialist estate-planning business helping individuals and families put the right plans in place for the future.
We are looking for an Estate Planning Adviser to join our small team and become an important part of the next stage of Hexagon’s growth.
This is a genuinely client-facing role for someone who enjoys working with people, building relationships and helping clients make important decisions about their families and their future.
We are looking for someone who can combine good technical ability with something equally important to us: warmth, common sense and the ability to make people feel comfortable.
The role
You will take responsibility for your own clients and guide them through their estate-planning journey from the initial consultation through to completion and beyond.
You will:
- conduct estate-planning consultations;
- get to know your clients, their families, circumstances, concerns and objectives;
- take instructions for wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney;
- explain options and recommendations clearly and in plain English;
- help clients understand what they need and, equally importantly, when they do not need something;
- maintain ownership of the client relationship throughout their matter;
- ensure clients feel informed and looked after at every stage;
- maintain accurate attendance notes and client records;
- work closely with our established administration team to progress matters efficiently;
- recognise when a matter requires more complex or specialist advice and refer it appropriately;
- develop genuine, long-term relationships with clients and their families; and
- over time, build your own client following through excellent service, referrals, repeat work and professional relationships.
You will receive a regular flow of qualified client appointments provided by Hexagon, so you will not be expected to arrive with an existing client base.
The aim is for you to develop your own group of Hexagon clients who know you, trust you and come back to you as their circumstances change.
Who we are looking for
You do not need to be a solicitor.
You may currently be a private-client paralegal, wills and probate paralegal, legal assistant, trainee or qualified legal executive, will writer, lawyer, or someone with relevant professional experience who is looking to develop further within estate planning.
Previous experience of wills, LPAs or private-client work would be helpful, although we are open-minded about background for an exceptional candidate with strong transferable skills and the right aptitude to learn.
Technical knowledge can be developed.
The qualities we care particularly about are the ones that are much harder to teach.
We are looking for someone who is:
- naturally warm, approachable and easy to talk to;
- able to build rapport with clients quickly;
- a genuinely good listener;
- kind, patient and emotionally intelligent;
- confident without being overbearing;
- able to explain complicated things simply;
- sensible, practical and able to exercise good judgement;
- comfortable having sensitive conversations about family, illness, incapacity and death;
- organised, dependable and willing to take responsibility;
- open to feedback and happy to keep learning;
- commercially aware without being pushy or overly sales-driven; and
- someone with a natural sense of humour who enjoys working as part of a small, friendly team.
You do not need to know everything.
We value people who are confident enough to say, “I need to check that,” rather than feeling they always need to have an immediate answer.
How we work
Hexagon is deliberately personal, straightforward and relationship-led.
Estate planning can involve complicated legal issues, but our clients should never feel as though they are being spoken to in legal jargon or processed through a system.
We want clients to feel that somebody has taken the time to understand them properly.
We believe good estate planning starts with listening.
Sometimes that means identifying something a client had not previously considered. Sometimes it means reassuring them that they do not need something they thought they did.
We want our advisers to become trusted people that clients are happy to call, recommend to their family and friends and return to in the future.
What we offer
This is initially a three-day-per-week position, with genuine scope to increase hours as your client base and the business develop.
You will receive:
- £28,000–£32,000 FTE salary, pro rata depending on experience;
- an additional performance-related bonus opportunity;
- a regular flow of qualified client appointments;
- structured training and ongoing professional development;
- direct mentoring and support from Hexagon’s founder, a qualified solicitor;
- substantial client responsibility;
- established administrative support;
- the opportunity to develop your own client following; and
- genuine scope to progress into a more senior role as Hexagon continues to grow.
For the right person, this is an opportunity to become an important part of a growing specialist business rather than simply another fee earner within a large department.
Could this be you?
This role would particularly suit someone who enjoys private-client work because they genuinely enjoy the people involved in it.
You might be someone who feels that good legal advice does not have to sound overly formal.
You may enjoy taking time to understand a client rather than simply moving on to the next file.
And you may be looking for a role where your personality, judgement and relationships with clients are valued just as much as your technical knowledge.
If that sounds like you, we would really like to hear from you.
Please apply with your CV and a short covering note telling us:
- Why this particular role appeals to you; and
- What you think makes someone genuinely excellent at dealing with estate-planning clients.
We are happy to take our time to find the right person.
Pay: £18,000.00-£23,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Have you previously conducted client meetings or taken instructions directly from clients?
- Do you have practical experience dealing with wills and/or Lasting Powers of Attorney?
- Are you able to work approximately three days per week and travel to our office and client appointments when required?
- What do you think makes someone genuinely excellent at dealing with estate-planning clients?
- Why does this particular role at Hexagon interest you?
Experience:
- working in wills, LPAs, probate or private client law: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person
