Senior Associate/Director – Private Client

Anderson Strathern

Edinburgh

Are you looking to make a great career move? We are looking for a talented and motivated Englishqualified solicitor, ideally with 7+ years’ PQE, to join our thriving Private Client team in Edinburgh. The  successful candidate will work closely with Partners Alasdair Johnstone and Laura Murray and will take a leading role in developing and delivering our English-qualified private client offering.

Our expertise, built up over decades, allows us to advise every client according to their own unique circumstances to find the solution that works for them and their families. We provide a wide range of specialist services including wealth management, trusts, tax planning and family office services.

Our team

We are a busy, ambitious and collaborative Private Client team advising individuals, families, trustees, family offices and rural and landed estate clients across Scotland, the wider UK and internationally. The team combines strong technical expertise with a practical, relationship-led approach to client service. This appointment is a key role within the team, providing an opportunity for the right candidate to shape and grow that part of the practice.

You will be joining a supportive group of partners, senior lawyers, solicitors, and professional support colleagues who value teamwork, high standards and continuous improvement. We are keen to recruit someone who enjoys working with others, mentoring junior colleagues and helping to build systems, precedents and processes which make excellent client service easier to deliver.

What’s our team/department’s strategy

Our goal is to be a top tier firm for private client services, with a focus on excellent client service, technical quality and long-lasting relationships with individuals, families and their advisers.

• We are ambitious in our goals for growth
• We embrace the use of technology and different ways of providing client services
• We invest in our team to ensure they can pursue areas of specialism

The role will involve

• Assisting with leading and developing the team’s English-qualified private client work
• Managing a complex and varied caseload for high-net-worth individuals, families, trustees and 
  family offices
• Advising on English wills, trusts, estate planning, succession, asset protection and tax planning
• Working alongside Scottish-qualified colleagues on cross-border succession and estate planning 
  matters
• Drafting, reviewing and managing trusts and related documentation
• Supporting executry, probate and related estate administration matters where English law input is 
  required
• Participating in business development initiatives for the department and firm
• Supporting knowledge management, precedents, training and process improvement for the team
• Managing, supervising and mentoring junior fee earners

In addition to demonstrating strong private client technical expertise, the successful candidate should have the confidence and experience to lead English-qualified work within a wider UK private client practice. They should be able to manage a varied workload, work independently and collaboratively, supervise more junior colleagues and deliver a first-class service to our clients.

• Strong client relationship and client care skills, with the ability to deliver high-quality, commercially 
  aware advice
• An active interest in business development, including building relationships with referrers and 
  growing your own client base
• Excellent drafting, technical analysis and communication skills
• A willingness to improve documentation, processes, precedents and knowledge sharing across the 
  team

About you

• English-qualified solicitor with strong private client experience
• Ideally 7+ years’ PQE, although we are open to candidates with the right technical expertise and 
  leadership potential
• Experience advising on wills, trusts, estate planning, succession and tax planning for high-net-worth 
  clients
• Confidence in managing complex matters and taking ownership of client relationships
• Strong technical, drafting and IT skills
• Good interpersonal skills and a collaborative, team-focused approach
• Well organised, methodical and able to prioritise a busy workload
• Ability to meet agreed fee earning targets and understand the financial issues relevant to the role
• Experience supervising, mentoring or supporting the development of junior colleagues
• STEP qualification or a willingness to pursue further specialist qualifications would be advantageous

What you will get in return

• Opportunity to work on complex and high-profile matters in a market-leading Private Client team,
• recently recognised as Team of the Year at the 2026 Scottish Legal Award.
• A genuine opportunity to lead and grow an important part of the practice
• On-going career development and progression opportunities
• Supportive and collaborative team culture and work environment
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements to support work life balance 
• A competitive salary and benefits package

Apply here

Anderson Strathern is an equal opportunities employer. Our policy is to recruit, develop, nurture and retain a diverse workforce following the guidelines of the Equality Act 2010.