Contentions Probate Litigation Solicitor - Birmingham

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.

Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.

We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.

Litigation Department Background:

Our litigation teams are ranked and recommended by The Legal 500 UK Directory for their excellence in Commercial Litigation, Professional Negligence, Contentious Probate and General Litigation work across the South East. Viewed as a “stand out” team it 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 Contentious 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 Contentious Probate Litigation cases including:
  • Inheritance 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
  • Devastavit 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:

• Qualified Solicitor or Chartered Legal Executive with 2-4 years of proven experience in Wills and Probate law
• 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

What we offer

• Competitive Salary
• Hybrid working options available in accordance with company policy.
• A fantastic supportive team
• Excellent progression opportunities
• Support for appropriate legal awards/recognition

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 positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender, religion, belief, or marital status and embraces the 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. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, please talk to a member of the recruitment team so that any required adjustments can be made in advance.

APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE ABOVE VACANCY