Trusts & Estates Tax Director

The firm

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

The department

We are recognised as one of the leading regional firms in advising private clients on a broad range of issues relating to trusts, estates and private property, tax planning and family matters. Our team has experienced a period of continued growth and investment and works very closely with our full-service Private Client Advisory department.

The Tax and Trusts Team has two core service offerings which are:-

• provision of tax advice to private clients and trustees regarding particular events or transactions and dealing with the associated tax reporting;
• administration, management and taxation of trusts and estates for individuals, families and charities.

The Team is split into two sub-teams namely a team of personal tax advisors and a team of Trusts and Estates Tax Executives focussed upon the administration, management and taxation of trusts and estates

Purpose of job

To provide effective leadership of a team of Trust and Executor Tax Executives, to successfully manage key client relationships and to help develop Birketts Trust and Executor Tax offering.

Accountabilities

Responsible for the day-to-day management, operational oversight and supervision of Trusts and Estates Tax Team in Bristol (comprising four team members). This includes managing of a portfolio of high-net worth Trusts and driving the strategic development of our Trusts and Estates Tax business. Key responsibilities include:-

• Conducting KPI and SRA matter reviews.
• Line management responsibilities including quarterly appraisals and team development.
• Day to day responsibility for financials of Trusts and Estates Tax Team.
• Assistance with development of internal processes, policies and procedures.
• Leading of initiatives of Trusts and Estates Tax work internally and externally.
• Providing trust administration and tax compliance services for a diverse client portfolio of trusts and estates.
• Regular reporting to and collaboration with the Partner head regarding all of the above.
• Supporting the development and expansion of our Trust Corporation offering.
• Assisting with technical trust and tax advisory queries from the rest of the firm.
• Assisting with FATCA, TRS and CRS reporting for the firm’s clients.

The candidate

Our ideal candidate will be someone who:-

• is an experienced Trusts and Estates tax advisor;
• is experienced in all forms of trust tax/trust administration and management;
• Is familiar with the preparation of trust accounts;
• has strong organisational and leadership skills;
• enjoys collaborative working and takes initiative;
• has had experience of developing and managing more junior colleagues;
• has had experience with Trust Corporations;
• is keen to help develop our Trusts and Estates Tax offering;

Benefits

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service

https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.