Legal Secretary Estates

Mytunbridgewells; Royal Tunbridge Wells; On-site; GBP 25,000 - GBP 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A law firm in Royal Tunbridge Wells is seeking an experienced Legal Secretary to support the Estates team with probate and estate administration. Responsibilities include managing diaries, handling client communications, and drafting legal documents. The ideal candidate has prior experience in a similar role, is highly organized, and possesses strong IT skills. You will be part of a supportive team and spend at least 60% of your time in the office, promoting a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Previous experience as a legal secretary, ideally in private client or probate work.
• Confident in dealing with clients and third parties, with sensitivity and confidentiality.
• Highly organized and accurate, with strong multi-tasking abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage diaries for fee earners, arranging meetings and travel.
• Act as first point of contact for clients and beneficiaries.
• Draft standard correspondence and manage probate files.

Skills

Diary management

Client communication

Document management

Excel proficiency

Confidentiality

Tools

HighQ

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Cripps LLP, Number 22, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom

Job Description

Posted Wednesday 21 January 2026 at 01:00

We have an exciting new role.....Responsibilities for this role include but are not limited to:

We are looking for an experienced Legal Secretary to join our Estates team, supporting fee earners on probate and estate administration matters.

This is a varied and detail-focused role, ideal for someone who enjoys providing high-quality support while working closely with clients during sensitive and often emotional times.

The role

You will play a key part in ensuring probate and estate administration matters progress smoothly, providing proactive administrative and legal support to solicitors and acting as a professional point of contact for clients, executors and beneficiaries.

Key responsibilities

• Providing comprehensive diary management for fee earners, including arranging meetings, calls and travel.
• Acting as a first point of contact for clients, executors and beneficiaries, handling calls and correspondence with professionalism and discretion.
• Liaising with third parties including HMRC, the Probate Registry, banks and the Land Registry.
• Drafting standard correspondence, letters of authority and completing closure and encashment forms.
• Preparing and processing accounts documentation, including payment and receipt forms, and assisting with basic estate financial administration.
• Opening and closing probate files in line with firm procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Collating and maintaining accurate client, beneficiary and estate information, including bank details and identification documentation.
• Logging and tracking key documents such as wills and Grants of Probate, and managing key dates throughout the estate administration process.
• Conducting bankruptcy searches and supporting due diligence requirements.
• Uploading and managing documents using HighQ or similar document management systems.
• Maintaining Excel spreadsheets, including estate account updates and tracking information.
• Supporting fee earners with meeting preparation, document collation and business development activity where required.

About you

You will have previous experience as a legal secretary, ideally within private client or probate work.

You are confident dealing with clients and third parties and understand the importance of sensitivity and confidentiality.

You are highly organised, accurate and comfortable managing multiple priorities.

You have strong IT skills, including Word and Excel, and are confident producing correspondence and spreadsheets.

You are a team player with a calm, professional approach and a strong client-service ethos.

You’ll be part of a supportive and collaborative Private Wealth team, working on high-quality probate and estate administration matters and providing meaningful support to clients at important times in their lives.

You’ll spend at least 60% of your working week in the office, though we know there is no one-size-fits-all and arrangements may vary from role to role. Our strong culture is founded on working together in the office, which we aim to maintain through our people being regularly co-located, working cohesively and in collaboration with one another.

At Cripps, our purpose is to make a positive and lasting difference. It’s why we do what we do. In 2024, we became a certified B Corporation to make a legal and very public commitment that we mean what we say. As one of only a handful of UK B Corp law firms, we are held accountable to our social and environmental promises. We are transparent on what we are doing well and where we are falling short. We are excited about the opportunities this affords us to continually improve as a responsible, sustainable, and inclusive business. Come and join us to help solve real world problems, champion big ambitions, and make a personal impact on our people, our clients, our planet, and our communities.

Find out more here. Certified B Corporation™ | Cripps.