Legal Counsel, Wills & Probate

All of us are going to die. It’s a fundamental, tragic, romantic part of what it is to be human. But the services that should be supporting us haven’t changed in decades.From writing your will to planning a funeral, the way we deal with death is formal, complicated and expensive. Instead of feeling supported, people feel lost.But it doesn’t need to be this way. We started Farewill to make the experience warmer, brighter and friendlier.We’re the UK’s biggest will writer and one of the leading funeral companies in the country. Our generous customers have pledged over £970 million to charities, through donations left in their wills.We’re backed by top investors who are as excited by our mission as we are, and we’ve won awards for the work we’ve done. But there’s a lot more to do. Join Farewill's Legal Team
Ready to take on an exciting new challenge in one of the most forward thinking consumer legal tech businesses in Europe? We're on the lookout for a skilled Legal Counsel to join our tight-knit, high performing team and help deliver world-class Wills and Probate services to our customers. You’ll report directly to our Head of Legal
Harvey
and work closely with our Senior Legal Counsel
Julia
, and build a close partnership with our Wills and Probate teams.
What you'll do
As our Legal Counsel, you will be responsible for owning the legal aspects of Farewill's professional executorship service, Probate product (probate itself is not carried out in house) and providing quality assurance checks for our Wills product. Here’s what you’ll own in more detail:
- Professional executorship duties: Where Farewill Trustees is appointed as professional executor under a will, you will lead on carrying out our professional duties
- Probate product design: Provide legal input into our Probate product quote flows, landing pages, product guides, marketing materials, call scripts and more
- Probate team training: Train our Probate Sales team on topics such as estate administration, valuing estates and regulatory changes so that they are well-equipped to talk to customers about our product
- Wills quality assurance: Provide quality assurance by checking wills written by our will writing specialists for accuracy and compliance with legal requirements
- Risk management: Work closely with our Head of Legal to continuously identify, manage, and mitigate risk across the business
- Point of escalation: Be the day-to-day point of escalation for questions/issues related to Probate from across the business
- Disputed wills: Dealing with Larke v Nugus requests and other queries related to disputed wills
…and lots more!
What we're looking for
Our ideal candidate is qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales, ideally with a STEP qualification. You’ll have 2-5 years experience in will drafting and probate, strong knowledge of tax and trusts, and ideally knowledge of NI and Scottish wills. As with everyone in our Legal team, you’ll be pragmatic, commercially-minded and solutions-focussed, with excellent communication skills. If these are your strengths, we’d love to hear from you.
What's in it for you
This is a rare opportunity to get deep expertise in your discipline in a progressive environment, whilst being exposed to every part of a fast-growing tech company. Plus, you'll be part of a lean Legal team with plenty of room for growth and development, and direct mentorship from an experienced Head of Legal.
What we offerA starting salary of £45-50k + stock optionsHybrid working; our team works a minimum of 2 days/week in our east London (Haggerston) office28 days of annual leave plus the usual public holidaysPersonal development budget of 3 days and £1000 per yearRegular team socials & company-wide eventsA chance to make a meaningful contribution to people's lives and deathsWe’re building a diverse, inclusive teamTo change the way the world deals with death we need a team that celebrates diversity in all its forms. We’re building a workplace where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully.If you’re excited about our mission but you’re worried you don’t tick every box in the job description, get in touch anyway. Ability and attitude are just as important as experience.Let us know how we can support youIf you need any adjustments in our interview process to help set you up for success, just let us know.Our recruitment processWe like to keep things simple, so this is a broad outline of our process. If there are technical tasks or additional steps, we’ll let you know the first time we talk.Apply for the job through the link on this page.You’ll have an initial chat over Google Meet with a member of our recruiting team, so we can find out more about your experience and ambitions. You can also ask any questions you have about working at Farewill.If we think you’re a good match for the role, we’ll book you in for follow up interviews with the hiring team. These will be a chance to meet some of the people you’ll be working with, and demonstrate your core skills for the job.That’s it! If everyone’s happy, we’ll make you an offer.Our valuesOur values are what makes Farewill, Farewill. They’re the skills and behaviours we look for in ourselves and each other.Customers FirstPeople put their trust in us at some of the toughest moments in their lives. Because it’s so important, their needs are front and centre in everything we do.Make it simpleDeath is overwhelming and complicated. So we put time and effort into communicating clearly.We believe in the power of simplicity - it’s rocket fuel for progress.Move with urgency and focusFocus is gold dust. 80% of execution issues come from the lack of it - so we keep the goal in sight. And when the time for action comes, we go for it with maximum energy, passion and drive.Sweat the detailsWe make the effort to really know our stuff and do the little things well. We value the expertise in each of our roles and are committed to producing surprisingly great work.We’re all owners here - custodians of our customers, brand, products and culture. We expect everyone to take ownership and drive positive change. When we see a way to improve, we make it happen.Be kind, have fun, celebrate the winsLife is short, and mostly about who you spend it with.We work hard, and though it’s sometimes stressful and challenging, you’ll find yourself alongside other enthusiastic, kind, dedicated people here.
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