Kevin McGrath, Managing Partner at Smith Partnership
Ongoing uncertainty about the post-pandemic world has fuelled a spike in the numbers of people wanting to take legal advice – prompting an East Midlands law firm to launch the biggest recruitment drive in its history.
Smith Partnership says it is looking to recruit nearly 20 new members of staff to deal with an increase in demand from people who say their priorities have now changed in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The company has positions available at each one of its offices across the region – including in Derby, Leicester and Burton – with the majority of roles based in its probate and conveyancing departments, which are currently experiencing a surge in demand for wills and help selling homes.
Kevin McGrath, Managing Partner at Smith Partnership, said that demand for its probate services began during the pandemic as people’s fears about the virus made them realise the importance of having a will in place.
In the conveyancing department, which deals with the transfer of property from one person to another, the rising demand was instigated by the Stamp Duty holiday brought in by Government during the pandemic.
But, he added, the continued demand in these areas shows the impact the post-pandemic world is having on people’s lives, their priorities and their goals.
Mr McGrath said: “Certainly, the wills and inheritance demands were directly related to the pandemic as people started to think about their affairs and wanted to get things in order and we have seen that continue with a greater awareness of later life planning.
“In our conveyancing department the demand started when the Government brought in the Stamp Duty holiday. That demand hasn’t dropped off at all, even though the stamp duty holiday period has ended, as people continue to change their lifestyles and goals following the pandemic.”
Smith Partnership is working to ensure it can meet the demand by increasing its staff numbers. During the past year, the full-service firm has grown its staff by 10% to provide a fast and quality service.
Across its branches in Derby, Leicester, Stoke, Burton and Swadlincote, the firm has 17 posts available, with eight of those in its conveyancing teams and three in wills and inheritance. Other areas with vacancies include child care and family law.
Mr McGrath said: “We want to be able to provide an enhanced level of service. We know that generally one of the main gripes with conveyancing across the country is that conveyancers are stretched, meaning it can be difficult to get hold of them to get jobs over the line and we want to avoid that.
“It is equally important in the wills and inheritance department because we want to ensure a quick, but more importantly, quality and reliable service to help people.”
Mr McGrath said interested applicants can be confident they are working for a top-quality employer, with Smith Partnership receiving the industry quality mark from Lexcel, which audits firms each year.
“We received some fantastic feedback from staff via the Lexcel audit in March this year,” said Mr McGrath. “Employees told us they were particularly pleased with learning and development opportunities, work-life balance and had confidence in their managers and the senior team.
“Importantly new team members told us they were welcomed quickly into the firm and appreciated the openness, friendliness and helpfulness of their new teams.
“We are looking forward to extending our warm welcome to 17 new team members soon.”
Positions currently being filled include solicitor and paralegal roles and for full vacancies and job descriptions visit: www.smithpartnership.co.uk.
