Legal Support Assistant

Department

Trusts & Estates

Sub-Department

Disputed Wills & Trusts

Contract Type

Full Time / Permanent

Location

Exeter / Bristol

Job Summary

What you’ll do

We’re looking for a Legal Support Assistant to join our Disputed Wills and Trusts team. In this role, you will support lawyers within our contentious private client team, working across our Exeter and Bristol offices on a full-time basis. The team specialises in complex and often sensitive disputes relating to wills, trusts, probate, and inheritance matters, acting for a wide range of clients.

Legal support is integral to the success of our lawyers and clients. You will provide a full range of administrative and secretarial support, including managing documents and correspondence, file opening, diary management, and assisting with billing and client matter administration.

Given the nature of the work, you will also play a key role in supporting the smooth running of matters by coordinating documents, preparing bundles, liaising with clients and third parties, and ensuring that deadlines are managed effectively. You may also assist with reporting, tracking key information on cases, and supporting the team with ad hoc tasks as required.

This role will be split between our Exeter and Bristol offices. We are flexible on your base location; however, you must be able and willing to travel regularly between the two offices.

Who you are

You’re passionate about delivering a high level of support and take a proactive, can-do approach to your work. You have excellent attention to detail and understand the importance of accuracy, particularly when dealing with sensitive or complex matters.

You’re well organised and able to manage multiple tasks, often working to deadlines, while maintaining a calm and professional approach. You enjoy working as part of a team and are confident communicating with colleagues and clients.

We’re ideally looking for someone with previous PA, secretarial or administrative experience within a law firm, and candidates with Legal Support Assistant (LSA) experience will be particularly well suited to the role. Experience in a client-facing environment is also beneficial, as you will have regular interaction with clients and external contacts.

Above all, you’re someone who is keen to learn, develop your skills, and contribute positively to the team.

Your Career. Our Commitment.

At Ashfords, we believe in more than just doing great work - we believe in building a great place to work.

When you join us, you become part of a team where everything we do is underpinned by our four core values: Be Open, Think Team, Make a Difference and Always Grow. These values shape who we are and how we work - they guide our decisions, influence our culture, and drive the way we support our people, clients and communities.

With a clear focus on innovation, community involvement, and supporting a healthy work-life balance, we are committed to building an environment where our people can have a rewarding and meaningful career.

Whilst we recognise that every career journey is unique, we will be ambitious for you, giving you the tools, trust, and opportunities to develop your career, your way.

Our goal? To help you realise your full potential as part of a forward-thinking team.

Our offer

We know that our people are at the heart of everything we do – and that’s why we’re committed to supporting your wellbeing, growth and work-life balance.

Beyond our benefits package, you’ll be encouraged, no matter what your role or career level, to get involved in our Responsible Business programme, where you’ll support initiatives such as charity fundraising, environmental causes and our employee led diversity and inclusion groups.

You can find out more about our benefits by visiting the Reward & Wellbeing page on our website.

What’s next?

Our recruitment process typically involves two stages, which are designed not only to explore your skills and experience but also to give you a real insight into what it’s like to work at Ashfords. Throughout the process, our dedicated Talent Attraction team will be here to support you every step of the way.

We believe that building a firm with a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences drives innovation and strengthens our teams, and we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

To support your growth, we offer ongoing training and development opportunities to help you reach your full potential – so even if you don’t feel you match all the requirements of the job role, we’d still love to hear from you.

At Ashfords, we’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to succeed.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or would like to discuss anything regarding your application, please contact us at ***email_hidden***.

For an informal and confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Kitty Hughes, Talent Attraction Assistant – [email protected].

Or apply now, and we will be in touch with you as soon as possible.