Trusts Associate

Trusts Associate

Application Deadline: 2026-10-17

Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, GB, LS1 3

Hiring Organization: Irwin Mitchell

Closing Date: 2026-11-17T10:00:12.297

Overview

We're a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it's personal or business, we understand that everyone's situation is different. But we're more than just a law firm - we're a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life's ups and downs. Working here you'll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment. We'll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more.

Role and What You'll Be Doing

You'll be joining our market leading Pensions team, supporting insurer-led death in service trust work for life assurance providers operating in the employee benefits and pensions market. This role will work closely with Martin Jenkins and Matthew Ambler, providing specialist trust expertise to support these longstanding clients. We're looking for a trusts lawyer who is confident operating in a discretionary decision-making environment, advising on more complex death benefit claims and helping trustees reach clear, well-reasoned and defensible outcomes.

Your work will include:

• Advising on death in service discretionary trusts, primarily for the trustee of several life assurance master trusts established by insurer clients


• Assessing competing beneficiary claims and evaluating factual evidence and representations


• Supporting and documenting trustee discretion decision-making, ensuring decisions are robust, consistent and defensible


• Providing clear, practical advice in sensitive and high-judgement cases


• Working collaboratively with colleagues in the Pensions team and wider BSG


• Supporting key clients

Who We're Looking For

We want someone who brings strong technical foundations alongside confidence in judgement-based trust work:

• An experienced Trusts Lawyer or Legal Executive


• Background in trusts, contentious or quasi-contentious trusts, private client disputes, or trustee advisory work


• Applicants with a background in contentious probate work are also welcome


• Comfortable exercising and advising on discretionary decision-making, especially where beneficiaries' interests compete


• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to distil complex information into clear, defensible conclusions


• Commercial and pragmatic outlook, with experience working for or alongside institutional clients


• Able to work independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues across teams

Benefits - What We Can Offer You

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays — you can 'buy' up to 35 hours of extra holiday


• Generous and flexible pension schemes


• Volunteering days — two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)


• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services


• Well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health, including our Flexible by Choice programme for hybrid working


• Recognition as one of the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations in 2024

Our Commitment

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We're committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where colleagues can flourish. We have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business. Our commitments include:

• Social Responsibility


• Community investment activities


• Tackling climate change through four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment, and Our Pro Bono

Additional Information

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group's onboarding process, all successful applicants are required to complete employment screening to ensure standards of honesty and integrity, protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners, and stakeholders. This includes eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record checks, and financial checks via trusted third parties. All processes fully comply with Data Protection laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.

Sub-Department, Sub-Division, Company, Vacancy Type, Site, Salary

• Sub-Department: Pensions


• Sub-Division: Business Services Group


• Company: IM LLP


• Vacancy Type: Permanent


• Location: Leeds, Sheffield


• Salary: Competitive

#s1-Gen

Reference: 6141We're a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it's personal or business, we understand that everyone's situation is different. But we're more than just a law firm - we're a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life's ups and downs. Working here you'll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.We'll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more Role and What You'll Be DoingYou'll be joining our market leading Pensions team, supporting insurer-led death in service trust work for life assurance providers operating in
the employee benefits and pensions market. This role will work closely with Martin Jenkins and Matthew Ambler, providing specialist trust expertise to support these longstanding client 're looking for a trusts lawyer who is confident operating in a discretionary decision-making environment, advising on more complex death benefit claims and helping trustees reach clear, well-reasoned and defensible outcomes.Your work will include:Advising on death in service discretionary trusts, primarily for the trustee of several life assurance master trusts which have been established by insurer clientsAssessing competing beneficiary claims and evaluating factual evidence and representationsSupporting and documenting trustee discretion decision-making, ensuring decisions are robust, consistent and defensibleProviding clear, practical advice in sensitive and high-judgement casesWorking collaboratively with colleagues in the Pensions team and wider BSGSupporting key client YouWe're looking for someone

paid)Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you're fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We're committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim. Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It's made up of four strands:
Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.Additional Information As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group's on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group's employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.Sub-Department:Pensions Sub-Division:Business Services Group Company:IM LLP Vacancy Type:Permanent :Leeds, Sheffield Salary:Competitive