Meet the Private Client Team with Sophie Robinson

What is your role in the private client team and how long have you been at Sintons?

I am a private client practitioner and I joined in January 2016.

Tell us about your career to date…

I graduated from Northumbria University with my law degree in 2015, which I studied for part-time while working in a nationally-known law firm in Newcastle. I then moved to another very well-known law firm as a paralegal, where I specialised in wills, trusts and Court of Protection work, mainly dealing with the affairs of high net worth individuals.

What attracted you to join Sintons?

Sintons has a great reputation within the legal profession and its excellent legal service, and the personal service it offers to clients, makes it somewhere you want to work. As I was keen to progress my career, I was given the opportunity to start my Chartered Legal Executive qualifications when I joined Sintons, which helps to demonstrate the commitment the firm shows to developing and investing in its people. The role at Sintons offered me the opportunity to work on a much more diverse range of private client matters than I had previously, including probate and estates work, and that was very appealing. As a young and ambitious lawyer, I felt this was an excellent and very capable team whom I would enjoy working with, but importantly, I could learn a lot from.

What does your role involve?

I have a wide-ranging portfolio of work which covers many aspects of private client work. I draft both straightforward and technical wills and trusts for a wide array of clients, including for high net worth individuals and their families which involves advising on tax planning.

I advise on and prepare lasting powers of attorney and advance decisions, and handle a lot of administration of estates, particularly high net worth estates which involve multiple properties and assets that qualify for business property relief.

One of my main focus areas is my work in the Court of Protection and personal injury trusts. Sintons has a nationally-known neurotrauma team and our work in this area is growing. My work in this area includes applying for Court of Protection deputyships, assisting professional deputies with the management of property and financial affairs, preparing statutory wills, making applications for the advancement of capital and applications setting up trusts for people who are incapacitated.

Alongside my caseload, I am heavily involved in graduate recruitment at Sintons, and help to assess candidates and support graduates and trainees when they join the firm. I also dedicate a lot of time to helping to further build and develop the profile of our team, and regularly attend events on behalf of the firm.

What have been your personal highlights to date?

After securing my degree, I was delighted to then achieve my chartered legal executive qualification, which gave me the status of a graduate chartered legal executive. One of the extra roles I enjoy the most is my involvement in graduate recruitment in Sintons – encouraging and supporting young legal talent is something very close to my heart so I am really pleased to be involved.

The private client team is one of the most highly-rated in the North of England. What are the advantages of being part of it?

The team is rightly highly regarded for its expertise and quality of service – we are appointed to work on some very complex and challenging cases, but we have the capability to successfully resolve matters that other firms have been unable to. I have worked on a wide variety of matters, including many which have been technical and complex, and this has helped with my development as a lawyer. But I think a big advantage is how well our team works together, we have a great dynamic and a positive working environment. That’s a key factor in our ability to provide the outstanding service to clients that we do.

How does Sintons differ from other firms you have worked in?

We offer a holistic approach and a very comprehensive range of services. Our client base is diverse and we are continually welcoming new clients, alongside those we have worked with over the course of generations. The level of personal service we offer is genuinely outstanding – we are known for this and it’s great to continually hear from clients that they have seen the difference for themselves.

What are your interests outside of work?

My dog Lady, a Labrador/Cocker cross who keeps me very busy.  I am a big fan of travelling and like to get away for a few days wherever possible. I am part of a Book Club and enjoy socialising. I am also preparing for my wedding to my fiancé Chris, which we have planned for May 2020 in Portugal – it seems like a while away, but I know it will be here before I realise!