Senior Family Solicitor / Branch Manager - Cirencester

Senior Family Solicitor (5+ PQE) & Branch Manager - Cirencester

Our client is a well-established and growing specialist law firm with a strong reputation for providing expert family law advice delivered with professionalism, empathy and exceptional client care. They are seeking an experienced Senior Family Solicitor (minimum 5 years' PQE) to lead and grow their Cirencester office as Branch Manager, while continuing to deliver outstanding legal services to clients.

This is an excellent opportunity for a senior lawyer who combines strong technical expertise with proven leadership ability, commercial awareness and a passion for developing people and building a successful team.

A key focus of this position will be the establishment, growth and leadership of the Cirencester office. The successful candidate will be instrumental in recruiting, developing and embedding a high-performing local team. Hybrid working will be available once the branch is successfully established and a sustainable team structure is in place, offering increased flexibility alongside leadership responsibilities.

The Role

As a Senior Family Solicitor, you will:

• Manage a varied caseload of privately funded family law matters with a high degree of autonomy.
• Conduct client meetings in person, by telephone and via video conference, delivering a compassionate and professional service.
• Take full responsibility for client matters from instruction through to conclusion.
• Draft correspondence, court documents and pleadings.
• Attend hearings, conferences and negotiations, instructing Counsel where appropriate.
• Ensure matters progress efficiently and clients are kept fully informed throughout.
• Accurately record time, manage costs and billing, and support effective debt management.
• Contribute to business development activities, building relationships and generating new work.
• Maintain the highest standards of client care, professional conduct and regulatory compliance.

Branch Manager Responsibilities

This is first and foremost a leadership opportunity, with responsibility for driving the success and growth of the Cirencester branch.

You will:

• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day management, performance and development of the office.
• Lead the growth of the branch through recruitment, team development and local business development initiatives.
• Build, motivate and retain a high-performing team of legal and support professionals.
• Provide supervision, mentoring and guidance to junior fee earners and support staff.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive and accountable team culture.
• Work closely with senior leadership to deliver branch growth plans and strategic objectives.
• Monitor branch performance, including billing, productivity, profitability and debt management.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, risk management, health and safety and operational requirements.
• Lead regular team meetings and contribute to wider organisational initiatives.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and ongoing development of new team members.

About You

The successful candidate will have:

• A minimum of 5 years' post-qualification experience (PQE) in Family Law.
• Strong technical expertise across a broad range of privately funded family matters.
• Proven leadership and people management skills.
• Experience of team development, supervision and performance management.
• Excellent client care and communication abilities.
• Commercial awareness and a proactive approach to business development.
• Strong organisational and case management skills.
• A commitment to maintaining the highest professional and regulatory standards.
• The ambition to build and lead a successful branch office.

What's on Offer

• A senior leadership role with significant autonomy and influence.
• The opportunity to establish and grow a successful branch in Cirencester.
• Clear career progression and long-term development opportunities.
• Ongoing professional development, mentoring and support.
• Bespoke leadership and management training programmes.
• Comprehensive wellbeing initiatives and employee support.
• A collaborative and supportive workplace culture.
• A business that values diversity, innovation, knowledge-sharing and professional excellence.
• Hybrid working arrangements available following the successful establishment and development of the Cirencester team and office operations.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Family Solicitor with 5+ years' PQE to combine high-quality legal work with branch leadership responsibilities, playing a pivotal role in building, developing and growing a successful Cirencester office.

Please contact Sam Higgins at Simpson Judge for further information about this opportunity.