About the Firm
Berry & Lamberts Solicitors is a three-office firm of solicitors based in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood. The firm provides private client, commercial property, litigation, family, residential property, commercial property and company commercial services to individuals and businesses. As the firm continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Dispute Resolution Solicitor to join our expanding dispute resolution team.

Role Overview

The role will involve:

• Property-related disputes, including boundary disputes, neighbour disputes, party wall disputes, easements and rights of way disputes
• Residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes, including possession proceedings, disrepair claims, rent reviews, dilapidations and lease renewals. We mainly act for landlords but do occasionally act for tenants
• Inheritance disputes, including issues relating to the validity of wills, Inheritance Act disputes and applications for the removal of executors
• General contractual disputes, mainly relating to the supply of goods and services

While the candidate may not have experience in all of these areas, previous experience in property and landlord and tenant disputes would be desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct interviews with clients at the office where you are based, at any of the firm’s other offices or at the client’s premises
• Assess legal problems
• Advise clients on the likely cost of the legal advice they require and ensure that adequate funding is in place
• Conduct legal research
• Draft papers
• Brief barristers where required
• Meet deadlines for the submission of court papers

• Respond to clients and other parties
• Attend hearings and represent clients where appropriate
• Maintain client confidentiality
• Ensure that adequate funds are held on account to cover solicitors’ costs
• Prepare regular invoices for clients

Compliance

• Ensure that cases are handled in accordance with the departmental manual and the professional rules governing your conduct including, without limitation, the SRA Regulations
• Understand and correctly apply the law and practice relating to Anti-Money Laundering Regulations and follow firm and departmental guidance
• Maintain files to the required ISO 9001 standard and the department’s standard format
• Comply with all relevant firm policies, including but not limited to, those on client care, undertakings and key dates
• Participate in team meetings
• Attend internal and external courses
• Keep up to date with law and practice and develop knowledge in specialist and technical areas

Business Development and Role Requirements

• Record 50 hours of marketing and business development activity per annum
• Assist with the development and progression of the department and the fir
• Record 1,200 chargeable hours per annum
• Meet the financial billing target set by the head of department for the role

Person Specification Essential

• NQ – 2 years’ PQE.
• Strong working knowledge of practice management software commonly used in law firms, such as Actionstep or Advanced Legal
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly given the compliance-critical nature of legal work
• Confident communicator, comfortable communicating with clients and third parties
• Willingness and ability to work across all office locations as required

What the Firm Offers

• Competitive salary
• Working hours: Monday to Thursday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme
• Discretionary Bonus Scheme.
• 25 days’ holiday per year, plus bank holidays and additional time off at Christmas
• Birthday off work
• Private healthcare
• Death in service cover
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Local shop discount card, currently the TN card
• Social events
• Charity events

‍Location: Flexible across our Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood offices, with occasional travel between offices.

How to apply?

Please send a CV and covering letter to Mandy Kettle at mkettle@berryandlamberts.co.uk

About the Firm

Berry & Lamberts is a three-office firm of solicitors based in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood. The firm provides private client, commercial property, litigation, family, residential property and company commercial services to individuals and businesses across West Kent, East Sussex and beyond. As the firm continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Private Client Solicitor to join our expanding private client team.

Role Overview

The role will involve handling wills, LPAs, probate matters and trusts.

Key Responsibilities

• Conducting interviews with clients at any of the firm’s offices or at the client’s premises.
• Assessing legal problems.
• Advising clients on the likely cost of the legal advice they require and ensuring that adequate funding is in place.
• Conducting legal research.
• Drafting papers including, but not limited to: Wills, Trusts, applications for Grants of Probate, Letters of Administration, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection applications
• Meeting deadlines for the submission of probate and tax papers, and responding to clients and other parties.
• Maintaining client confidentiality
• Ensuring that adequate funds are held on account to cover solicitors’ costs.
• Preparing regular invoices for clients.

Compliance

• Ensuring that cases are handled in accordance with the departmental manual and the professional rules governing your conduct, including, without limitation, the SRA Regulations.
• Understanding and correctly applying the law and practice relating to Anti-Money Laundering Regulations and following firm and departmental guidance.
• Maintaining files to the required ISO 9001 standard and the Department's standard format.
• Ensuring that you comply with all relevant firm policies including but not limited to those on Client Care, Undertakings and Key Dates.
• Participating in team meetings.
• Attending internal and external courses.
• Keeping up to date with law and practice, and developing knowledge in specialist and technical areas.

Business Development and Role Requirements

• Contributing to marketing and business development activity.
• Assisting with the development and progression of the department and the firm.
• Meeting the financial billing target set by the Head of Department for the role.
• Ideally STEP qualified or working towards the accreditation.

Person Specification

Essential

• 4–6 years’+ PQE, ideally with trust experience.
• Strong working knowledge of practice management software commonly used in law firms (e.g. Actionstep, Advanced Legal).
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly given the compliance-critical nature of client account work.
• Confident communicator, comfortable communicating with clients and third parties.
• Willingness and ability to work across all office locations as required.

What the Firm Offers

• Competitive salary.
• Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme.
• Discretionary Bonus Scheme.
• 25 days’ holiday per year, plus bank holidays and additional time off at Christmas.
• Birthday off work.
• Private healthcare.
• Death in service cover.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Local shop discount card, currently the TN card.
• Social events.
• Charity events.

How to Apply

Please send a CV and covering letter to Mandy Kettle at mkettle@berryandlamberts.co.uk

About the Firm

Berry & Lamberts is a three-office firm of solicitors based in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood. The firm provides private client, commercial property, litigation, family, residential property and company commercial services to individuals and businesses across West Kent, East Sussex and beyond. As the firm continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Family Solicitor to join our expanding family team.

Role Overview

The role will involve handling a broad range of family law matters, with a particular focus on financial remedy cases on divorce, including mid to high-net-worth matters. The successful candidate will also advise on pre-nuptial agreements, cohabitation disputes involving jointly owned property, private children matters concerning care arrangements, and divorce proceedings.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct client interviews at the candidate’s base office, the firm’s other offices, or the client’s premises.
• Assessing legal problems
• Advising clients on the likely cost of the legal advice and assistance that they require and ensuring that adequate funding measures are in place; reviewing costs throughout matter and updating costs estimates given where required.
• Ensure adequate funds are held on account to cover solicitors’ costs and Counsel’s fees, or that other appropriate funding is in place.
• Preparing regular invoices to clients
• Identifying where clients may be entitled to Legal Aid and signposting to Community Legal Advice Team.
• Conduct legal research.
• Devise case strategy.
• Drafting case papers
• Obtaining evidence from witnesses and experts
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the client’s case and the opponent’s case.
• Briefing barristers
• Negotiating settlements
• Meet deadlines for submitting court papers and responding to clients and other parties.
• Issuing proceedings in the appropriate venue
• Attending interim hearings and representing clients at such hearings where appropriate
• Maintaining client confidentiality
• Ensure each case is handled in accordance with the departmental manual, the professional rules governing your conduct, the requirements of any third-party funding provider, or as otherwise directed.
• Completing time recording

Compliance

• Ensuring that adequate funds are held on account to cover solicitors’ costs and Counsel’s fees or that other appropriate funding is in place
• To understand and correctly apply the law and practice in relation to Anti-Money Laundering Regulations
• Preparing regular invoices to clients
• Ensuring that the case in handled in accordance with the departmental manual, the professional rules governing your conduct, the requirements of any third-party funding provider or as otherwise directed.
• Completing time recording
• Maintaining files so that they comply with the required ISO 9001 standard, the office manual and the Specialist Quality Mark if appropriate.

Business Development and Role Requirements

• Networking record 50 hours marketing/business development
• Assist with the development and progression of the department and the firm
• Attend internal and external courses
• Record 1200 chargeable hours per annum
• Meet the financial billing target set by the head of department for the role

Person Specification

Essential

• 2-5 years’ PQE.
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly given the compliance-critical nature of client account work.
• Confident communicator, comfortable with communicating with clients and third parties
• Willingness and ability to work across all office locations as required.

What the Firm Offers

• Competitive Salary
• Hours – Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. and Friday 9 – 5 p.m.
• Potential to work from home (no more than 2 days per week)
• Discretionary Bonus Scheme
• Auto enrolment pension scheme
• 25 days holiday a year plus bank holidays, plus additional time off at Christmas
• Birthday off work
• Private healthcare (after probation period)
• Death in Service cover
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Local shop discount card (currently TN card)
• Social Events
• Charity Events

How to Apply

Please send a CV and covering letter to Mandy Kettle at mkettle@berryandlamberts.co.uk

About the Firm

Berry & Lamberts is a three-office firm of solicitors based in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood. The firm provides private client, commercial property, litigation, family, residential property and company commercial services to individuals and businesses across West Kent, East Sussex and beyond. As the firm continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Finance Manager to take ownership of the firm's finance function.

Location

Tunbridge Wells based, with occasional travel between offices in Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood, Kent.

Role Overview

The Finance Manager will lead the firm's finance function, reporting directly to the Managing Partner and managing a small team of one full-time and one part-time finance/cashiering staff. This is a hands-on role combining day-to-day legal cashiering and SRA Accounts Rules compliance with broader financial management, reporting, and control responsibilities, alongside line management of the finance team. The successful candidate will need to be comfortable both handling technical finance work personally and delegating, supervising, and reviewing the work of others.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Manage, supervise, and develop finance/cashiering staff, allocating work to ensure adequate cover and continuity (including during holidays and absence).
• Set and review workloads, conduct regular one-to-ones and appraisals, and support training and development of the team.
• Review and check work completed by the team to ensure accuracy and compliance before finalisation.
• Act as the escalation point for queries or issues raised by the finance team.

Legal Cashiering & Compliance

• Oversee all client and office account transactions, ensuring strict compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules 2019 across both offices, whether processed personally or by the finance team.
• Perform or review daily bank reconciliations for client and office accounts.
• Oversee client money receipts and payments, transfers between client and office account, and inter-client transfers.
• Maintain oversight of client ledgers and ensure no breaches of the Accounts Rules; identify, report, and remedy any breaches promptly in line with firm policy.
• Act as the firm's main point of contact for SRA Accounts Rules compliance matters, including liaison with the COFA (Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration).
• Prepare for and support the firm's annual accountant's report (SRA Accounts Rules Report).
• Monitor and control aged client balances, dormant balances, and residual balances.

Financial Management & Reporting

• Prepare monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow reporting, for the Managing Partner and partners.
• Manage billing, work-in-progress (WIP), and debtor control, working with fee earners to support timely billing and cash collection.
• Prepare and monitor the annual budget and forecasts; report variances to the Managing Partner.
• Oversee VAT returns and ensure compliance with HMRC requirements.
• Manage the firm's payroll, including partner drawings, PAYE, and pension auto-enrolment obligations.
• Manage supplier payments, expenses, and general office account transactions.
• Maintain the firm's fixed asset register and oversee insurance renewals relevant to finance (PII run-off considerations, etc., as applicable).
• Support the Managing Partner with financial input for partnership/LLP matters, including profit-sharing calculations where relevant.
• Act as principal liaison with the firm's external accountants and auditors.
• Maintain robust financial controls and internal processes across both offices, ensuring consistency of practice.
• Support wider firm initiatives, including practice management system administration relating to finance (billing, ledgers, reporting modules).

Person Specification

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA).
• Proven experience working within a law firm or other SRA-regulated environment, with hands-on knowledge of the SRA Accounts Rules 2019.
• Experience of legal cashiering and client account management.
• Proven experience managing or supervising staff, ideally within a finance or cashiering function.
• Strong working knowledge of practice management/accounting software commonly used in law firms (e.g.Actionstep, Advanced Legal).
• Ability to balance hands-on technical finance work with effective delegation and oversight of a small team.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort working with financial reporting tools.
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly given the compliance-critical nature of client account work.
• Confident communicator, comfortable liaising directly with the Managing Partner, partners, and fee earners.
• Willingness and ability to work across all office locations as required.

Desirable

• Prior experience acting as, or working closely with, a COFA.
• Experience with partnership/LLP accounting.
• Experience implementing or improving financial processes and controls.

What the Firm Offers

• Competitive Salary
• Hours – Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. and Friday 9 – 5 p.m.
• Auto enrolment pension scheme
• 25 days holiday a year plus bank holidays, plus additional time off at Christmas
• Birthday off work
• Private Health Care
• Death in Service cover
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Local shop discount card (currently TN card)
• Social Events
• Charity Events
• The opportunity to take ownership of and shape the finance function of a growing firm.

How to Apply

Please send a CV and covering letter to Mandy Kettle at mkettle@berryandlamberts.co.uk