Assisting a probate lawyer to administer the estate of a deceased person.
Occupational Profile
The role of a Probate Technician is to support the fee earning activities of a principal probate practitioner by working on a brief defined by the supervisor to action legal and tax procedures related to the administration of an estate.
The role is varied as no two estates are the same, and given that this is helping clients often at an emotional time you must be able to demonstrate empathy and understanding. The law of probate and estate administration does overlap with many other areas of law and will suit those who have a willingness to learn and develop a wider working knowledge beyond probate.
It is an entry level role, suitable for candidates of all levels of ability and experience including those new to the industry with no legal qualifications. As a Probate Technician you will deal with the affairs of a deceased person (“estate”) and liaise with their representatives (executors or administrators) to administer the estate in accordance with their Will or under the Intestacy provisions, (should they have not left a Will).
Probate Technicians work in a variety of legal teams and settings recognized in the private client industry and deal with a broad range of other professional persons including; accountancy, banking, tax, trust and charitable professionals in the course of administering an estate.
Probate Technicians work under the direct supervision of an Authorized Person, e.g. a Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) Licensed Probate Practitioner, a Solicitor, or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives or equivalent.
Achieving the apprenticeship will enable you to build a professional career in probate law and work on a range of standard matters. You will be competent to manage a case load of non-inheritance tax and non-complex estates either fully administering the estate or dealing with parts of the process.
You will be able to demonstrate that you understand the requirements and restrictions of working in an environment which is regulated together with consumer and legal requirements associated with probate matters; and are able to deal with your day to day tasks accordingly or seek assistance where needed.
Summary of standard
https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/probate-technician/
Full standard
https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/media/1442/probate-technician-assesment-plan.pdf
