Trainee solicitor

Kitson Boyce LLP is a trusted and respected law firm operating across four offices in Torquay, Exeter, Totnes and Plymouth.

At the heart of what we do is a determination to be the law firm of choice, for both our people and our clients. We’re a progressive, dynamic, professional organisation led by a partnership that’s compassionate, understanding and responsive, qualities we believe that shape both our culture and our future.

Being part of our firm means that you’ll contribute to the delivery of outstanding client care within an environment where the highest standards of expertise are a given.  You’ll benefit from development opportunities that enable you to progress personally and professionally, while increasing your ability to help our clients navigate the challenges they are experiencing in life.

Our social responsibility ethos is strong and we regularly participate in fund raising events, be it on mountains, across the moorlands and down to the sea. We work together to make lives better and the communities in which we work happier and healthier. 

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and diversity groups. Kitson Boyce is genuinely a great and rewarding place to work.

Why train with us

Environment

Kitson Boyce LLP is based in the South West of England – a beautiful and wonderfully diverse area in which to live and work. In April 2010, we moved our head office out of Torquay town centre to brand new, purpose-built offices at Minerva House, Edginswell Park on the edge of Torquay. With spacious, open plan offices, superb client reception facilities and a fully equipped dining area which is perfect for mingling with colleagues over lunch, this move was well received by staff, clients and work referrers alike. 

Following the merger in October 2023 between the former firms of Kitsons LLP and  Boyce Hatton LLP, we have increased the size and diversity of our workforce and now have branch offices in Exeter, Totnes and Plymouth and while we’re proud of our head office facilities at Minerva House, we’re equally as committed to the development and expansion of our other offices.

Colleagues

From the moment you walk through the door at the beginning of your training contract, you’ll be struck by the friendliness of our staff at all levels throughout the firm. Whenever a new member of staff joins us, we go out of our way to make them feel at home as quickly as possible and to provide them with all the support they need while they find their feet and become accustomed to the firm’s working practices and procedures. There are no exceptions to this custom as everyone is treated equally and with the same attention, courtesy and respect, regardless of their position or status within the firm.

Training

As a trainee solicitor, you’ll benefit from a formal structure of support and supervision throughout the duration of your training, from individuals who have been given specific responsibilities to ensure the successful completion of your training contract. 

First of all, you’ll be allocated a “buddy” – this is someone who is either a trainee or a recently qualified solicitor who understands the ups and downs you’ll probably experience as a trainee.  During each of your four seats, you’ll also have the support of the appointed supervisor (who will either be the head of department, a partner or an associate) who will endeavour to provide you with all the support, advice and experience you’ll need in order to successfully complete the seat in question. 

Overseeing your contract will be the firm’s training principal, Jayme Nicholson, who’s also the firm’s HR partner and head of employment. Jayme is totally committed to her role as training principal, having completed her own training contract with the firm in 2010, and makes no secret of her belief that one of the ways in which the firm can ensure continued growth and success for the future is by “growing our own” and providing continuous training and development opportunities for all staff as they, in turn, progress with the firm. This will protect the firm’s ethos of providing value-for-money legal advice without jeopardising the high standard of client care, delivered by highly competent professionals and support staff, for which the firm is renowned.

Seats

Your two-year training contract will consist of specifically selected seats offering you the opportunity to gain as much experience as possible across our practice areas, including contentious and non-contentious work. During each seat, you’ll be supervised either by the head of department, a partner or an associate. Where disciplines allow, we also encourage trainees to undertake certain seats in different offices throughout the firm, to enable them to gain the broadest possible experience of working with a wide variety of experienced lawyers for both private and corporate clients.

Although your first seat will usually be allocated for you, we recognise it is important for you to gain experience in areas which particularly interest you. We will therefore endeavour to plan seat allocations to accommodate your preferences, while also considering the needs of the business and compliance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s regulations in terms of the experience you are required to have gained upon qualification.

Your training programme will be designed to give you supervised experience in legal practice through which you can develop and refine your professional skills. We will ensure that you gain valuable experience at a number of levels during your training contract, which will lay the foundations for a long and successful legal career. The standard of work you’ll undertake in each seat will therefore help you to identify the area of law you’d like to specialise in once you have qualified.

Social events

We have a very active social committee who meet on a regular basis and organise staff social events throughout the year. Such events include the annual Christmas Party, the annual Summer “Do”, quiz nights, sporting events, race nights at Newton Abbot racecourse and joint events with other local professional organisations to name but a few. Staff from all our offices are encouraged to attend these events as we believe it is important for everyone to get to know one another and to feel part of the “KB Community” as opposed to being just a number on the firm’s payroll. 

As well as attending the firm’s social events, we also encourage our trainee and newly qualified solicitors to join the Devon & Somerset Junior Lawyers Division which also organises great networking events for local junior lawyers throughout the year.

Corporate social responsibility

The partners and senior managers at Kitson Boyce are committed to managing the firm in a way that enhances the positive and minimises the negative economic, social and environmental impact of its activities and services provided. We therefore aim to combine the provision of high quality legal advice to clients with a rewarding working environment and an awareness of the wider community.

The firm has implemented a corporate social responsibility policy which demonstrates its commitment to the well-being of its staff and to being a prominent member of the local community.  The firm has already developed strong relationships with a number of local charities and actively encourages its staff to participate in local community events, projects and fund-raising activities as and when such opportunities arise.

We hope we have given you a flavour of life at Kitson Boyce and we look forward to receiving your application in due course.

The reward

It is extremely important that all our team members feel valued and their hard work and commitment is recognised so we offer a generous remuneration package which makes Kitson Boyce an employer of choice. 

If you work for us, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits, which include:

• competitive salary;
• pension;
• 33 days’ holiday per annum, which includes bank holidays;
• an additional day’s leave on your birthday;
• Western Provident Association (WPA) – health care cash plan for all employees;
• life insurance;
• free staff legal services – wills and conveyancing;
• cycle to work scheme;
• Employee Assistance Programme;
• membership of Mindful Employer; and
• a range of initiatives to support physical and mental health wellbeing.

The application process

If you’d like to apply for a training contract with Kitson Boyce, the first step is to complete an application form.  Please contact our HR manager, Louise Mason, on 01803 202020 if you’d like a copy of our training contract application form. The application form provides us with information about your qualifications and work experience to date and also asks you questions which will enable us to see if you have the skills we are looking for. There’s a lot to complete but all of this combined information will help us decide if you are the ideal candidate for us. Once you have completed the application form, please send it to:

Miss L Mason
HR Manager
Kitson Boyce LLP
Minerva House
Orchard Way
Edginswell Park
Devon     
TQ2 7FA

Email: [email protected]

Once we have shortlisted, all successful applicants will be invited to attend a first stage interview.  Second interviews will then follow for candidates who impressed the interview panel and who demonstrated the potential to be a trainee solicitor with our firm. 

Throughout this process, we’ll receive applications from individuals who would relish a career with Kitson Boyce, many of whom will have similar experience and qualifications to offer us. We are therefore looking for someone special who stands out from the crowd and would recommend that you use this opportunity to demonstrate your key skills and attributes, including sharp commercial awareness, a flexible attitude, excellent communication skills, a flair for creative thinking and the ability to organise yourself and others efficiently.