[email protected] If you are a partner in a law firm or LLP, you will already be familiar with the difference between drawings and taxable profit. What is often less clear is how expenses paid personally should be dealt with for tax purposes. We regularly...
[email protected] A recent report found that 26% of law firms have closed due to accounting breaches. Over a quarter of firms shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) were closed due to failures linked to the SRA Accounts Rules, a cornerstone of law firm...
The new Justice Minister, Shabana Mahmood, has said she is pledging to make public funding a priority and to smooth relations with the Legal Aid Agency. The Legal Aid Minister, Heidi Alexander admitted that the legal aid system was on life support and it would be a...
Accounting is a fundamental pillar of measuring a successful law firm. Law firms, have unique financial considerations that require careful attention to ensure compliance with regulations and business performance. From managing client funds to handling operational...
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates solicitors in England and Wales. According to its latest annual report the SRA spent £16.5m on disciplinary processes in 2021/22, a £1.5m increase from 2019/20 (pre-covid). It should be noted that the SRA financial...
In the digital age, fraud is showing no sign of slowing and is becoming an ever-present threat across all industries and sectors, in particular law firms that handle highly sensitive information on a daily basis. During these times, cybercriminal activity is becoming...
New legislation easing the tax rules for divorcing couples has received Royal Assent. This confirms announcements made by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget 2023. The changes apply in relation to disposals of assets made on or after 6 April 2023. What were...
A recent study from the Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index found that the average digital maturity of law firms in England and Wales was 43%. Furthermore only 5% of law firms scored higher than 80%. This will perhaps come as a shock too many considering the pandemic...
The SRA has increased their fining power Last year the SRA increased its fining powers from £2,000 to £25,000 to enable them to impose larger fines on legal firms that fail to implement adequate Anti Money Laundering training and systems. Before this change any fines...
A recent survey conducted by HSBC between May – July 2022 has found that 50% of respondents plan to reduce their office space within the next three years. It is important to note that this survey was conducted before the latest economic issues developed. This is an...
What is the indemnity fund? The Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) was established in 1987 to provide compulsory professional indemnity cover to all solicitor firms in private practice in England and Wales. With the agreement of The Law Society of England and Wales, the...
Recent statistics have revealed that the legal sector has defied predictions of a slowdown. Data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that turnover for the legal sector for July was £3.7bn, an 8.3% increase from July 2021 (£3.4bn) and a 2.2% increase...