Registered number:
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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COMPANY INFORMATION
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CONTENTS
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STRATEGIC REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
The Directors present their Strategic Report for the year ended 31 December 2023.
The principal activity of the Company remains the provision of legal services.
The Company has had another strong performance in its second year as a 100% employee-owned business. The firm’s employees have really embraced the concept of employee ownership giving a boost to financial performance levels and the culture of the firm. The Company expanded it’s footprint across Yorkshire further with the opening of a new office in Doncaster taking the total number of offices to eighteen throughout the county. The Company also continued to grow not only in the number of offices but with an increased headcount of 273 employees, up from 251 in 2022, both of which contributed to an increase in turnover. The Company increased its turnover in 2023 to £19,995,937 (£19,322,881 in 2022). The increase in turnover brought with it an increase in profit before distributions and tax to £5,480,671 (£5,183,560 in 2022). This allowed the Trustees of the Company to recommend making a larger profit distribution than that of the previous year of £4,000 per employee. The total amount of profit distributed to employees was £759,600 leaving retained profit after tax at £3,554,643 (£3,536,067 in 2022). The Company continued its policy of maintaining strong cash reserves during 2023, which meant that it was able to service the deferred consideration due the Company’s founding directors and make a considerable distribution to employees. At the end of the year cash reserves increased significantly to £7,295,738 (£4,688,345 in 2022). The Company’s strong cash reserves provide a significant advantage in terms of further expansion and investment opportunities. Following the successful conversion to an employee-owned business the Company has continued to invest in its employees with a programme of enhanced benefits including increased employer pension contributions and private health insurance, helping the Company to attract and retain talent. The property market remained a challenge throughout 2023 leading the Company to continue its strategy of diversification and development of other areas of the business. The Company increased both its commercial and private client base and despite the challenges of the property market the Company extended its market share and ranked in the top 20 conveyancing firms. The Company secured a legal aid CAPA contract (Claims Against Public Authorities) during 2023 which will compliment its already reputable PI, Inquests and Civil Liberties department. The Company is one of only a handful of firms in the region and 71 nationwide to hold a CAPA contract. The Company continues its strategy of organic growth with new offices planned for 2024 in Queensbury and Selby, which would take the number of offices throughout Yorkshire to twenty.
Political uncertainty in 2024 and the possible economic impacts that comes with such uncertainty poses a risk to the Company, but the Company is resilient and can adjust quickly to changed circumstances as demonstrated through its resilience and growth over the past few years. The Company continues to strengthen existing relationships and look for new work sources. The property market appears to be bouncing back and the Company is already seeing a significant increase in new instructions.
Net current assets at the balance sheet date were £8,616,571 (£6,387,322 in 2022) and net assets were £9,038,007 (£6,833,364 in 2022).
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STRATEGIC REPORT (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
This report was approved by the board on 23 September 2024 and signed on its behalf.
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DIRECTORS' REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
The directors present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
The directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic Report, the Directors' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
∙select suitable accounting policies for the Company's financial statements and then apply them consistently;
∙make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
∙prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The profit for the year, after taxation, amounted to £3,554,643 (2022 - £3,536,067).
The directors do not recommend the payment of dividends.
The directors who served during the year were:
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DIRECTORS' REPORT (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006, Sagars Accountants Ltd will be deemed to have been reappointed as auditor 28 days after these financial statements were sent to members or 28 days after the latest date prescribed for filing the accounts with the registrar, whichever is earlier.
This report was approved by the board on
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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF
We have audited the financial statements of (the 'Company') for the year ended 31 December 2023, which comprise the Statement of Comprehensive Income, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows, the Statement of Changes in Equity and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our Auditors' Report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF (CONTINUED)
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
∙the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors' Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
∙the Strategic Report and the Directors' Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Strategic Report or the Directors' Report.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF (CONTINUED)
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors' Report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas: timing of recognition of income and posting of unusual journals and complex transactions. We discussed these risks with client management, designed audit procedures to test the timing of income, tested a sample of journals to confirm they were appropriate and reviewed areas of judgement for indicators of management bias to address these risks. As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also: • Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. • Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal control. • Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the directors. • Conclude on the appropriateness of the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the company to cease to continue as a going concern. • Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation. We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF (CONTINUED)
The organisation is subject to many other laws and regulations where the consequences of non-compliance could have a material effect on amounts or disclosures in the financial statements, for instance through the imposition of fines or litigation. We identified Solicitors Regulation Authority and employment law as the areas most likely to have such an effect. Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditors' Report.
This report is made solely to the Company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditors' Report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company's members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
for and on behalf of
Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditor
5-7 St Pauls Street
West Yorkshire
LS1 2JG
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STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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REGISTERED NUMBER: 06482867
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the board and were signed on its behalf on
The notes on pages 13 to 23 form part of these financial statements.
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STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
The principal activity of the company was the provision of legal services. The company is a private company limited by shares, which is incorporated in England and Wales (no 06482867). The address of the registered office is Duke House, 54 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 2EE
2.Accounting policies
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention unless otherwise specified within these accounting policies and in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the Companies Act 2006.
The preparation of financial statements in compliance with FRS 102 requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires management to exercise judgement in applying the Company's accounting policies (see note 3).
The following principal accounting policies have been applied:
The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis. The Company forecasts to have sufficient cash flows to meet its liabilities as they fall due for at least one year from the date of approval of the accounts. The directors, therefore, have made an informed judgement, at the time of approving the financial statements, that there is a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.
When the outcome of a transaction involving the rendering of services can be reliably estimated, revenue from the rendering of services is measured by reference to the stage of completion of the service transaction at the end of the reporting period. When the outcome of a transaction involving the rendering of services cannot be reliably estimated, revenue is recognised only to the extent that expenses recognised are recoverable. A proportion of fees earned for work performed by the firm is contingent upon successful completion of a case. Where the substance of a contract is such that a right to consideration does not arise until the occurrence of a contingent event, the asset and revenue are not recognised. The contingent event which determines the right to consideration is considered to be the point at which a case is settled. No costs in respect of unrecognised income on contingent fees are carried forward.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
2.Accounting policies (continued)
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
2.Accounting policies (continued)
Goodwill
Other intangible assets
All intangible assets are considered to have a finite useful life. If a reliable estimate of the useful life cannot be made, the useful life shall not exceed ten years.
The estimated useful lives range as follows:
Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives.
Depreciation is provided on the following basis:
The assets' residual values, useful lives and depreciation methods are reviewed, and adjusted prospectively if appropriate, or if there is an indication of a significant change since the last reporting date.
Gains and losses on disposals are determined by comparing the proceeds with the carrying amount and are recognised in profit or loss.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
2.Accounting policies (continued)
Provisions are charged as an expense to profit or loss in the year that the Company becomes aware of the obligation, and are measured at the best estimate at the balance sheet date of the expenditure required to settle the obligation, taking into account relevant risks and uncertainties. When payments are eventually made, they are charged to the provision carried in the Balance Sheet. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the transaction price, unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where it is recognised at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument. Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost. Financial assets that are measured at cost or amortised cost are reviewed for objective evidence of impairment at the end of each reporting date. If there is objective evidence of impairment, an impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss immediately. For all equity instruments regardless of significance, and other financial assets that are individually significant, these are assessed individually for impairment. Other financial assets are either assessed individually or grouped on the basis of similar credit risk characteristics. Any reversals of impairment are recognised in profit or loss immediately, to the extent that the reversal does not result in a carrying amount of the financial asset that exceeds what the carrying amount would have been had the impairment not previously been recognised.
Other distributions relate to contributions to the Ison Harrison EOT, these are recognised when paid.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
11.Taxation (continued)
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Profit and loss account
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
The company is under the control of the Ison Harrison Employee Ownership Trust ("EOT").
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