Vine Law LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 30 Old Market, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 1NB.
The limited liability partnership's principal activities are disclosed in the Members' Report.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting by Limited Liability Partnerships" issued in May 2024, together with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. The disclosure requirements of section 1A of FRS 102 have been applied other than where additional disclosure is required to show a true and fair view.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the limited liability partnership. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
Turnover represents the amounts recoverable for the services provided to clients, excluding value added tax, under contractual obligations which are performed gradually over time.
If, at the balance sheet date, completion of contractual obligations is dependent on external factors (and thus outside the control of the Limited Liability Partnership), then revenue is recognised only when the event occurs. In such cases, costs incurred up to the balance sheet date are carried forward as work in progress.
Revenue comprises sales of goods or services provided to customers net of value added tax and other sales taxes, less an appropriate deduction for actual and expected returns and discounts. Revenue is recognised when performance obligations are satisfied and the control of goods or services is transferred to the buyer. Where the performance obligation is satisfied over time, revenue is recognised in accordance with its progress towards complete satisfaction of that performance obligation.
When cash inflows are deferred and represent a financing arrangement, the promised consideration is adjusted for the effects of the time value of money, which is recognised as interest income.
Members' participation rights are the rights of a member against the LLP that arise under the members' agreement (for example, in respect of amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed remuneration and profits).
Members' participation rights in the earnings or assets of the LLP are analysed between those that are, from the LLP's perspective, either a financial liability or equity, in accordance with section 22 of FRS 102. Members' participation rights, including amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed by members, for example members' capital, are classed as liabilities unless the LLP has an unconditional right to refuse payment to members, in which case they are classified as equity.
All amounts due to members that are classified as liabilities are presented within 'Loans and other debts due to members' and, where such an amount relates to current year profits or movements in the liability to non-working members in respect of future profits, they are recognised within ‘Members' remuneration charged as an expense’ in arriving at the relevant period’s result. Undivided amounts that are classified as equity are shown within ‘Members' other interests’. Amounts recoverable from members are presented as debtors and shown as amounts due from members within members’ interests.
Where there exists an asset and liability component in respect of an individual member’s participation rights, they are presented on a gross basis unless the LLP has both a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts, and it intends either to settle on a net basis or to settle and realise these amounts simultaneously, in which case they are presented net.
Profits are automatically divided as they arise, so the LLP does not have an unconditional right to refuse payment and the amounts arising that are due to members are in the nature of liabilities. They are therefore treated as an expense and presented as members remuneration charged as an expense in arriving at the result for the relevant year. To the extent that they remain unpaid at the period end, they are shown as liabilities.
Whilst the members’ agreement does not differentiate between profits and losses for profit sharing purposes, it does stipulate that the LLP cannot demand additional contributions from members, and as a result the LLP does not have an unconditional right to demand payment from members for losses. Therefore, to the extent that losses exceed the balance on capital and current accounts, they are not recognised as a recoverable asset and so remain within equity until such time as profits are generated to set them against.
Once an unavoidable obligation has been created in favour of members through allocation of profits or other means, any undrawn profits remaining at the reporting date are shown as 'Loans and other debts due to members' to the extent they exceed debts due from a specific member.
The members’ participation rights that are classified as liabilities are repayable upon demand or at short notice (eg upon termination of membership), and as such whilst they are financing transactions, the effect of discounting is considered immaterial and so they are not discounted to present value.
Where members do not provide any substantive services, to the extent that profits are liabilities, the automatic right to a share of the LLP’s profits is treated as a return on capital which is the right to share in the future profits of the LLP. The capital contributed by such members is initially recognised at fair value, with the fair value being equal to the amount subscribed. Subsequently, the capital contribution is measured at fair value and remeasured at each period end.
The LLP agreement does not provide the LLP with any rights to recover amounts paid to members, and amounts paid are treated as distributions rather than drawings on account. The LLP considers whether the corresponding distribution forms part of members’ remuneration charged as an expense or represents a discretionary division of profit made during the period. Where the LLP could have chosen never to divide the associated profits, the distribution is accounted for as a discretionary division of profit, and not reported in profit or loss. Conversely, where the distribution is of profits that are subject to automatic division then a liability in respect of those profits will already have been recognised, with the corresponding expense forming part of members’ remuneration charged as an expense, and the distribution will reduce that liability.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the profit and loss account.
Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leased asset are consumed.
In the application of the limited liability partnership’s accounting policies, the members are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The average number of persons (excluding members) employed by the partnership during the year was:
Loans included in creditors under one year of £31,341 (2025: £23,604), have been secured by personal guarantees provided by some members of the partnership and by fixed and floating charges over the property of the company.
Loans included in creditors over one year of £51,566 (2025: £55,632), have been secured by personal guarantees provided by some members of the partnership and by fixed and floating charges over the property of the company.
In the event of a winding up the amounts included in "Loans and other debts due to members" will rank equally with unsecured creditors.
At the reporting end date the limited liability partnership had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, as follows: