The members present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
The principal activity of the limited liability partnership continued to be the provision of legal services.
Designated members subscribe the entire capital of Bishop & Sewell LLP with the exception of £30,000 capital subscribed by certain general members. Capital is repayable in full on retirement over a maximum period of three years. The minimum capital subscription is determined by agreement, depending on the financing requirements of the business. Members draw a proportion of their profit share during the year, subject to the cash requirements of the business.
The designated members who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
The members are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) requires the members to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the members have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Under company law (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) the members must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the limited liability partnership and of the profit or loss of the limited liability partnership for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the members are required to:
select suitable accounting policies 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 limited liability partnership will continue in business.
The members are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the limited liability partnership’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the limited liability partnership and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the limited liability partnership and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
We have audited the financial statements of Bishop & Sewell LLP (the 'limited liability partnership') for the year ended 31 March 2026 which comprise the profit and loss account, the balance sheet, the reconciliation of members' interests, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including 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).
Basis for opinion
Conclusions relating to going concern
Other information
As explained more fully in the members' responsibilities statement, the members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the members determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the members are responsible for assessing the limited liability partnership's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the members either intend to liquidate the limited liability partnership or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
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 auditor's 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. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
- we assessed the susceptibility of the LLP's financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur, by considering the key risks impacting the financial statements;
- we agreed the financial statement disclosure to underlying supporting documentation to assess compliance with those laws and regulations having an impact on the financial statements;
- we made enquiries and confirmation of management as to their identification of any non-compliance with laws and regulations, or any actual or potential claims;
- in relation to the risk of management override of controls, by undertaking procedures to review journal entries, accounting estimates and exceptional transactions, and evaluating whether there was risk of bias that represented a material misstatement due to fraud
Our audit procedures were designed to respond to risks of material misstatement in the financial statements, recognising that the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one due to error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery, misrepresentations or through collusion. There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures performed and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we are to become aware of it.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the limited liability partnership's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 as applied by the Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the limited liability partnership's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's 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 limited liability partnership and the limited liability partnership's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The profit and loss account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
Bishop & Sewell LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 59-60 Russell Square, London, WC1B 4HP.
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.
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. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the members have a reasonable expectation that the limited liability partnership has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the members continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
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.
Members' participation rights are the rights of a member against the LLP that arise under the members' agreement.
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. A member's 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.'
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 ] [ or detail other conditions as appropriate ].
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.'
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.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost 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.
At each reporting period end date, the limited liability partnership reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. Any impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.
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.
The limited liability partnership has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
The company enters into basic financial instruments which result in the recognition of financial assets such as trade debtors, cash at bank, prepayments and accrued income. At the current and prior period end date, all financial assets were classified as receivable within one year, and were measured at transaction price, less impairment.
Basic financial liabilities include trade and other creditors, accrued expenses and bank loans. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are measured at transaction price. Long term financial liabilities, which are in respect of bank loans, are measured initially at fair value and subsequently at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the limited liability partnership is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
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.
In the opinion of the members, the key accounting estimates impacting the entity are as regards accrued income and provision for bad or doubtful receivables.
An analysis of the limited liability partnership's turnover is as follows:
The average number of persons (excluding members) employed by the partnership during the year was:
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:
The bank loan is a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan. It is secured by fixed and floating charges over the LLP's assets. It bears interest at the rate of 2.8% and is repayable by monthly installments, with the final repayment due in May 2026.
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, which fall due as follows: