Professional Practices Alliance (PPA)

By Professional Practices Alliance (PPA)Business

Professional Practices Alliance (PPA) episodes

September 06, 2023Moving the ESG Needle for Law Firms - Deciding What Matters and What Can Be Achieved
We are delighted to share with you the recording of the recent Professional Practices Alliance webinar, Moving The ESG Needle For Law Firms – Deciding What Matters And What Can Be Achieved, in which our expert panel discuss how professional practices priorities are shifting regarding ESG.
In this webinar, our chair Andrew Pavlovic, (CM Murray LLP), Rob Millard (Cambridge Strategy Group), Zulon Begum (CM Murray LLP) and Sarah Chilton (CM Murray LLP) discuss the following:
Materiality – how firms should determine their priorities when it comes to ESG, as firms move away from focussing on their own emissions and are now increasingly considering the environmental impact of their client work

Stakeholders - the importance of identifying key stakeholders and carefully considering and incorporating their interests into your ESG strategy

Client Selection - taking a nuanced approach when considering whether or not to act for clients whose ESG-related aims and values may not wholly align with that of your firm, balancing business needs, the concept of access to justice, and whether firms can use their expertise and experience to mitigate any potential negative impacts of their advice

Remuneration - the increasing shift towards incorporating elements of non-financial performance (i.e. alignment with and adherence to firms’ ESG-related policies) into partner assessment and remuneration policies

Risk Management - the risk of discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010 where, for example, a member of staff is treated less favourably and/or harassed because of their beliefs on climate change
If you would like to discuss any of the above issues in further detail, please contact Partner, Andrew Pavlovic, who specialises in regulatory law and professional discipline matters for firms and partners.
54 min
July 13, 2023Show me the Money! Shaping a Dynamic and Flexible Profit Sharing System to Smooth the Bumpy Road of Succession
We are delighted to share with you the recording of the recent Professional Practices Alliance webinar, 'Show me the Money! Shaping a Dynamic and Flexible Profit Sharing System to Smooth the Bumpy Road of Succession'.
In this webinar, you can hear from guest speaker Jonathan Blair (Womble Bond Dickinson), chair Zulon Begum, (CM Murray LLP), and PPA speakers David Shufflebotham (Pep Up Consulting), and Sarah Chilton (CM Murray LLP) as they discuss the following:
A refresher on the different types of profit sharing systems used by firms and how to deploy them, focussing on fixed share, variable share, managed lock step, and managed merit systems

An assessment of the impact that each profit sharing system can have on partner behaviours, specifically assessing the impact that they have on collaboration, apportionment of risk, and investment

Structuring a firm to motivate, encourage, reward and incentivise partners not only financially but through peer recognition and career progression

The succession of the partnership, including elegant exits, smooth retirements and the importance of structuring a firm to appeal to the next generation of partners
If you would like to discuss any of the above issues in further detail, please contact Partner, Zulon Begum, who specialises in partnership law for firms and partners.
1 hr 1 min
June 29, 2023Is Your Firm prepared for the Financial Year Ahead? Key Trends and Challenges for Professional Services Firms in 2023/24
We are delighted to share with you the recording of our recent webinar, ‘Is Your Firm prepared for the Financial Year Ahead? Key Trends and Challenges for Professional Services Firms in 2023/24’, in which our expert panel discuss the financial year ahead for professional services firms.

In this webinar, you can hear from Chair, Corinne Staves (CM Murray LLP), and speakers Robert Millard (Cambridge Strategy Group), David Shufflebotham (Pep Up Consulting) and Andrew Pavlovic (CM Murray LLP) as they discuss the following issues to include in professional service firms ‘to do’ list for the next financial year:
How to remain profitable and effectively manage the firm’s cash flow at a time of stalled economic growth, inflation, cost of living crisis and basis period reform.

Implementing a strategy and the importance of having a Plan B strategy, especially during a time where firms are adapting to deliver client services in a new technological era.

How to maintain and enhance a firm’s culture and productivity in a hybrid working environment, including the impact that long-term hybrid working may have had on a firms culture.

Key regulatory developments and the practicalities surrounding how to approach them, specifically the new SRA regulations to address toxic work environments by actively challenging behaviours in the workplace.

Whether ChatGPT could spell the end of lawyers or whether it can be harnessed to improve service delivery and profitability of firms.

The potential regulatory issues that arise from using new technology (such as Chat GPT) to assist with delivering client services.

The increasing need for professional service firms to address environmental issues.
If you would like to discuss any of the above issues in further detail, please contact Partner, Corinne Staves, who specialises in partnership issues for firms and partners.
57 min
August 08, 2022The Greater Good; How Professional Firms Are Embracing B Corp Status, ESG & Other Non-Profit Making Objectives
There is increased pressure on professional firms to enhance their social engagement and sustainability. Thus, it is important to consider what measures professional firms should undertake to assess their impact performance on stakeholders and subsequently improve it.
We are delighted to share with you the recording of our recent webinar, ‘The Greater Good; How Professional Firms Are Embracing B Corp Status, ESG & Other Non-Profit Making Objectives’, in which partnership law specialists and sustainability management experts discuss the importance of promoting accountability and transparency to a wider group of stakeholders along with environmental, social and corporate governance and how this can be achieved within professional firms.
In this webinar, you can hear Chair Rob Millard, (Cambridge Strategy Group), and speakers Emma Bartlett, (CM Murray LLP), Dr John Henry Looney, (Sustainable Direction Ltd) and Corinne Staves, (CM Murray LLP) discuss the following:
What is B Corp and how can professional firms achieve certification? The strategic thinking behind the implementation of ESG and other non-profit making objectives.

The importance of driving diversity and inclusion from the top and its impact on staff retention rates.

Box-ticking exercise vs the true meaning of sustainability: The need for professional firms to consider adopting a proactive approach toward accountability and to implement high business standards for the benefit of their stakeholders and wider community.

The impact of client base on professional firms’ commitment towards sustainability has dramatically increased, with some clients refusing to engage with the firms that have inadequate measures in place.

The difference between accountability obligations in companies and LLPs and how to ensure that professional firms achieve full visibility on their commitment towards the greater good.
We are delighted to invite you to join the Professional Practices Alliance LinkedIn group, a collaborative networking and information sharing space for professional services firms. Join our LinkedIn group here.
Follow us on Twitter: @PartnershipAlln
Subscribe to the Professional Practices Alliance blog here.
41 min
July 17, 2022“Should we merge?” A discussion on whether, when and how to merge with another firm – Part 2
We are delighted to share the webinar recording of part 2 in the Professional Practices Alliance webinar series, ‘”Should we merge?”, a discussion on whether, when and how to merge with another firm, in which an expert panel explores how firms should plan and prepare for a merger. Please see below for full details.
In this webinar, you can hear Chair, Corinne Staves (CM Murray), Robert Millard (Cambridge Strategy Group), David Fisher (CM Murray LLP), Zulon Begum (CM Murray LLP), David Shufflebotham (Pep Up Consulting) and Andrew Pavlovic (CM Murray LLP) discussing issues such as:
How does the SRA view mergers and whether there are any concerns around confidentiality and conflicts of interest.

Whether a merger is really about two firms merging, or whether it is about creating a new, more successful firm.

How do you persuade and reassure the workplace on the major upheaval causes by a merger?

Understanding why it is important to have your finger on the pulse in understanding your partners and what decisions they will make upon a proposed merger.

What should firms be focused on post-merger?

The importance of emphasising the positives of the merger and why it is a good decision for the firm.

Key factors to be considered in assisting fee earners with a dip in revenue during a merger.
If you have any questions arising from this recording or would like to discuss law firm or other professional services mergers, or for any other partnership law issues, please contact our Partner and Head of Non-Contentious Partnership Practice, Zulon Begum.
The Professional Practices Alliance is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between leading UK independent legal, accounting and law firm management specialist advisers, CM Murray LLP, Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP, Pep Up Consulting and Cambridge Strategy Group.
We are delighted to invite you to join the Professional Practices Alliance LinkedIn group, a collaborative networking and information sharing space for professional services firms.
Join our LinkedIn group here.
Follow us on Twitter: @PartnershipAlln
Subscribe to the Professional Practices Alliance blog here.
59 min
July 08, 2022“Should we merge?” A Discussion on whether, when and how to merge with another firm
We are delighted to share the webinar recording of Part 1 in the Professional Practices Alliance webinar series, “Should we merge?” A discussion on whether, when and how to merge with another firm in which an expert panel explore how firms should plan and prepare for a merger.
In this webinar, you can hear Chair, Corinne Staves (CM Murray LLP), Partner Zulon Begum (CM Murray LLP), Simon Slater (Guest Speaker, Cripps Pemberton Greenish and Byfield Consultancy), Giles Murphy (Guest Speaker, Smith & Williamson) and Rob Millard (Cambridge Strategy Group) discussing issues such as:
Mergers are usually the riskiest growth strategy – are there other (less disruptive) routes (e.g., organic growth, lateral hiring) to realising the firm’s strategic goals?
Identifying the right merger partner can take time and diligence and requires compromise as there is never a “perfect” merger partner.
How to “win hearts and minds” to align partners with any merger strategy early in the process and ensure that the requisite partner approvals for any merger can be achieved.
Advance preparation for a merger can make or break a deal; identify any “red lines” in advance and keep these to a minimum, and undertake “reverse due diligence” to identify any potential issues in your own firm and attempt to resolve these before they become a stumbling block to a merger (e.g., onerous annuities, adverse claims history/high PII costs, underperforming partners and expensive borrowing/leases).
Consider what protections may need to be built into the merger agreement and/or the merged firm’s partnership agreement to ensure stability for the initial period after the merger, when firms are often at their most vulnerable e.g., a partner “lock-in” period, enforceable restrictive covenants and good/bad leaver provisions.
If you have any questions arising from this recording or would like to discuss law firm or other professional services mergers, or for any other partnership law issues, please contact our Partner and Head of Non-Contentious Partnership Practice, Zulon Begum.
The Professional Practices Alliance is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between leading UK independent legal, accounting and law firm management specialist advisers, CM Murray LLP, Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP, Pep Up Consulting and Cambridge Strategy Group.
We are delighted to invite you to join the Professional Practices Alliance LinkedIn group, a collaborative networking and information sharing space for professional services firms.
Join our LinkedIn group here.
Follow us on Twitter: @PartnershipAlln
Subscribe to the Professional Practices Alliance blog here.
56 min
May 22, 2022Partner Performance Management and Remuneration Systems: Under-Rewarded High-Flyers and Over-Rewarded Under-Performers
There are many ways of dealing with the dual challenges of under rewarded high flyers and over rewarded under performers. Making sure that reward and performance systems are right is critical to the growth strategy of a firm.
In the first webinar of the Professional Practices Alliance Growth Strategy Webinar series, Chair Zulon Begum, (CM Murray LLP) and expert panel, Beth Hale (CM Murray LLP), David Shufflebotham (Pep Up Consulting) and Corinne Staves, (Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP), share their experiences and top tips for dealing with under-rewarded high flyers and over-rewarded under-performers. The webinar discusses:
Partner performance management and remuneration systems

The practical steps to dealing with these issues in the short to medium term

Structural issues that may need to be addressed in the medium to long term

The culture of a firm and how this may affect partner performance
Three key factors firms need to consider when dealing with partner performance management are:
Putting in place structures to identify performance issues

How adapting partnership documentation and profit allocation systems might help

The culture of the firm and other factors that may influence partner performance
Identifying issues: It is important for partner performance to be evidenced and well documented. Firms should also ensure that decisions are data driven.
Partnership documentation: Firms should consider adapting their constitutional documentation to ensure there is a clear framework in relation to renumeration provisions to help firms achieve their objectives, while also retaining flexibility.
Culture: It is important for firms to have a remuneration and reward framework in place which is aligned with the culture of the firm.
If you have any questions arising from this recording or would like to discuss Partner Performance Management and Remuneration Systems; Under-Rewarded High-Flyers and Over-Rewarded Under-Performers or for any other partnership law issues, please contact Partner Zulon Begum or Managing Partner Clare Murray.
58 min
November 09, 2021 What might the Future hold for Law and other Professional Services Firms?
We are delighted to share with you the recording of our recent Professional Practices Alliance (PPA) webinar on 'What might the Future hold for Law and other Professional Services Firms?', in which our expert guest speakers from the Law Society of England and Wales (LSE&W) discuss the future of Law and Professional Services firms based on the findings of their recent research into changes and uncertainties in the legal profession in England and Wales over the next 30 years, through the lens of global trade and competition.
Rapid technological developments have made, and will continue to make, a significant impact on professional service firms by changing the way in which they devise new business models, replace distribution channels, and modify and adapt the way people and businesses interact with each other.
Everybody has an opinion about how professional services are evolving, and how “firms of the future” might be different to those of today. In the legal sector, which is arguably less ‘transformed’ than some of the other professions so far, many firms view this topic with some trepidation. In this webinar recording, we look at whether artificial intelligence (AI) will actually replace lawyers and, if so, are there ethical or moral dilemmas that should be considered regarding AI and the legal industry?
In this webinar, you can hear Chair, Rob Millard, Director of the Cambridge Strategy Group and speakers, Dr Tara Chittenden and Dr Kion Ahadi, of the Law Society of England & Wales, discuss issues including the following:
· How potential future change will have an impact on diversity and inclusion, particularly in more senior positions;
· How Generation Z have begun to reshape global politics as we see a generational shift in allegiance and identity;
· Whether the rise of machines will free up time vs threaten jobs; and
· How, according to research carried out by LSE&W, it is expected that, by 2030, the workforce in the legal sector, including lawyers and legal support staff, will reduce by half.
Join the Conversation
We are delighted to invite you to join the Professional Practices Alliance LinkedIn group, a collaborative networking and information sharing space for professional services firms
Visit and subscribe to the PPA blog here.
Join our LinkedIn group here.
Follow us on Twitter: @PartnershipAlln
41 min
October 15, 2021 Will Firms Run Out of Cash and what can they do about it?
Earlier this summer, the Treasury launched a consultation to reform taxation for self-employed businesses where the accounting year for the business differs from the tax year. Under the proposals, the transition for the change was due to take place in 2022/23, however last week the Treasury announced a delay by at least 12 months with the transition not coming into effect before 2023/24. In addition, the Government recently announced a new health and social care levy by increasing National Insurance Contributions by 1.25% to take effect from 6 April 2022, before the Budget announcement on 27 October.

In this webinar, you can hear Chair Claire Watkins, Buzzacott LLP, and speakers Zulon Begum, CM Murray LLP, Corinne Staves, Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP, James Currie, Buzzacott LLP, and Rob Millard, Cambridge Strategy Group discuss the following:

1. How important it is for firms and partners to understand that taking advantage of the transitional period for the Base Period reform could result in their paying substantially more income tax than expected - it could mean spreading profits of the transitional year across the following five years (with the prospect of paying unknown higher tax rates in those years on those profits), rather than spreading the crystallised tax over those five years;

2. The need for partners to have a clear understanding of the extent to which they and their firm are (or in many cases are not) presently fully reserved against the partner’s individual tax liability – and to ensure that the firm has not just reserved and set monies aside against the partner’s upcoming payment due in January and July 2022, but also against the tax payments that will be due subsequently;

3. The Basis Period reform could consequently bring a lot of under-reserved partner tax balances home to roost, and is important for firms and partners to start cash flow scenario planning now, and to consider the range of funding options available to finance the additional tax and national insurance burden if needed in due course; and

4. The impact of the changes on for senior employees in LLPs, and the ways in which firms can make potential FSP and future EP status (and capital contribution) as attractive and engaging as possible to individuals who may only see risk and loss of employment security.
The key changes that firms should consider making to their constitutions now, which will equip them to act very quickly if they need to raise money or conserve cash in future at short notice.
We are delighted to invite you to join the Professional Practices Alliance LinkedIn group, a collaborative networking and information sharing space for professional services firms.
Join our LinkedIn group here.

Follow us on Twitter: @PartnershipAlln
1 hr
July 15, 2021Personal Risk Management for Partners
Partners of professional practices spend their entire careers focused on protecting the interests of their clients. This can sometimes be at the expense of their own planning.
We are pleased to share with you the recording from our recent Professional Practices Alliance (PPA) expert discussion, ‘Personal Risk Management for Partners’.
In this podcast recording, you can hear Chair, Corinne Staves (Partner and Head of Professional Practices, Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP) and panel speakers, Rachel O’Donoghue (Partner and Head of Financial Planning, Buzzacott LLP), James Currie (Senior Tax Manager, Buzzacott LLP), David Shufflebotham (Founder, PEPUp.consulting), Fiona Poole (Partner, Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP) and Beth Hale (Partner and General Counsel, CM Murray LLP) explore the actions that all partners should be considering and the extent to which firms should be involved in personal risk management. In particular, this panel address the following:
the key personal risks for professional partners;

financial planning and legal protections that partners should put in place;

the extent to which firms should implement measures to protect partners, for example, death in service and/or life insurance benefits;

how a firm can manage the risks of partner death/incapacity; and

how a firm’s agreement and policies can support this process including the protections which should be included in LLP deeds as well as powers to remove and suspend.
57 min

About Professional Practices Alliance (PPA)

From the publisher's feed

A podcast series from the Professional Practices Alliance (PPA), a multi-disciplinary collaboration between leading independent firms, advising professional services firms on partnership and…

Share Professional Practices Alliance (PPA)

Sign up to save your podcasts

Professional Practices Alliance (PPA)

Professional Practices Alliance (PPA) episodes

About Professional Practices Alliance (PPA)