Professional Practices and Financial Services Podcast

In this episode, Jamie Lane is joined by Mark Duhig, HR Director at Saffery, to discuss the ever-changing world of recruitment and retention.

Professional services firms are people-based businesses; having a workforce that’s skilled to meet a business’ requirements is key to its ongoing success.

In addition to exploring the role leadership has to play throughout the recruitment and retention process, they cover:

• Current market conditions and how recruitment activity has softened post-pandemic,
• People management and the difficulties associated with adjusting to hybrid working, and
• The importance of workplace culture and its role in recruitment and retention.

In this episode, Jamie Lane is joined again by Richard Crook, Marketing and Business Development Director at Saffery, to explore the intricacies of business development for professional services firms.

As the networking landscape continues to evolve, it’s crucial to balance both digital and in-person professional relationships. Firms must enhance their online presence on LinkedIn with increased activity and engagement, as well as dedicate time to meet clients, targets and intermediaries face-to-face.

As well as discussing the importance of building your personal profile, they cover:

• How the shift from in-person to digital interactions have impacts on personal branding,
• Top tips on maximising opportunities with potential clients, and 
• How to develop brand awareness in every interaction.

Take a look at our recent insights that may be relevant to you:

• How to make sure your partnership tax return is correctly completed and submitted.

The salaried member rules for limited liability partnerships (LLPs) have been in place since 2014. 10 years on, in February this year, HMRC updated its guidance in this area – without explaining what had prompted the changes.

In this episode, Jamie Lane is joined by Mike Hodges, a tax partner based in our Manchester office.

Jamie and Mike provide an overview of the current situation and the rules surrounding members of LLPs, before examining these changes and what they mean for members moving forward.

For further insight from Mike, read his article on this topic: HMRC’s changes to salaried member rules for LLPs

Please note, we are waiting on further clarification from HMRC on some of the elements of its guidance.

With more businesses jumping on the AI-bandwagon, it’s no secret that AI tools have become more accessible, more applied, and easier to use.

In a follow-up to our previous episode on IT challenges for businesses, Jamie Lane is once again joined by David Fazakerley, our IT director, and Chris White, Head of Strategic Consultancy at full-service IT provider, QuoStar, to discuss how firms are leveraging AI for business processes.

As well as looking at the key considerations that firms should be aware of when embarking on their AI journey, they demystify the misunderstanding of what AI can do, while also noting the risks and benefits of businesses using this technology. 

Professional Indemnity insurance, or PI insurance as it’s better known, has been a challenging area for professional services firms to navigate over the past few years.

In this episode, Jamie Lane is joined by Andrew Palmer, Executive Director at Gallagher, who runs the PI team based in London.

Jamie and Andrew delve into areas including:

The current market and recent trends,

• A deeper look into the professional services sector, and
• Key tips and advice for those preparing for the next PI insurance renewal cycle.

Whether you're a small legal practice or a large financial firm, this episode is a key resource to understand the PI insurance market and the landscape of liabilities and claims.

In this episode we discuss the current IT challenges that businesses are facing in an ever-developing space.

Jamie Lane is joined by David Fazakerley, our IT Director, and Chris White, Head of Strategic Consultancy at QuoStar, who are a full-service IT provider.

Their insights reveal a transformation where IT departments morph from traditional service providers to strategic partners, selecting the best technologies and collaborations to advance business aims. They dissect the puzzle of IT budgeting, emphasising that the true value of IT investment often only becomes apparent in the face of adversity, such as a cybersecurity breach. This conversation is an eye-opener for anyone questioning the return on their IT spend.

Finally, we venture into the AI realm, where the promise of innovation meets the challenge of safeguarding privileged information.

Join us for a discussion that's not just about the future – it's about shaping it.

Jamie Lane is joined by Niraj Patel, a partner and head of our Corporate Finance Team, and Andrew Fraser, a senior manager within our Corporate Finance Team. 

In this episode they look at the findings from our recent report which examined M&A activity within the legal sector for the year to June 2023.

In particular, Jamie, Niraj and Andrew discuss areas including:

• Key factors and trends impacting UK legal sector M&A,
• The listed law firm business model and how this contrasts the private equity acquisition model, and
• A look ahead to the next 12 months.
  
  
  

In this episode Jamie Lane is joined by Niraj Patel, head of our Corporate Finance Team, and Charlie Fletcher, a partner who specialises in transactional work including mergers and acquisition at law firm Mishcon de Reya.

Jamie, Niraj and Charlie discuss the overarching topic of M&A, including:

• What is M&A?
• What the process involves, 
• Why it takes place, and
• How it is implemented within the legal sector.

Charlie also has first-hand experience of this type of transaction, as Mishcon de Reya and Taylor Vinters completed their merger on 1 January 2023. In this discussion, Charlie provides insight on the merger and goes into greater detail on specific areas such as culture, communication and how it has benefited the firm as a whole.

In our latest podcast we are joined by Clare Morgan, who is our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) specialist at the firm. 

We discuss why ED&I is so important to professional services firms. In particular we examine:

• Why a firmwide ED&I strategy is crucial to success,
• The relationship between a firm’s culture and ED&I, and the role of senior management to drive change,
• Common challenges faced, and
• How an inclusive culture can help with business critical issues such as recruitment and retention of staff.

In the episode Jamie Lane speaks to Richard Crook on the topic of rebranding. 

With an ever growing importance on a strong brand in a competitive marketplace, we discuss what professional practices should be aware of when undertaking such a large and important project.

Some of the question we look at include:

• What is a rebrand and what does it entail?
• What is the difference between marketing and a brand?
• The main stages of a rebrand and the key stakeholders involved.
• What are the current trends we are seeing in rebrands and the professional practices sector?
• The key difficulties in going through a rebranding project.