Ascentant Accountancy provide Accountancy services to Small and Medium sized Businesses across the country as well as niche Outsourced Legal Cashiering services to the Legal sector. We work with over 300 Clients across the country providing Accountancy, Tax and Advisory services. We work with over 50 Law Firms, providing bespoke, tailored solutions to Sole Practitioners looking for support, to large National Firms that have outsourced their Accounting Department. I manage the team at Ascentant Accountancy to include Operations, Sales, Marketing and Strategy. I specialise in providing Business Consultancy to Startups and Virtual Finance Director services.I also assist Law Firms with PMS Migrations, Software training and Solicitors Accounts Rules Compliance.

I provide Consultancy services to other Accountancy practices, Law firms and Small Businesses looking for support with day to day requirements, systems development and training. With expertise in automation, workflow management and training, I help firms to streamline processes. I also provide Legal Cashier services, Virtual Finance Director services and PMS Migration consultancy.

Kindleworth help a range of law firms and new entrants to the legal market from specialist niche law firms to national and global law firms. As part of the finance team, I specialise in providing bookkeeping services and advice to clients on compliance with the Solicitors Accounts Rules, VAT and guidance on tax on benefits. These services include:• Development of client accounting policies, client interest policies, travel and expense polices in accordance with SRA and HMRC requirements. • Development of bespoke training materials and accounting manuals. • Implementation of a practice management system to support accounting, billing, time recording and reporting requirements.• Development and implementation of procedures, workflows, accounting forms and templates.• New entrant advice on regulatory registrations, engagements and considerations. • Assistance with SRA breach policies and profiling.• Reviewing finance and banking arrangements, funding and capital requirements. • Transactional support to include accounts payables, client billing and client cashiering in accordance with SRA and HMRC requirements• Review of existing policies, procedures and workflows in compliance with SRA and HMRC compliance. • Payroll support and processing.• UK VAT returns, EU Sales Lists, US W9 support.• Review and reconciliation of control accounts, inter company accounts, P&L and balance sheet accounts. • Revision, journals and amendments to GL accounts; Management accounts including accruals and prepayments.• Audit support for client accounting and statutory audit.• Cashflow forecasting, expense profiling and cash management

• Liaison and supervision of European office multicurrency bank reconciliations, outstanding postings and training. Assisting with postings. Assisting with billing, withholding tax and VAT reconciliations• Reconciliation of supplier deposit accounts with OHIM, WIPO and EPO• Posting of client chargeable disbursements, expert fees and counsel fees.• Management and monitoring of residual client account balances. • Review of client account policies for SAR compliance.• Production of draft bills, amendments and final bills• Applying special rates, discounts and charge out rate maintenance• Production, processing and logging of E-bills• WIP and disbursement transfers and write offs• Preparing management reports on departmental aged WIP, debtor days and client specific reporting• Chasing late time recording, assisting with time narratives and amendments• Logging, maintaining and applying client fee arrangements subsequent to following firm policies on approval of arrangements.

Temporary assignment with Davenport Lyons

Assisting with setting up and coordinating the accounting function for the London office. • Reviewing all policies and procedures for Solicitors Accounts Rules and VAT compliance including client accounting, billing, accounts payable and credit control.• Developing a breach procedure to identify and capture breaches and reporting processes.• Drafting and implementing a client account policy, client interest policy, expenses procedures, billing procedures and credit control procedures.• Reviewing banking arrangements and office funding.• Cashflow and expense forecasting and budgeting.

• Responsible for five members of staff in London, undertaking the cashiering/treasury and accounts payable functions of the firm and supporting international members of the finance team.• Training, appraising and assisting the team in London and overseas.• Reviewing worldwide cashflow reports and identifying funding issues in overseas offices or transferring surplus funds to London.• Review of all client account transactions on a monthly basis with the managing partner• Reviewing and releasing all departmental payments via the firms bankline system including monthly payment runs and ad hoc payments.• Reviewing prepayments, preparing schedules and posting appropriate journals to release monthly prepayments.• Payroll journals for offices in Greece, New York and Paris.• Greek VAT return reconciliation to sales and purchase ledgers and control account journals• Reviewing firm policies for travel and expenses• Reviewing departmental induction processes and implementing an induction pack and new guidance on the firms intranet.• Reviewing departmental internal training needs and producing a training manual and individual training plans• Ensuring transactions are compliant with firm policies, the solicitors accounts rules and VAT regulations.

Responsible for four members of staff, appraisals, training and assisting.Running exception reports to find SAR breaches and matter imbalances.Receiving, logging, sending for authorisation and posting of purchase ledger invoices and credit notes.Reviewing and changing fee earner expense system - Previous ad hoc payments now processed through purchase ledger accounts.Applying to HMRC for a VAT refund for under claimed VAT on staff expenses re the Conde Naste ruling.Reviewing and implementing new policies, procedures and forms for staff expenses for PSA reporting purposes, applying for a dispensation and VAT reclaim.Reviewing paper based invoice authorisation system for transition to electronic authorisation.Month end accrualsChecking, processing and filing of counsel and expert feesPayment of counsel and expert feesPosting rechargable disbursements - Taxis, couriers, search and library feesCoding, authorisation and processing of non chargeable invoices Journals and disbursement editing Processing cheque and CHAPS payments from the client accountProcessing BACS and CHAPS receipts to the client accountSterling petty cash and foreign petty cashCurrency advances, returns and reconciliationsDealing with fee earner travel and entertainment expenses

Various temporary assignments for CMS Cameron McKenna, Denton Wilde Sapte, Bates Wells Braithwaites and Judge Sykes Frixou.

Multi currency bank reconciliations Cash allocation- Funds received by CHAPS/BACS- High volumeOffice and Client account bank reconciliationsPayments- Sending funds by CHAPS/BACS, ensuring monies cleared and payment details (sort code, SWIFT, IBAN) are present.Transfers and journals including client to office transfersIssuing currency advances, managing advances and returns plus reconciling the currency suspense account.Banking- Ensuring cheques correctly allocated and posted Inputting and verifying staff expenses Petty cash management and reconciliation Inputting and verifying cheque requests plus printing & arranging signing of chequesPosting direct debits to general ledgers and journaling to chargeable files as requiredReconciling suspense accountProducing WIP reportsProducing bills and entering bills onto the accounts systemOpening and closing clients/matters

Banking of chequesPosting Disbursements & Courier feesPosting journals and petty cash postingsPosting direct debits to general ledger & journaling to chargeable filesPosting nominal cheque requests and drawing chequesPosting office account cheques and drawing chequesPosting staff expenses and producing chequesManaging purchase ledger- expert fees only Auditing purchase ledger system to ensure invoices paid promptly.