The firm's original remit was the provision of planning services
to clients of solicitors practices, which has been extended to also now include accountants.
We are
full members of SIFA, the body recognised by the Law Society and ICAEW as well as the FSA as representing those advisory firms who work with
Solicitors and Accountants.
Our advisers have attended the Law Society Professional Ethics & Accounts
course.
This helps ensure that we remain cognisant of the issues facing other professional firms and aware of such matters
as the new Solicitors Code of Conduct .
We have a broad range of experience in the firm, both from outside and
within professional practices. Our Chartered Financial Planner for example set up, and then ran for 8 years, a successful
financial planning department for a Kent law firm. Two of our Directors are also partners in a long established Kent law practice
and ensure that we receive expert input on matters relevant to professional practices.
We have an IFA affiliate member of Resolution currently undertaking the Resolution accreditation process for IFA
working with family lawyers and as a financial neutral in Collaborative Law.
We believe
these qualifications and experience will bring significant benefits when dealing with professionals and their clients.
We also attend appropriate courses in conjunction with solicitors, view relevant LNTV programmes & undertake
CPD appropriate to the types of work we deal with.
Within the definitions set by the FSA we operate as a Fee Only firm charging
at either hourly rates or fixed project fees. Any commissions belong to the client and may be rebated to arrangements
made or used to offset fees. We adopt this approach both to ensure no product, service or provider bias and to align our charging
approach with the professional practices we work with.
Our firm are also participating in the National Strategy for Financial Capability as volunteer presenters, representing the Financial Services Authority
(FSA), of the FSA Workplace "Making the Most of Your Money" seminar. This as one of the strands
of our pro bono work.
We therefore believe we are ideally suited to assist solicitors and accountants
with the financial planning needs of their clients.
We currently work closely with a number of firms in the South East and
our aims are to assist at a practical level in -
- helping you retain your clients and prevent them from being recommended elsewhere
by other advisers for legal matters
- provide your clients with a very high standard of advice & planning in areas
that most advisory firms are ill-qualified to handle or have little or no experience
- helping you stay within the Financial Services
and Markets Act Part XX exemptions for professional firms
- provide in-house Law Society accredited SIFA training for your partners and fee
earners at no charge
- fund relevant courses for partners & fee earners
- help provide an excellent experience for the clients you recommend thereby
encouraging them to recommend you and us to their family, friends and colleagues
- provide you with additional information and material
such as
The SIFA Handbook of Pensions &
Divorce
Top Ten Tax Tactics
The Trustinvest Handbook of Trustee Investment
Pensions
For Solicitors and Accountants
- bring additional legal matters to you from your existing clients
- help you generate
additional income from your clients
We appreciate that
the needs of professional practices are very particular and often the approach of many IFA firms can be in conflict with those
needs.
Ours is a service and advice lead approach built around
the needs of the client first and foremost. Like solicitors and accountants we belong to the relevant professional bodies
and subscribe and adhere to the relevant Code of Conduct and Ethics. Likewise both we carry professional indemnity insurance
and, of course, clients have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and FSCS.
We can provide you with references from our existing professional connections if you wish and all would be happy
to speak with you to discuss how we are of assistance to them.
If
you would like to discuss with us how we can assist your clients please contact Nicholas Cane in the first instance or complete and submit the form below.
The brochures below will also give you some further examples of how we help you.
