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, andHow 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.

This is the second episode exploring the topic of becoming a partner with Anna Wesson from Samsas, a business that provides professional leadership and management coaching.In this episode we discuss the area of business cases when looking to become a partner, and Jamie Lane shares his personal experience of the process.

In this podcast, we are delighted to be joined by Anna Wesson from Samsas, a business that provides professional leadership and management coaching.We speak to Anna about the route to becoming a partner, and the mindset needed to be successful. This includes the key cultural and psychological considerations to take on board when joining a partnership.This is the first part of a two part special on the topic, the second of which will be available in due course.

In our first Professional Practices and Financial Services podcast we discuss basis period reform.With effect from the 2023-24 tax year, there are changes to the tax reporting rules which will impact businesses such as partnerships and the partners within these firms. Our episode looks at areas including:What is the basis period reform, who does it affect and and why is it being brought into place;The timeline for the new rules;Profit share calculation for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 tax years;The question of accounting date changes to 31 March or 5 April; andThe crucial responsibility of the decision to change the year-end for a partnership, and the relevant impact on partner taxation.We must note that although we discuss the general topic of the basis period reform, this is in relation to professional practices firms such as accountants, lawyers, architects, engineers and quantity surveyors.Additionally, this area is very complex, so professional advice must be sought before taking any action.