Right Choice Conveyancing makes the right choice with Quill’s
outsourced support
Setting up a law firm is an exciting time for anyone
branching out alone in business. But there’s a lot
to consider and paperwork galore.
Legal accounts is one such pressing matter. Compliance is
essential, whether it’s the SRA Accounts Rules or, for
property law specialists, the Council for Licensed
Conveyancers (CLC) Handbook’s Accounts Code.
Therefore, when Martin Crighton and Jon Smith launched
their new business, Right Choice Conveyancing, seven years
ago, amongst the multitude of tasks was scanning the
marketplace for legal accounts software.
“In those preliminary months, there was so much to do and
we wanted to focus on establishing then growing our
business”, explains Martin, Managing Director & Licensed
Conveyancer. “In the course of finding a good legal accounts
package, we came across Quill’s outsourced cashiering
service. Suddenly we’d found a much more complete and
adaptable solution. With Quill, we wouldn’t have to recruit
into accounts immediately. We’d have compliance
assurance and we’d save money. The decision was easy.”
Two of the beneficial features of Quill’s outsourced legal
accounting service, Pinpoint, are flexibility and scalability.
“We use the cloud across the board, including Quill’s
Interactive system which is provided beside the cashiering
outsourcing service”, continues Martin. “It would be inhibiting
to our lawyers if they couldn’t access all our systems,
including accounts software, remotely. The busier we are,
the more we pay Quill. The quieter we are, the less we pay.
It scales accordingly and helps us to manage our
overheads.”
After seven years in business, and with close to sixty staff,
Right Choice Conveyancing’s volumes dictate that they now
employ three accounts personnel in addition to Pinpoint.
Martin Crighton
Managing Director & Licensed Conveyancer
“Bearing in mind our volumes, three members of staff in our
accounts department is actually very low”, adds Martin. “If it
wasn’t for Pinpoint, this figure would easily double.”
As with any legal practice, Right Choice Conveyancing is
subject to regulatory audits, often at short notice, undertaken
by the CLC.
“We’ve been through two full audits by the CLC very
successfully”, states Martin. “The first was nine months after
we launched the business; the second was in 2014. We flew
through both of them partially due to how well Pinpoint
cashiers do their job. For our CLC annual and ad hoc audits
such as these, the donkey work’s done behind scenes on
Interactive from the cloud. When our accountants arrive on
site, much of the preparatory work has already been done.
“The same concept applies to the preparation of our annual
company accounts. Our accountant can access Interactive
remotely for an up-to-date view of our financials in order to
compile their documentation with little input from us. The
free software licences for auditors and accountants carry so
many time-saving advantages for everyone involved in these
routine procedures.”
In his closing comment, Martin says: “Our hunt began for
legal accounts software and ended with fully outsourced
cashiering support. It’s by far the best arrangement for us,
and indeed any, legal business. In just a few short years, our
company has grown significantly. There’s no question that
Quill’s accountable, in part, for assisting with this success
because we’ve had a scalable solution which has meant we
can manage our expenditure and has provided some time in
which to develop our business.”
Release date: 23rd March 2016