MPF North West Group – summary of 2012 events
Committee:
Chair: Emma Holt - Pannone
Regional Director: Phil Jepson – Jepson Holt
Heather Crosby – Deloitte
Nick Davenport – Turner Parkinson
19 January – School of Law, Manchester
Financial Management - Lessons for all professional firms from the annual PwC and
LMS Law Firm benchmarks 2011
For the third consecutive year, the MPF is delighted to announce that David Thirkettle - key
contributor to PwC's annual benchmarking survey on law firms 2011 - presented the key
findings and conclusions.
Co-speaker Nigel Haddon presented the results of the 2011 Benchmark from the Law
Management Section of the Law Society. This covered the results of small to medium sized
law firms in England & Wales.
The last financial year has been one of continuing significant challenge for firms of all sizes.
David and Nigel covered the impact on financial performance, how firms are responding and
some of the wider management issues confronting all professional firms, particularly law
firms, as they face continued economic uncertainty and significant market change.
Speakers issues included:
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Financial performance - significant trends and impact on sustainability of firms
Financing and working capital
Business support, including management of costs, BPO and LPO
People related issues, including headcount, salaries and utilisation
Outlook for 2012 - threats and opportunities from a rapidly changing market and
regulatory environment.
28 March – Weightmans, Manchester
Thrive and survive – engaging and retaining today’s talent
Talent – the right people doing things in the right way for their clients is what all professional
service firms need to be successful. And to sustain their success firms need “rising talent” to
be prepared to stay and invest their careers and futures in the firms that have recruited them.
So why isn’t this happening? And, at a time when, more than ever, firms need a competitive
edge, why are they struggling to get the best out of the talent they already have?
Judith Hardy talked about:
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What makes today’s young professionals fundamentally different from their
predecessors
What firms need to do better to engage and motivate talented people
Why developing people should be your number one talent priority
Five practical steps you can take to improve talent management in your firm.
5 April – Allen & Overy, London
A private briefing from Sir Michael Snyder
MPF works closely with the UK Government's Professional and Business Services Group,
chaired by Sir Michael Snyder. For example, the findings of the MPF quarterly CEO Priorities
Monitor in conjunction with PBSG are used to brief ministers - with abolition of the 50%
income tax rate having been high on members' wish list in 2011/2 given the preponderance
of partnerships in our sector.
In this special session, open to all members of the management team, Sir Michael gave a
private briefing and sought our input on the key issues currently being raised by PBSG with
Government: regulatory environment, tax, employment, business confidence, immigration
and infrastructure.
Download the full report
30 May – Pinsent Masons, Manchester
Is the ‘perfect storm’ brewing? An analysis of activity in the legal market to date
There is much rumour of further consolidation, private equity transactions, further ABSs to be
registered. Heather Crosby, partner at Deloitte with extensive experience in the legal sector,
gave her reflection on current market activity.
Richard Chaplin, Founder & Executive Director of Managing Partners’ Forum, gave a report
on MPF’s quarterly CEO Priorities Monitor for the last quarter of the financial year ending 30
April 2012.
5 July – Pannone, Manchester
It takes two to tango – effective relationships as seen by clients and advisers
We heard from the team behind the 2012 FT/MPF study in conjunction with and conducted
by Lighthouse into effective client/adviser relationships, addressing a set of critical yet mostly
unexplored aspects:
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How clients rate the relative contribution of management and fee earners to the client
experience, and which areas of client service most influence selection;
The impact on selection of the impression of a firm being ‘well managed’, and the
aspects of firm management that have the highest priority for clients;
The influence of the client CEO in selecting advisory firms, and the preferred agenda
for CEO to CEO meetings;
The areas of know-how that clients want firms to invest in to deliver more effective
advice.
13 September – Pannone, Manchester
Communication – the heart of a successful people business
The communication of change - Leo Munns, a specialist communications consultant and
founder of The Change Curve, explained the principles and highlighted the pitfalls to watch
out for, as well as gave tips to help avoid them.
22 November – Brabners Chaffe Street, Manchester
Designing and implementing business strategy – top 10 Dos and Don’ts
Setting a strong and deliverable strategy is key to the success of any business.
Nigel Llewellyn, of Nigel Consulting, offered his 'Ten Top Tips' in regards to framing a
strategy for a law firm, drawing on his exceptional depth of experience, after which he took
members' questions.
Nigel is a Mancunian. He joined what is now Deloitte straight from Cambridge University,
qualifying as a chartered accountant and becoming a partner in 1986. Throughout his career
he has served professional partnerships and for many years was head of Deloitte's market
leading practice in that area. In the nine years since he left Deloitte he has run his own
consultancy focused on the upper reaches of the UK legal industry.