SLATER_HEELIS_(HORIZON)_L - Accounts

The members present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021.

The principal activity of the limited liability partnership continued to be that of the provision of legal services.

As from 1 March 2021 the trade and assets of the LLP came under the control of Slater Heelis Limited.

Slater Heelis LLP is a full service law firm delivering legal advice for individuals and business.

We pride ourselves on our reputation, experience and expertise in delivering the best legal services to our clients. We are not reliant on any one source of work or any one practice area. This is a conscious decision of the firm to minimize the risk of over dependency and to provide a full service for our clients.

The firm remains committed to the use of technology and efficient working practices. We are starting to realise the benefits of our significant investment in IT. Our practice management systems are being developed with every department, some of which are already seeing the benefit. We still have much work to do to achieve our overall strategic aim of excellent systems and processes tailored to each practice area.

Slater Heelis (Horizons) LLP entered into asset transfer agreement dated 1st March 2021 with Slater Heelis Limited. As of this date the LLP has transferred beneficial ownership of the LLP's assets and liabilities to Slater Heelis Limited.

At the balance sheet date the amount due to the LLP from Slater Heelis Limited was £10,850,467.

Going forward, this entity is expected to receive tranches of cash in settlement of the above balance, which will enable it to meet its liabilities to members.

The members' drawing policy allows each member to draw a proportion of their profit share, subject to the cash requirements of the business.

A member's capital requirement is linked to their share of profit and the financing requirement of the limited liability partnership. There is no opportunity for appreciation of the capital subscribed. Just as incoming members introduce their capital at "par", so the retiring members are repaid their capital at "par".

The designated members who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

Corporate Social Responsibility
Slater Heelis LLP is fully aware of, and has a genuine commitment to, Corporate Social Responsibility. We believe that we need to consider how running our business impacts on the local community, the environment and wider social communities in the purchasing chain. Also feel it is important to put something back by contributing our skills, knowledge and ideas into charitable projects.

We try to achieve this by working with charities that support local communities in which we operate. We also support other charities that our firm has a long-standing connection to. We actively encourage and support participation in a range of fundraising activities including sponsored bike-rides and quiz nights.

Additionally, we try to make informed choices about our purchase of goods and services. Where possible, we consider the ethical policies of our suppliers alongside cost factors. We also encourage an environmentally-aware attitude to the firm’s consumption of goods and services. This includes, doing our bit for the environment. We recognise that running our business can have a negative impact on the environment. We aim to reduce this by taking the time to be thoughtful about every aspect of our business, from recycling to our use of light bulbs, to conserving energy and using Fairtrade products. In May 2019, we furthered our commitment towards creating a healthy and sustainable environment by joining the Legal Sustainability Alliance.

Equality and Diversity

Slater Heelis employs people from the community as a whole and from a variety of academic backgrounds. We support equal opportunity in the workplace and it is important to us that everyone is treated as an individual and is entitled to work in an environment free from all forms of discrimination so that each member of staff can reach their full potential.

We encourage cooperation and teamwork and provide fair and ethical treatment of all employees regardless of race, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion or religious belief, age, disability or social background. This commitment is also true in the provision of services to our clients.

We are Corporate Partners of the LGBT Foundation and our staff are completing Pride in Practice training to ensure an inviting and inclusive environment for members of the LGBT+ community.

The firm is committed to developing and implementing best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion as employers; providers of legal services; purchasers of goods and services; and in their wider role in the community.

All employees and those acting on behalf of the firm are required to adhere to the firm’s equality and diversity policy which covers employees, clients and third party suppliers.

Although we recognise that we have more work to do, we are proud of the progress we have made over the last few years.

The firm has been a signatory of the Law Society Diversity and Inclusion Charter since 2013 and is currently assisting the Law Society with their full review of the Charter, due to launch in 2021.

The auditor, Azets Audit Services, is deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

Each of the members in office at the date of approval of this annual report confirms that:

•     so far as the members are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the limited liability partnership's auditor is unaware, and

•     the members have taken all the steps that ught to have taken as members in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the limited liability partnership's auditor is aware of that information.

The members are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) requires the members to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the members have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Under company law (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) the members must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the limited liability partnership and of the profit or loss of the limited liability partnership for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the members are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the limited liability partnership will continue in business.

The members are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the limited liability partnership’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the limited liability partnership and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the limited liability partnership and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

We have audited the financial statements of Slater Heelis (Horizon) LLP (the 'limited liability partnership') for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the reconciliation of members' interests, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

•     give a true and fair view of the state of the limited liability partnership's affairs as at 31 March 2021 and of its profit for the year then ended;

•     have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

•     have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applied to limited liability partnerships by the Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the limited liability partnership in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the members' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the limited liability partnership’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the members with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The members are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 as applied to limited liability partnerships requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

As explained more fully in the members' responsibilities statement, the members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the members determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the members are responsible for assessing the limited liability partnership's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the members either intend to liquidate the limited liability partnership or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above and on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.

We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework.  Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.  This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:

• Enquiry of management and those charged with governance around actual and potential litigation and claims as well as actual, suspected and alleged fraud; 

• Reviewing minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;

• Assessing the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations considered to have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the entity through enquiry and inspection; 

• Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

• Performing audit work over the risk of management bias and override of controls, including testing of journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business and reviewing accounting estimates for indicators of potential bias. 

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation.  This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance.  The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the limited liability partnership's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 as applied by the Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the limited liability partnership's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the limited liability partnership and the limited liability partnership's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

The profit and loss account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

Slater Heelis (Horizon) LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Lloyds Bank Buildings, 16 School Road, Sale, Cheshire, United Kingdom, M33 7XP.

The limited liability partnership's principal activities are disclosed in the Members' Report.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting by Limited Liability Partnerships" issued in December 2018, together with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the limited liability partnership. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

At the time of approving the financial statements, the members have a reasonable expectation that the limited liability partnership has adequate resources to continue for the foreseeable future.

Going forward, the entity is expected to receive tranches of cash in settlement of its debtor balance, which will enable it to meet its liabilities to members. Thus the members continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Fee income represents revenue earned under a wide variety of contracts to provide professional services. Revenue is recognised as earned when, and to the extent that, the firm obtains the right to consideration in exchange for its performance under these contracts. It is measured at the fair value of the right to consideration, which represents amounts chargeable to clients, including expenses and disbursements but excluding value added tax.

Revenue is generally recognised as contract activity progresses so that for incomplete contracts it reflects the partial performance of the contractual obligations. For such contracts the amount of revenue reflects the accrual of the right to consideration by reference to the value of the work performed. Revenue not billed to clients is included in debtors and payments on account in excess of the relevant amount of revenue are included in creditors.

Fee income that is contingent on events outside the control of the firm is recognised when the contingent event occurs.

If, at the balance sheet date, completion of contractual obligations is dependent on external factors (and thus outside the control of the Limited Liability Partnership), then revenue is recognised only when the event occurs. In such cases, costs incurred up to the balance sheet date are carried forward as work in progress.

Members' participation rights are the rights of a member against the LLP that arise under the members' agreement (for example, in respect of amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed remuneration and profits).

Members' participation rights in the earnings or assets of the LLP are analysed between those that are, from the LLP's perspective, either a financial liability or equity, in accordance with section 22 of FRS 102. A member's participation rights including amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed by members, for example members' capital, are classed as liabilities unless the LLP has an unconditional right to refuse payment to members, in which case they are classified as equity.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the profit and loss account.

Work in progress is recognised where the value of unbilled productive time for an ongoing case can be reliably estimated. An average recovery rate per fee earner is applied to give a final value. Adjustments are made for amounts relating to contingent fees and any amounts deemed irrecoverable.

At each reporting date, an assessment is made for impairment. Any excess of the carrying amount of Work in progress over its estimated recoverable value is recognised as an impairment loss in profit or loss. Reversals of impairment losses are also recognised in profit or loss.

Cash at bank and in hand are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The limited liability partnership has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the limited liability partnership's statement of financial position when the limited liability partnership becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amounts presented in the financial statements when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.

Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.

Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.

Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the limited liability partnership transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.

Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the limited liability partnership’s obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the limited liability partnership is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessees. All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Assets held under finance leases are recognised as assets at the lower of the assets fair value at the date of inception and the present value of the minimum lease payments. The related liability is included in the balance sheet as a finance lease obligation. Lease payments are treated as consisting of capital and interest elements. The interest is charged to profit or loss so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leased asset are consumed.

Government grants are recognised at the fair value of the asset received or receivable when there is reasonable assurance that the grant conditions will be met and the grants will be received.

A grant that specifies performance conditions is recognised in income when the performance conditions are met. Where a grant does not specify performance conditions it is recognised in income when the proceeds are received or receivable. A grant received before the recognition criteria are satisfied is recognised as a liability.

Client balances

Client bank account balances and matching liabilities have been excluded from the balance sheet on the basis that the LLP has no title to the assets.

Purchase ledger items that relate to client disbursements are also excluded from the balance sheet on the basis that these goods and services relate solely to the client and are strictly invoiced to the LLP on their behalf.

In the application of the LLP's accounting policies, which are described in note 1, the members are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

Critical judgements in applying the LLP's accounting policies

The following critical judgements, apart from those involving estimations (which are dealt with separately below), that the members have made in the process of applying LLP's accounting policies and that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements.

The value of accrued revenue is derived on the basis of estimates and assumptions regarding the fair value of unbilled time recorded to matters at the year end. The valuation process draws upon historical data on average fee earner recovery rates and the members' knowledge of billing patterns for each service line. The carrying amount at the balance sheet date was £2,270,201 (2020 - £1,852,724), forming part of the debtor balance with Slater Heelis Limited.

The application of the bad debt provision to unpaid bills involves an element of judgement in assessing the amount of the provision and the age of debt to apply this to. This is considered to be a critical accounting judgement due to the value of unpaid bills on the balance sheet. The bad debt provision at the balance sheet date was £770,766 (2020 - £602,323), forming part of the debtor balance with Slater Heelis Limited

An analysis of the limited liability partnership's turnover is as follows:

The average number of persons (excluding members) employed by the partnership during the year was:

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

Investment income includes the following:

Amounts disclosed within "Obligations under finance leases" are secured by fixed charges against the assets to which they relate.

The limited liability partnership operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the limited liability partnership in an independently administered fund.

The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £80,845 (2020 - £110,081).

In the event of a winding up the amounts included in "Loans and other debts due to members" will rank equally with unsecured creditors.

At the reporting end date the limited liability partnership had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

During the year the limited liability partnership entered into the following transactions with related parties:

Slater Heelis (Horizons) LLP entered into asset transfer agreement dated 1st March 2021 with Slater Heelis Limited. As of this date the LLP has transferred beneficial ownership of the LLP's assets and liabilities to Slater Heelis Limited.

At the balance sheet date the amount due to the LLP from Slater Heelis Limited was £10,850,467.

The LLP and Slater Heelis Limited have common directors and shareholders.