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Who We Are

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Built Around Growing Businesses

Accounts and Legal is a UK-based firm providing a fully integrated finance and legal function for growing businesses, covering everything from day-to-day compliance and tax planning through to forecasting, growth plans and acquisition support. We work alongside our clients as they grow, with a team of qualified accountants, legal specialists and experienced advisers supporting them along the way.

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How it started

It began with an idea. After working in private equity, Neil Nichols successfully grew took number of businesses from inception through to sale, one of which started with a few employees and grew to over 200. During this time, Neil was struck by how bad high street accountants were at helping small businesses do anything useful with their accounts.

A lot of effort went into producing annual accounts, but analysing data over a year old was useless.

Neil set out to make accountancy useful, with a focus on business plans, real-time and forward-looking data. And by using the data more intelligently (and combining it with some clever technology), forecasting and cashflow modelling needed to be baked into the proposition.

And so, Accounts and Legal was born.

One of the only firms in the UK offering accountancy and legal services, all under one roof.

A firm set up to provide everything entrepreneurs could ever need in one place.

A picture of Neil Nichols, the Founder of Accounts and Legal

What then

Team member working under a white sheet to avoid distraction
Accounts and Legal office space Manchester accountants
Accountant in Liverpool
Accountants winning Xero's Large Firm of the Year, an award for accountants

The team celebrating winning Xero Large Firm of the Year 2023

Neil Ormesher
Claire Simms, Head of People
2015

Working from the leaky-roofed London office, the team set out on their journey to break new ground in the world of accountancy. Accounts and Legal went from 0 to 100 inquiries in a month, and we’ve grown at more than 20% every year since.

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2016

Following the success of the London office, 2016 saw the opening of the Brighton office. The hard work soon started drawing attention, as Accounts and Legal were shortlisted for ‘Start-up of the Year’ at the Accountancy Age and became one of the first UK firms to be recognised as a platinum Xero accountant.

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2019

Then came the Legal part of the puzzle. So, with the help of Rachel Duncan as Legal Director, Accounts and Legal became licensed by the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority to offer corporate, commercial and employment legal advice. We think we are still the only small business accounting firm to offer both accounting and legal services under one (leaky) roof.

2020

In 2020, Accounts and Legal decided it was finally time to give the northerners with the opening of the Manchester office. 

 

 

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2021

Inspired by the Manchester office, it was time for Accounts and Legal to take a trip to Merseyside. 2021 saw the opening of the Liverpool office to prove that northerners can be trusted.

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2022

We entered award season with a bang, being shortlisted for 4 separate awards and taking home “Team of the Year” at the Northwest Business Insider Young Professionals Awards.

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2023

And we topped it all off by wining Xero large firm of the year in 2023. This was also the year that we launched our HR offering, meaning we can help our clients more than ever!

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2024

In 2024, we introduced Neil Ormesher as  CEO to help us grow even further. Neil came with a brilliant reputation, having been in the industry for over 25 years. In his previous role, Neil was instrumental in helping the Danbro Business Brand grow from zero to 1500 clients. During which he helped develop a bullet-proof team and service offering centered around helping business owners achieve their dreams. Not only that, but he’s an advocate for everything we hold dearly at Accounts and Legal.

2025

2025 saw the team take on some brilliant new clients, including some franchises which were drawn in by Neil Ormeshers’ extensive experience working with large-scale operations. The year also saw the introduction of Claire Simms, our new Head of People, who brought her experience working for Apple to the team. We were also shortlisted for the Client Service Award at the Accounting Excellence Awards, what a coo!

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Neil Ormesher, FCCA, CTA

Neil Ormesher

CEO
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Expert Accounting advice?

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Neil Nichols

Founder
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Help with Legal?

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Rachel Duncan

Head of Legal
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How We Can Help

What a business needs from finance and legal tends to change over time. Early on, the focus is usually on getting the basics right, compliance, structure and keeping things in order. As the business grows, the focus shifts to visibility. Better reporting, clearer numbers and more confidence in how things are performing. Beyond that, it becomes more about planning and control, supporting decisions, managing growth and dealing with more complex legal and financial considerations. The support changes as the business grows, but the structure stays consistent.

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Entrepreneurs Club- Our clients at Accounts and Legal
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Léopold Forest
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I have been using A&L for my business since launch for more than 2 years and it has been working very efficient. They are very proficient in using the latest technologies, from helping me with my accounts, managing better my costs, helping with my payroll, but also on the legal side, helping me understand better legal documents and registering my trademark. A big praise to Sam Millward, who has been overseeing my account very well there. Cannot recommend more !
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Santana Kaiki
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Accounts and Legal are always so reliable and their communication is fantastic. As we are an international business they always have time for our queries and provide suitable solution when needed. Special mention to the payroll team for always being attentive.
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chloe
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Stephanie at A&L has been extremely helpful in supporting me with any finance queries I may have. She have offered to complete training for certain aspects that I needed help with, and is always more than happy to assist. Carys has also been great in supporting and facilitating training.
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Gary Booth
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A great team to have on-side.............. Providing a professional but very personal approach, A&L have been a breath of fresh air throughout our business expansion into the UK. Since being introduced to the company, A&L have readily provided sound, practical advice and have managed our accounts meticulously well. Amy and Shagun, which aptly means 'blessing' in India, have been absolute stand-outs in the support they have provided. I would highly recommend A&L to any business/institution looking for solid, long-term financial support. A quick update to this review, a year on and we are still receiving amazing support from A&L. A particular shout-out to our more recent A&L team - Carys and Stephanie in the accounting area and Millie in payroll. Thanks for your ongoing support, patience and good humour. Date of experience: 09 November 2023
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Lucy Mullins
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Excellent service from Jack.
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Lotte Manson
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We have been with Accounts and Legal a couple of months now and couldn't be happier with their service. From initial onboarding all the staff have been great. Our accountant is Sam Millward and from our first meeting both myself and my business partner felt at ease and confident we had made the right choice. Sam is patient with us, explaining all things finance so we both understand. Thanks Sam, this part of the business is no longer scary for us and actually enjoyable!
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Wick Guru
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I've had the pleasure of working with Sam for my accounting needs, and I couldn't be more impressed. Sam is incredibly knowledgeable, detail-oriented, and always goes the extra mile to ensure everything is in order. He’s quick to respond to any questions and takes the time to explain things in an easy-to-understand way. His enthusiasm is infectious, and he consistently goes above and beyond. I’m incredibly grateful to have him as my accountant. Thank you, Sam, for everything you do!
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Adam Farrugia
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After some pretty disappointing experiences with accountancy firms I have been fortunate to finally find a service that meets my needs. The onboarding has been smooth and Hannah has been brilliant (as have all the team) in helping me with what can be seen as a daunting process. The price is competitive and I am already more positive in the results that can be achieved for my business
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Temi Olugbenga
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We hired A&L for our accounting needs & the process has been absolute bliss. After having a rough time with our previous accountant, Hannah McBride made sure the process of onboarding was smooth & fun. A genuine pleasure to work with!
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Jonas Kibrick
Very helpful in taking care of everything I need. Even when I'm not the easiest customer Jonas Kibrick
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Nikki Dingle
We have just joined accounts and legal and could not ask for more. The support so far has been amazing. Being beginners in business we feel really looked after and excited about our future collaboration with this team. Thank you!
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Fantastic service, Tas and Georgina always do a great job!
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