One team, big dreams: Accounts and Legal win Large Firm of the Year

Established in 2015, Accounts and Legal has always had one mission – to make the lives of business-owners simpler. Guided by three main principles: offering a more than once-a-year service, putting technology at the forefront, and acting as a one-stop-shop for small business support, the firm has gone from strength to strength and has since grown rapidly to now having four offices nationwide across Manchester, London, Liverpool and Brighton.

Max Whitely, Head of Accounts Manchester for Accounts and Legal, explains: “In the space of four years, we’ve grown from being a small to a large firm and it feels like we’ve not even come up for air at times!”

Technology has played a significant part in this growth and has come to underpin the practice and the way they support their client base. It comes as no surprise that at the 2023 Xero Awards UK & Ireland, Accounts and Legal were crowned Xero’s Large Firm of the Year.

Client first

Over the last year, Accounts and Legal have reported an increase in client referrals of 31%, helping to double their annual turnover. They put this significant spike in growth down to a number of client-centric initiatives, most notably, having an ‘extremely involved’ onboarding process.  

This onboarding for the client comprises three sessions in their first six weeks, unlimited phone calls and tailored explainer videos. Quarterly catch-ups are then put in the diaries, as well as a 3-month bespoke plan, including tailoring the app stack to their clients needs, and setting them up on Goal Driver to keep them accountable. For clients, the team hosts monthly drop-in sessions to help train them on the most basic of Xero integrations, right through to more complex requests.   

“Having regular contact with clients allows Accounts and Legal to build strong relationships and ultimately, become business advisors,” they explain. “Automations with the day-to-day accounting tasks gives clients their time back, paired with a smooth and supportive onboarding process to give them the confidence to take their business further.” 

Accounts and Legal have utilised Xero HQ to manage client lists and handle queries in one place to help streamline all communications. As a result of the rapid growth, they have also recently recruited a ‘Client Success Senior’, who ensures client onboarding runs smoothly during setup on Xero and with the app stack. 

Thinking outside of the box

Knowledge sharing is something that the team at Accounts and Legal is hugely passionate about. They have a drive to help the lives of business owners – an ethos close to the hearts of many of the team. Not only are they training clients, they are also training other accountants, so they can grow their practice too.

Many of you may also be familiar with the stream of tongue-in-cheek TikToks that grace our LinkedIn feeds on a weekly basis. This is the kind of content that stands out from the crowd, and has been responsible for around £150,000 worth of new business – LinkedIn and TikTok therefore prove a substantial driver of leads for Accounts and Legal.

Congratulations, Accounts and Legal

It’s clear to see that Accounts and Legal has demonstrated impressive growth, which has been supported by increased client referrals and advocacy. They’ve shown a true commitment to promoting the value of automation, educating others on the power of technology to drive business performance, and also relieve stress for clients.

“Bringing home Large Firm of the Year feels like a huge milestone in our journey and is a stamp of approval that we must be doing something right. Still can’t quite believe it!” Max adds.

They are true leaders in their field, going above and beyond for their clients and standing out from the crowd using social platforms to drive huge success. At Xero, we’re incredibly proud of the team at Accounts and Legal and congratulate them on their success to date.

To find out more, you can visit the Accounts and Legal website, or to find them on social, check out their LinkedIn and TikTok.