Working with Accountants and Solicitors
Paul works with members of the accountancy and legal professions to help those professionals either to provide additional services for their clients, or to enhance their existing services. He had more than 50 Replies to Queries published in the Readers’ Forum section of Taxation magazine during 2014 and 2015 and has thus acquired a reputation as a tax “problem solver” within the small firm part of the accountancy profession. So, if you as an accountant or solicitor have not had the time to keep in touch with certain developments or you feel “out of your depth”, then Paul will probably be able to help you.
Often Paul’s input consists of either giving a second opinion or giving an opinion when consulted re a specific personal tax or business tax situation regarding which the professional is unsure of the correct tax treatment or where there is a multi-tax scenario and the professional is confident about one or two taxes, but is unsure if there is any other tax, financial accounting or legal aspect of which he/she needs to be aware. However, there can also be occasions where the accountant or solicitor is extremely “pushed for time” and wants to delegate the work to someone like Paul so that he/she can focus on other work for clients which is either more important or more urgent for the practice to complete quickly. Paul has a proven track record in acting for three Chartered Accountants who have delegated their work to him knowing that it would be completed to a high professional standard and that they would be able to charge a good mark-up on the cost of the work invoiced to them. For example, in January 2013 he helped a Chartered Accountant with Personal Tax disclosure to meet the Self-Assessment filing deadline for his client and advised on the relevant tax avoidance law issues.
Paul can also
- give Expert Witness style advice in a report form (although, he has not been through the formal Expert Witness training);
- prepare a draft form E to be sent to a Solicitor acting in a divorce settlement (in compliance with family law as described in an up-to-date reference book) with supporting figures on an Excel spreadsheet;
- evaluate whether or not you have been professionally negligent relating to tax advice (in conjunction with a Solicitor who has specialised in law relating to professional negligence claims) with a view to coming to an out-of-court settlement with your client if this is the case;
- carry out a preliminary assessment as to whether there is a prima facie case for starting Judicial Review proceedings in the High Court against HMRC (in conjunction with a Barrister); and
- prepare tax warranties and indemnities to an agreement for the sale of shares in a private limited company to a buyer.
His work can be presented to the client under the professional’s own banner with a good mark-up. The client does not necessarily need to know that the work has been subcontracted.
If you are a professional and think that you may have a need to use Paul’s services, please contact Paul Steward on 07730 664069 to discuss how he may be able to meet your need from both technical and commercial perspectives. Alternatively, please send him an e-mail at paul@psteward.co.uk with your query.