Barry Hall
Aylesbury
Summary
Motivated Finance Manager bringing 20 years of experience growing legal organisations. Expert in developing strategic and long-term business plans and providing directors and partners with profit and data suggestions, sustaining company growth. Skilled at establishing team relationships to ensure the smooth operation of daily projects and activities.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
HEAD OF FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING
JPC Law LLP
London
01.2025 - Current
- Head of all finance, accounting, IT and office administration for a two-office law firm.
- Redesigned monthly management accounts to include KPI information for better performance tracking.
- Trained and mentored junior finance team members in accounting processes to enhance overall team performance.
- Updated company financial policies and procedures to enhance internal control over accounting and other management systems.
- Prepared management accounts and budget-holder reports, identifying significant trends and variances.
- Completed monthly VAT reconciliations and prepared quarterly returns to ensure compliance with tax regulations.
- Executed payroll processing and prepared annual reports and submissions to meet legal and organisational requirements.
- Executed year-end audits, working with external auditors to confirm clean financial audits and implementing any improvement suggestions promptly.
- Managed cash flow to optimise liquidity and ensure availability of funds for operational needs.
HEAD OF FINANCE
Druces LLP
11.2023 - 11.2024
- Returned to Druces LLP as Head of Finance.
- Interpreted financial data effectively, providing operational insight to key stakeholders on areas for improvement.
- Collated key financial outputs, reporting on labour utilisation, delivering management accounts and presenting regular forecasts.
- Monitored regulatory changes, adapting policies and procedures to ensure full compliance with financial legislation.
- Streamlined accounting processes through technology integration, improving productivity and data integrity.
FINANCE DIRECTOR
SE Law (Spratt Endicott)
06.2022 - 10.2023
- Finance Director for a regional firm.
- Engaged with key stakeholders to align financial strategy with overall corporate objectives and vision.
- Implemented internal audit programme, safeguarding company from violations during external audits.
- Managed compliance with all financial regulatory and legal obligations.
- Collaborated with external auditors to complete annual audits, maintaining high standards of financial integrity.
FINANCE MANAGER
Druces LLP
Moorgate
10.2020 - 06.2022
- Finance manager for Druces LLP in Moorgate.
- Working alongside a new Finance Director dealing with the monthly Management Information for the Partnership.
- It was a very busy start looking at internal systems and processes with a view to upgrade and implement change to reduce time and errors.
- Reviewing the PAYE system along with the VAT and making tax digital.
- Providing partners with daily and monthly reporting and the KPI's.
- Company Overview: Income £11m
CASHIER SUPERVISOR
Kingsley Napley
07.2020 - 10.2020
- Contract role supervising the cashier department.
- Assigning and processing daily work to the cashiers.
- Working with the Management Accountant to finalise the annual audit.
- Setting up training programs for the department and carrying out their appraisals.
SENIOR CASHIER
Farrer & Co LLP
04.2019 - 07.2020
- Contract role as a Senior Cashier within a large finance department.
- Managing three members of staff.
- Dealing with all the client, deposit and AP transactions.
- Currently writing new policies and procedures to be compliant with the new SRA rules due on the 25th November 2019.
- Company Overview: Income £70m
FINANCE MANAGER
Bates Wells
04.2017 - 03.2019
- Manager to a team of 6 people.
- Implementing changes to the IT systems and company procedures.
- Responsible for the smooth running of a very busy finance department.
- Oversee Daily, Weekly and Monthly Reconciliations.
- Deliver SRA and VAT compliance training to all employees.
- Advisor to the COFA and COLP.
- Departmental Budgeting.
- Process VAT and EU Sales list.
- Credit and Revenue Control.
- Month end reporting for Management Board.
- Prepayments and Accruals.
- Annual Firm and SRA Audit.
- Company Overview: Formally Bates Wells Braithwaite LLP, Income £28m
CHIEF CASHIER
Capsticks Solicitors
06.2015 - 04.2017
- Chief Cashier for a large national law firm specialising in health and social care and social housing.
- Manager to a large accounts team.
- Employed to reorganise and restructure the existing department with a view to streamline procedures.
- Redesign internal procedures to streamline processes.
- Month end reporting including WIP and Departmental Costing.
- Process VAT returns.
- Departmental Income reports.
- Adviser to the Finance Director and Partners.
- Deliver SRA and VAT compliance training to all employees.
- Upgrading all online banking systems.
- WIP and Client Balance control and maintenance.
- Maintain the Schedule of Breaches.
- Departmental Budgeting.
- Monthly Journals.
- Company Overview: Income £24m
ACCOUNTS MANAGER
IBB Solicitors
West London
08.2012 - 06.2015
- Accounts Manager for one of West London's leading law firms.
- Managing a large accounts team over two offices.
- Large annual turnover consisting of both private and legal aided work.
- Producing quarterly and annual accounts for the partnership along with monthly reporting.
- Responsible for the aged WIP and residual client balances.
- Adviser to the COLP and COFA.
- Adviser to Compliance Department.
- Monthly P&L and Balance Sheet Reporting.
- Introduced departmental costing.
- Introduced multi matter reconciliations.
- Formulated work type forecasts and trends.
- Estate accounts and reconciliations.
- Company Overview: Income £20m
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT
Mackinnon Corporate Finance
01.2011 - 08.2012
- Employed by a Corporate Finance firm as their Financial Accountant, roles include but not restricted to.
- Control of a Portfolio of Wealth Management Clients, Syndicate Funding for Investment Projects.
- Corporate Banking, Dealing with all queries both internally and externally.
- Responsible for FSA compliance.
- Introduced bespoke syndicate funding statements.
- Published bespoke interest calculation reports.
- Managed a portfolio of high net worth clients.
- Overall responsibility of the upkeep of the premises.
- Company Overview: Privately owned
ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Eldridges Solicitors
Isle of Wight
11.2004 - 01.2011
- Responsible for all aspects of the running of a large LEXEL accredited firm of Solicitors.
- Handling complex customer problems and enquiries.
- Assign workload to the Accounts team.
- Implemented a disaster recovery plan.
- Implemented the first company forecasts.
- Introduced computerised day books.
- Designed automated completion statements.
- Departmental costing.
- Cash flow and budgeting.
- Annual SRA and LEXEL audits.
- VAT returns.
- Company Overview: Isle of Wight
Education
AAT Technician - AAT Intermediate, OCR Level 2 Accounts, OCR Level 1 Bookkeeping, OCR Level 1 CLAIT, Solicitors Accounts Rules, PAYE, Managing Conflict, First Aid at Work
Isle of Wight College
Isle of WightSkills
- Cost reduction techniques
- Financial software expertise
- Long-term business planning
- Financial modelling
- Budgetary governance
- Accountancy principles
- Audit procedures
Websites, Portfolios and Profiles
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-hall-6519b329/
Hobbies and Interests
My spare time is taken up running a platoon of Royal Marine Cadets in Aylesbury which I've been doing for the last ten years. I hold the rank of Lieutenant and specialise in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, First Aid and Shooting.
Timeline
HEAD OF FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING
JPC Law LLP
01.2025 - Current
HEAD OF FINANCE
Druces LLP
11.2023 - 11.2024
FINANCE DIRECTOR
SE Law (Spratt Endicott)
06.2022 - 10.2023
FINANCE MANAGER
Druces LLP
10.2020 - 06.2022
CASHIER SUPERVISOR
Kingsley Napley
07.2020 - 10.2020
SENIOR CASHIER
Farrer & Co LLP
04.2019 - 07.2020
FINANCE MANAGER
Bates Wells
04.2017 - 03.2019
CHIEF CASHIER
Capsticks Solicitors
06.2015 - 04.2017
ACCOUNTS MANAGER
IBB Solicitors
08.2012 - 06.2015
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT
Mackinnon Corporate Finance
01.2011 - 08.2012
ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Eldridges Solicitors
11.2004 - 01.2011
AAT Technician - AAT Intermediate, OCR Level 2 Accounts, OCR Level 1 Bookkeeping, OCR Level 1 CLAIT, Solicitors Accounts Rules, PAYE, Managing Conflict, First Aid at Work
Isle of Wight College