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8 Hour Technical

Key Issues for Accountants & Advisors


Course Details

Session 1: Law Society Update And Key Solicitors Accounts Issues

The main purpose of the talk  is to deal with the provisions of the solicitors accounts regulations focusing particularly on the role of the reporting accountants, to give  an insight on the  on the types of issues that the Law Society investigating accountants encounter in the course of their inspections of solicitors accounts, and identify risk factors when  reporting on solicitors accounts

Facilitators: Seamus McGrath, The Law Society & Colm Owens, OmniPro


Session 2: GDPR For Accountants One Year On

The GDPR has been in force for 18 Months now. How does the GDPR affect me and my organisation? Learn about what has been happening with the Data Protection Commissioner here in Ireland and how other Statutory Authorities are enforcing the GDPR”.

  • Find out the latest about GDPR enforcement actions
  • What are Supervisory Authorities concentrating on?
  • What is happening in Ireland?
  • Should I be concerned?
  • What Should I be doing now to comply with the GDPR?

Facilitator: Stuart Anderson, XpertDPO


Session 3: Grow Your Practice Bottom Line – Turn “C” Clients Into “A” Clients

Accountancy is a great business to be in …. but every accounting firm has them.  Our “C” clients drain our resources, steal our time and can make a good accounting firm turn bad in a very short space of time. Neil Hughes is the managing partner of Baker Tilly in Ireland and has successfully managed the merger of a number of small firms over his time as managing partner resulting in a medium-sized firm that has grown to fee income of over €11m. The firm focuses heavily on continuously improving the average client profile. Some of the topics that Neil will cover are as follows:

  • The four types of accounting firm
  • Tracking your key metrics
  • Understanding the importance of client communication and the role of your team
  • Identifying the traits of your “A” & “C” clients
  • Creating a communication and marketing strategy to ensure client entanglement
  • Turning your clients around and informal methods of restructuring
  • The role Examinership can plan.
  • Transforming your accountancy business

Facilitator: Neil Hughes, Baker Tilly


Session 4: Corporate Advisory In Uncertain Times

It is pretty clear than in the event of anything but a soft Brexit, the introduction of duties, import VAT and additional administrative burdens, along with currency volatility, could drive up the cost of doing business and impact cash flow and working capital needs. All this will lead to greater uncertainty for companies.

In such moments of uncertainty, Directors need to take steps to ensure their company’s survival whilst positioning it to take advantage of the market opportunities that present to create shareholder value

In this session Tom Murray brings his experience as a Corporate Finance and Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioner to bear to look at the issues surrounding in a practical manner.

  • Sourcing financing and working capital management in uncertain times
  • Business planning for uncertain times
  • Strategic acquisitions of businesses in uncertain times
  • Cross border mergers and acquisitions as a solution
  • Using formal and informal corporate restructuring
  • Fiduciary duties of Directors

Facilitator: Tom Murray, Friel Stafford


CPD Course Facilitators

Colm Owens: Practice Support Executive, OmniPro

As a member of our Practice Support team, Colm’s focus is on helping practices achieve on-going best practice compliance, prepare for monitoring visits and assist with post-monitoring visits follow-ups.

Colm brings a unique insight into the whole area of monitoring and compliance having spent the last 6 years as a quality reviewer with Chartered Accountants Ireland.  In that role he has visited firms of differing sizes all over the country which has given him an insight into how firms operate, the challenges facing firms and how firms are responding to current issues facing them and the profession.  He has gained up-to-date knowledge of audit, accounting, money laundering and regulatory compliance issues relevant to the profession and knowledge of current audit methodologies.

Prior to his time with Chartered Accountants Ireland, Colm’s roles included Audit Manager with Anne Brady McQuillans and Brophy Gillespie, both in Dublin, where he worked with a range of clients from small owner-managed businesses through to larger audit clients.


Seamus McGrath, Senior Investigating Accountant at The Law Society of Ireland

Seamus McGrath manages of a team of professionals engaged in the financial regulation of the solicitors profession and administration of claims on the Law Society’s Compensation Fund

Stuart Anderson, XpertDPO

Stuart has gained a unique blend of business and technical acumen in the areas of Data Protection, Data Quality and implementing Regulatory Compliance processes. Stuart has been certified by IBITGQ as a GDPR practitioner and is registered with GASQ (The Global Association for Software Quality). This led to Stuart continuing his data protection studies at University College Dublin, studying the GDip in Data Protection Policy and Procedures / Certified Data Protection Officer. Stuart is an Officer member of the Association of Data Protection Officers, the Association of Compliance Officers Ireland and a member of the Institute of Banking. More recently, Stuart has had articles published in the International Journal for Data Protection Officers, Privacy Officers and Privacy Counsel with the latest article giving insight into the effect of Brexit on Data Protection.


Neil Hughes, Baker Tilly

Neil Hughes is Managing Partner of Baker Tilly. With offices in Dublin and Enniscorthy and a Baker Tilly member firm office in Belfast, the firm has grown substantially in recent years from its origins as a merger of smaller firms. Now with six departments, it has transformed work practices and approach regarding its increasing client base.

A native of County Wexford and former Wexford Business Person of the Year, Neil is Honorary Secretary of Mental Health Ireland, a For Impact national organisation that promotes positive mental health. He also leads the Restructuring Division of Baker Tilly in South East Europe, with offices based on Nicosia in Cyprus.


Tom Friel, Friel Stafford

Tom is partner in Friel Stafford, one of Ireland’s leading advisory firms. He specialises in the 4 key areas of Corporate Recovery & Insolvency, Corporate Finance, Forensic Accounting & Expert Witness and Personal Insolvency. He is also an experienced Non – Executive Director.

Tom qualified as an accountant in 1997 and is a member of ACCA and CPA Ireland.