Case study: MLP Law Limited
Stephen Attree
Managing Partner
MLP Law Limited
Recently, we sat down with Stephen Attree, Managing Partner at MLP Law Limited and client of Enderley Consulting.
MLP Law is an ambitious entrepreneurial law firm which has offices in Altrincham, Leeds, Lymm, and Manchester. They provide a full range of legal services through their 25+-strong team of legal experts to corporate and private clients, and act as trusted advisers in partnership with their clients to help them succeed and grow.
When did MLP Law come to be?
MLP Law can trace its roots back over 100 years. I joined the firm in 2011, becoming the controlling owner in 2014.
Were Anne and Ed with you from the start?
No – the instruction came about around 12 months ago. Our operations manager Alissa Houghton conducted some internet research and arrived on a shortlist of three, with Enderley ultimately being our firm of choice. What instantly stood out about Anne and Ed was their incredibly knowledge around compliance and SRA Code of Conduct issues, and the fact that they’re a close-knit team makes them incredibly easy to reach out to – they’re always on hand with the answer!
Is there anything that sets Enderley apart from other advisers that you have used before?
As MLP Law grew we wanted to improve our compliance function, so looked to instruct an expert to reassure us that we were doing everything by the book, as well as advise us on areas we could strengthen.
Enderley are super-responsive, supportive, thorough, and demonstrably empathetic. They actively listen, validate your feelings, and have a great knack of putting themselves in our shoes, all whilst acknowledging our perspective, and avoiding judgment!
For example, there was one particular situation I was chewing over that was beginning to keep me awake at night – one call to Ed and I was instantly reassured that all was well. I’m not sure why I delayed ringing him, it cost me a fair few nights of quality sleep!
What services do Enderley provide to MLP Law?
We first instructed Enderley on a small retainer basis, but that has now grown into so much more as our relationship has strengthened. A quick snapshot includes:
- SRA compliance, including AML, and assisting with the appointment of new Compliance Officers
- Our successful Lexcel accreditation and reaccreditation
- Solicitors Accounts Rules (e.g. advising on client balances)
- They attend our quarterly Governance Meetings
Complaints procedure – happily this is a rare occurrence but I’d have no hesitation in reaching out to the team to ensure we were responding to and processing complaints in a timely and respectful manner.
Enderley have also redrafted our AML documents, including our Firm Wide Risk Assessment and AML Policy as well as providing AML training to the whole firm, both in person and via Teams, and MLCO/MLRO training to the MLCO and MLRO. The training was well received – we had great feedback from our team, who thought it was effective and they most definitely learnt something new.
We’ve also now asked Enderley to conduct AML spot checks and full file reviews to ensure we’re robust and our compliance procedures are in vibrant health.
If you had to use five words to describe Anne and Ed, what would they be?
Responsible, thorough, we feel like they’re a partnership/extension of our team, trusted advisers, approachable, friendly. Sorry, that’s over the count but all are equally applicable!
Do you have anything else to add?
We’re really impressed with Anne and Ed. I have previously and will continue to recommend Enderley to other managing partners and senior management teams at other law firms, particularly if you want to sleep well at night!
Stephen Attree is Managing Partner at MLP Law Ltd., who offer a range of legal services to both private clients and commercial clients. You can read more here.