Who we are

Wilkinson Read & Partners was formed in 1993 by Barry Wilkinson and Janice Read.

Barry (see profile) was previously a Finance Director, turning round troubled companies in the RTZ Group.

Janice had held senior HR positions in the city, where complex solutions had to be delivered within a high pressure environment. She had been the only non-Oxbridge manager in her company (University of Sheffield - Prehistory and Archaeology). Sadly, Janice had to leave us in 2003 due to deterioration in her MS.

Early Days - Cost Oriented - Focus on Results

The initial focus of the firm was entirely on cost reduction and helping firms to improve their profits, even if fees were stagnant. In the early days, a number of projects were undertaken on a contingency fee basis and that taught us never to lose our focus on results. Even though we have moved on to more substantive projects which are not suitable for pure contingency fees, we never have lost our focus on delivering results.

Larger Projects – Smarter Solutions

In the late 1990s, we moved into more substantive and sophisticated consultancy projects, not only for professional service firms including top ten chartered surveyors and substantial law firms, but also clients in retail and financial services sectors.

Bringing Solutions from Other Sectors

We not only use financial management techniques, but we also use techniques derived from world class manufacturing and management approaches to help clients to deliver a higher quantity, a better quality of service, at a much lower cost - and we can usually create a happier workplace with far less stress.

In the early years of the current century, we have specialised in advising law firms and our impact on both cost structures and cash flow has ensured that not only do partners get much more income, but they also get it more quickly, and where they have been in an overdraft situation, can sleep more easily at night.

Growing the Top Line

We took a quantum leap forward in 2007 when Simon White (see profile) joined our team.
Simon’s background had been in professional services marketing for over 20 years. In fact, he was one of the first people in the UK to be involved in professional services marketing, having been in the right (or wrong) place at Ernst and Young on the day the accountancy profession was first allowed to advertise.

Since then, he has not only developed marketing of accountancy firms, but has been marketing director of three major law firms (with between 100 and 500 people).

But it is not only with larger firms that Simon’s skills have produced results; he has helped bring substantial tranches of business into specific departments, and helped smaller firms get rapid results and pay back on their marketing effort.

A Total Service Package

So, we are now able to offer law firms a total package:

• If you want to increase your top line, get more clients and more fees, we can help.

• If you want to increase the bottom line (profit) even in difficult market conditions, there is no one better.

• If you want to improve law firm cash flow, reduce your overdraft, and put money into partners’ pockets, we are the UK's leading experts.

And if the whole issue of law firm management in a rapidly changing world is causing you sleepless nights, we can help to reduce the stress and help to give you a much greater sense of direction.

For most things that can happen in the management of your firm, you can rest assured that we have the experience and the knowledge to provide solutions that allow you to fulfil your ambitions as a business.

If you would like a conversation about how we can help you achieve your own unique objectives, please contact us.