Gavin Ball, Head of Quality and Compliance at Aaron & Partners
Top 200 law firm Aaron & Partners LLP has appointed a compliance and quality expert to bolster its in-house team following a period of significant growth.
Gavin Ball has joined the firm after almost 15-years working in similar roles with professional services firms and accountancy businesses in the UK, including the likes of Deloitte, RSM and Rolls Royce.
The new position has been created within Aaron & Partners’ existing quality and compliance division and will see Gavin overseeing a range of activities.
They include ensuring the continuation of the Lexcel accreditation held by the firm since 1999. Currently, fewer than 20% of UK legal firms hold the voluntary accreditation, which is administered by the Law Society as a quality mark for legal practices.
Gavin will also oversee quality improvement, as well as compliance training and monitoring to include anti-money laundering checks, anti-bribery policy implementation and anti-corruption enforcement.
His appointment follows a second consecutive record-breaking year of annual fee income at Aaron & Partners after the firm recorded an increase of more than 10 per cent to £9.5 million during the last financial year.
Simon Edwards, Senior Partner at Aaron & Partners LLP, said: “We’ve witnessed significant growth over the last few years as a practice and Gavin’s appointment is a key strategic hire to ensure we continue on that upwards trajectory.
“The success we’ve had as a firm has allowed us to invest in developing our people and Gavin will play an integral role in that because quality and compliance are at the very heart of everything we do for our clients.
“His awareness and expertise within the fields of quality and compliance can only enhance the experience for our clients and help us build on the robust systems and processes we have in place across the practice.”
In addition to his vast experience, Gavin is also a Certified Fraud Examiner and an Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist who has led numerous international financial crime investigations and compliance engagements.
He said: “It’s fantastic to have joined a firm with a business culture that both understands and respects the new compliance culture needed to be a successful law firm in the UK.
“It was clear to me that Aaron & Partners is a practice that is growing and I’m delighted to have joined the existing quality and compliance team.
“The long-standing Lexcel accreditation is testament to the great work they’ve done over the years and I’m looking forward to building on that by ensuring the effective and ongoing implementation of all the necessary systems and processes that are fundamental to future success.”
