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Gable Asset Finance provides tailored finance and funding solutions to UK professional practices across the legal, accounting, medical and allied professions. Our team understands the unique commercial, regulatory and cashflow dynamics of professional services businesses — from barristers’ chambers and solicitor partnerships to GP practices, veterinary clinics, dental surgeries and opticians. We arrange competitive funding packages that help professionals invest in people, technology, premises and insurance while preserving working capital and managing professional risks.
We work with a wide variety of practice types including:
Professional practices operate in regulated environments with distinctive cashflow patterns and capital needs. Typical sector characteristics include delayed receipts (clinical invoicing, legal disbursements, client payment cycles), high insurance costs (professional indemnity), partner equity issues, regulatory compliance and the need to invest continuously in technology to remain competitive. Generic bank products often fail to address these nuances; specialist lenders and brokers like Gable Asset Finance structure solutions that reflect professional realities.
Gable Asset Finance sources a full range of funding products from our panel of specialist lenders and banks. Key product categories include:
Short to medium-term unsecured loans designed for practice partners or equity partners. These loans are typically based on partner equity, practice profitability and personal guarantees where appropriate. Unsecured loans can fund working capital, staff recruitment, training, or small-scale investments without pledging specific assets.
Specialist facilities to help partnerships, LLPs and sole practitioners manage tax liabilities — VAT, self-assessment payments, PAYE liabilities, corporation tax and other HMRC obligations. Tax funding spreads lump-sum liabilities into predictable monthly payments to avoid pressure on operational cashflow.
PII premiums can be a material annual cost for many practices. We arrange funding so that premiums are paid directly to insurers and spread across instalments, improving budgeting and protecting capital.
Barristers and chambers frequently face aged debtor exposures where fees are receivable on settlement or after lengthy processes. Aged debtor funding (also called invoice financing or debtor discounting) enables chambers to access cash tied in outstanding invoices — improving liquidity without waiting for client or CL&F payments.
Law firms and barristers may use case acquisition funding to support the costs of winning and preparing high-value litigation or complex matters that require up-front investment (disbursements, expert reports, counsel fees). This funding can be structured against expected case receipts.
From buying a small sole practice to a multi-partner regional firm, we arrange acquisition finance, vendor bridging, mezzanine and equity-tailored structures to fund practice purchases, including goodwill and client book financing.
We design partner buy-out solutions to enable retiring partners to receive consideration while allowing remaining partners to spread the cost. Structures include deferred consideration, seller loans and secured facilities tailored to partnership agreements and tax considerations.
Finance for tangible assets such as:
We provide hire purchase, finance lease and operating lease options to suit ownership preferences and accounting treatment.
Short-term facilities for day-to-day liquidity — payroll, rent, consumables and disbursement management. Facilities are structured to match billing cycles and can be linked to invoice finance arrangements.
Below we outline common use-cases, typical financing preferences and sector-specific considerations for each professional group.
Common needs: aged debtor funding, case acquisition funding, chambers refurbishment, IT and library management, room hire upgrades.
Key considerations: Barristers often operate as self-employed individuals within chambers; cashflow can be irregular. Aged debtor funding and discreet unsecured loans help meet overheads between settlements. Chambers may also finance central services, communal fit-out or short-term bridging while a new pupil intake stabilises revenues.
Common needs: practice acquisition, partner buy-outs, professional indemnity funding, VAT & tax funding, premises refit and case disbursement bridging.
Key considerations: Solicitor firms subject to SRA regulations must maintain appropriate PII and client money protections. Lenders consider matter types (conveyancing vs litigation), client concentration and outstanding disbursements when underwriting funding. Practice acquisitions are often structured with vendor finance and goodwill-backed loans.
Common needs: tax funding (seasonal liabilities), staff training and recruitment finance, office IT & software (practice management, tax engines), M&A of practices.
Key considerations: Income concentration around tax seasons (January–April) means many firms require seasonal facilities. Funding can be structured to match self-assessment peaks, PAYE cycles and software subscription models. Purchase of client books and partner transitions are frequent use cases for acquisition finance.
Common needs: premises refurbishment, clinical equipment, IT/EHR systems, staff training, pharmacy fit-outs and car parking or accessibility works.
Key considerations: Many GPs operate under NHS contracts with specific procurement and capital rules. We structure compliant finance, including sale-and-leaseback on owned premises, and funding that aligns with QOF, ARRS/PCN and local commissioning income patterns.
Common needs: imaging (x-ray, ultrasound), surgical suites, laboratory equipment, digital records, and expansion to multi-site practices.
Key considerations: Veterinarians invest in high-value diagnostic assets and often use staged hire purchase or finance leases with maintenance options. Acquisition of veterinary practices is active in the market and requires specialised acquisition and goodwill funding.
Common needs: dental chairs, 3D scanners, CBCT imaging, CAD/CAM mills, practice refurbishments and PII funding.
Key considerations: Dental practices often balance NHS and private income; financing must reflect contract mixes. Equipment finance frequently includes warranties and service contracts to protect costly instruments and ensure clinical uptime.
Common needs: dispensing automation, refrigeration units, retail fit-out and working capital for seasonal medicine stock.
Key considerations: Community pharmacies often trade on narrow margins and face reimbursement delays. Invoice finance, overdrafts and asset refinance provide critical liquidity while automation investments improve dispensing efficiency and compliance.
Common needs: diagnostic equipment (autorefractors, OCT), lens edging and finishing, digital patient records, retail display and shop refit.
Key considerations: Optical equipment can be high value and quickly evolving. Operating leases for diagnostic kit and hire purchase for durable assets are both common. Practices also fund multi-site rollouts and franchise expansions with structured facilities.
Selecting the optimal financing route depends on factors such as asset life, desire for ownership, tax treatment and regulatory impact. Below are practical pointers to help you choose.
Each lender has specific criteria, but underwriting tends to focus on the following:
To accelerate applications, have the following information to hand:
A regional solicitors firm needed to buy out a retiring partner while preserving working capital for business continuity. We structured a partner buy-out loan with staged payments and a contingent earn-out clause for deferred consideration. The remaining partners could maintain cash reserves and the retiring partner received a fair exit without disrupting client services.
An independent dental practice required new CAD/CAM milling equipment and chairs to expand its cosmetic dentistry services. We arranged a hire purchase agreement that included a maintenance contract and staff training. The practice financed the equipment over five years, improving service offerings and patient throughput without a large capital outlay.
A medium-sized chambers was carrying significant aged receivables while awaiting case settlements. A debtor funding facility enabled immediate access to funds against billed but unpaid invoices. Cashflow stabilised, overheads were covered and the chamber avoided short-term borrowing at punitive rates.
Tax treatment and accounting impact vary by product and business structure. The following are high-level observations and should not replace professional advice:
Yes. Sole practitioners can access many of the same products as partnerships or limited companies; underwriting reflects personal credit, practice performance and the intended use of funds.
Most lenders expect PII to be current and adequate for the risk profile of the practice. PII funding is available where premiums are due and can be paid directly to the insurer.
Acquisitions are often supported by lenders with tailored structures. We manage lender dialogue to ensure existing facilities are aligned and that covenants remain appropriate post-acquisition.
We treat all enquiries with the highest confidentiality, a critical requirement in professional services. We work discreetly with lenders and can arrange non-disclosure terms where needed.
Yes. We regularly work with vendors and system suppliers to arrange point-of-sale finance, vendor programmes and white-label options that simplify client procurement and accelerate purchase cycles.
Gable Asset Finance is committed to helping professional practices access commercial finance that fits their specific sector needs — whether that’s preserving partner equity, funding growth, smoothing tax payments, or investing in state-of-the-art equipment. Contact our specialist team today to explore suitable finance options and receive a confidential, no-obligation proposal tailored to your practice.
Gable Asset Finance — Specialist finance for UK professional practices: legal, accounting, medical and allied professions.