Rob Knights & Co is an independent, unique and specialist consultancy operating throughout Australia for the past 30 years. Given this longstanding involvement within the market, our firm is widely recognised for its expertise throughout the accounting, financial planning and legal professions with in excess of 90% of our business originating from recommendation since our inception.

Broadly, we specialise in the provision of services in support of the proprietors of professional practices of diverse size and structure within the aforementioned professions. However, we do not service the general public.

The following is a very brief overview of our core services.

• We have conducted since June 1974 the largest survey / information service applicable to the accounting profession relating to salaries, charge-out rates and practice performance benchmarking operating on an Australia-wide basis.
• We are a major valuer of accounting, legal and financial planning businesses within Australia having valued in excess of 5,000 accounting, 3,500 legal and 2,000 financial planning practices. Such valuations have been prepared for banks, partners, partners-elect, retirements, disputes, directors, practice consolidators, liquidators/receivers and family law issues.
• We are the major Australian consultants on proprietorship issues for the three professions. We regularly provide practical assistance with issues relating to the admission of principals, adjustment of equity, retirement, succession planning, principal remuneration and earnings, mergers and dissolutions, practice performance, commencing a practice, practice structuring including the management of key performance indicators, funding, staffing and the like.
• We provide consulting services to many partners-elect regarding matters ranging from goodwill values, partnership negotiations, key partnership considerations, practice performance issues, commencement and development of a practice and other such practice management issues.
• We maintain the largest database on professional practice performance and are considered a leading source of key information relating to the accounting profession throughout Australia.
• Given our recognised expertise, we conduct presentations for external parties such as professional bodies, professional publications and financial institutions as well as in the form of internally organised sessions.
• Contribute to and author articles included within professional journals and magazines, as well as formulating a monthly e-mail newsletter relating to practice management and proprietorship issues for professionals.

We have consulted to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, major Australian and international banks and professional bodies in addition to individual practices throughout Australasia.

Primary Consultant

Michelle Knights
Michelle is the Principal of Rob Knights & Co having succeeded Rob Knights, the founder of Rob Knights & Co, in April 2004. In 1997, following a change in career, she commenced her employment in this firm under Rob’s guidance and direction.

Since this time, Michelle has had an integral involvement in all facets of the core services offered by this organisation including:

• Valuations of goodwill in accounting, legal and financial planning practices.
• Consults on various matters arising out of the management, operation, ownership, purchase and sale of accounting, legal and financial planning practices.
• Consults to partners-elect regarding offers of partnership and associated issues.
• Co-ordinates the promotion, processing and formulation of the Rob Knights & Co Charge Rate, Salary and Benchmarking Surveys which have been in operation for 30 years Australia-wide.
• Consults to practices on performance and development.
• Consults to various banks and financial institutions regarding practice ownership and proprietorship issues relevant to accountants and financial planners.
• Maintains the largest database within Australia relating to the operation and management of accounting practices.
• Presents sessions regarding practice performance and proprietorship issues as part of seminars and presentation series.
• Michelle authors the monthly e-mail newsletter forwarded by Rob Knights & Co known as the MAP Memo, which is received by approximately 2,000 - 3,000 members of the accounting, legal and financial planning professions Australia-wide.

From time to time, Michelle is also interviewed and quoted in professional publications and magazines such as the BRW, Asset Magazine and the Australian Financial Review.

Michelle’s qualifications include:

• Currently completing a Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Southern Cross.
• Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia) in 2006.
• Australian Property Institute (API) Advanced Business Valuation Course in 2006.
• Business Agent Licensing Course from the Sydney Graduate School of Management, Centre for Agency Licensing Education in 2005.
• Masters of Business Administration in Professional Accounting & Marketing from University of New England in 2002.
• Marketing Practice Certificate from the University of Technology Sydney in 1998.
• Masters of Educational Administration from University of New South Wales in 1997.

Current memberships and licenses include:

• Member of the Australian Institute of Management
• Member of the Australian Institute of Business Brokers Inc
• Business Agent’s License under the Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 2002