About Us

Behegan Lynes - The Practice

Lynn and Steve, in senior roles, started working together in a firm of local accountants and over the next two and a half years formed a business relationship based on their desire to offer a quality service to their own client base.

This was realised in 2003 with the formation of Behegan Lynes in April of that year.

The ethic of the practice is based upon quality of service and attention to detail. All this is provided by a friendly and approachable team of staff.

Steven R Lynes M.A.A.T. - Partner

Steven started as a trainee accountant in 1988 and moved through the ranks to become a senior accounts manager for local firms working both in the outskirts of Southampton and Alresford.

In 1990 he qualified as an accounting technician and followed this up in more recent times with training to become a chartered certified accountant where he passed all but one of the papers; before family commitments resulted in him putting these on hold.

His attention to detail ensures that clients receive the best of service, whilst his problem solving ability results in no task being too complex or difficult. Whether dealing with computerised accounts, manual ledgers or incomplete records, his experience enables him to provide you with a Revenue compliant set of accounts.

Heather Ellis M.A.A.T. BSc. – Partner

Heather graduated from UCL and started as a trainee accountant in 1989 in Portsmouth and after a house renovation and bringing up a family, qualified as a chartered certified accountant in 2012. Heather has worked at a number of similar practices in Portsmouth, Waterlooville and Fareham, and joined Behegan Lynes in 2013 to provide maternity cover in the Accounts team and soon became a permanent fixture.

Heather has worked in all aspects of the business during her time here and, being an avid puzzler, is equally happy with the challenge of piecing together information to complete a personal tax return or to prepare a set of accounts.

In 2023 Heather took over the reins from Lynn, and with her qualifications and extensive experience in accounts and tax, joined the AAT to enable her to become a partner alongside Steven enabling continuity of service to the firm’s clients.

Erin Behegan-Lawn - Payroll & Administration

Erin started working for Behegan Lynes in April 2006. As the practice has grown and developed, she has trained in the payroll department and now manages payroll for the majority of our clients who require this service.

Erin will likely be the first point of contact for all our clients who visit or telephone us and she deals with everyone in a calm and professional manner, directing enquiries to the relevant member of staff

With her attention to detail, Erin also manages most of our administrative tasks and is responsible for ensuring our evidence of each client’s identity is up-to-date, so she can frequently be found inspecting a passport or driving licence with a UV light in reception.

Amy Clark - Accounts Manager

Having trained for six years in a local accounting practice Amy joined Behegan Lynes in September 2008 in a senior capacity, involved with the preparation of accounts, book keeping and statutory matters.

Amy has proven herself to be popular with the clients and a valuable asset to Steve in helping him with the busy demands of a growing practice.

Mike Woolnough – Tax Manager

Mike worked for HM Revenue & Customs for a number of years before moving into accounting practices and has a wealth of knowledge in the field of personal taxation together with a vast understanding of H M Revenue & Customs’ systems and compliance.

He joined Behegan Lynes in 2016 and has an in-depth knowledge of all our personal tax clients making him the person to go to when there is a tax query.

Naomi Harris – Book-keeping and Accounts Preparation

Naomi joined in 2023 and has a background in book-keeping including CIS Returns, Payroll and the preparation of VAT Returns.

She now assists the accounts department in the preparation of accounts and mostly enjoys completing the book-keeping on Xero from a pile of receipts and paperwork.

Lynette Behegan – Consultant

Lynn started her career in tax and accounting in 1990 and added to this a legal qualification in Trust and Estates practice due to her interest in ‘Capital’ and ‘Inheritance’ tax planning and the unique tax opportunities and problems these can present in the ever-changing world of tax legislation.

Following her semi-retirement in 2023, Lynn has retired her designatory letters, however she enjoys keeping up to date with the constantly evolving tax and legislative landscape.