Otley-based marketing communications group Imagen has become the first agency in the UK to adopt Limited Liability Partnership status introduced last month by the Department of Trade and Industry.

It offers business owners a compromise between partnership and un-incorporated status, and being a limited company.

The DTI says it is ideally suited to many smaller marketing and advertising agencies as it gives limited liability for members who also retain the flexibility of partnership.

Mark Sebright, managing partner at Imagen, said: "We were cautious of some of the restrictions associated with becoming a limited company, but with LLP status we can retain the flexible partnership structure that has grown the business this far."