Addleshaws focuses on billing innovation

Chris Howe, who was previously divisional business director at the firm, was appointed to the role in the summer.

Howe is responsible for the day-to-day running of the firm’s finance function and will also chair its six-strong pricing team, which was established in 2009.

“I will be focusing on two things - one is the finance function and the other [pricing] relates to external pressures on the firm,” said Howe. “Clients are looking for more certainty and innovation, and we’re trying to bring those strands together.

“We’ve had a pricing team since 2009, but we’ve started to see a bigger picture - that a more strategic approach is needed - and there will be more projects coming down the track in the next few months.

“When you talk about alternative billing a lot of people think that just means fixed fees, but there are a lot of potential variations.”

Previous initiatives by the firm include establishing a transactions services team in November 2010 to provide low-cost support on transactions, and taking on big ­litigation instructions such as Berezovsky on a conditional fee arrangement.