Birketts

Following a buoyant 2010–11, partly thanks to the addition of nine-partner Chelmsford firm Wollastons in September 2010, Birketts achieved further growth of 12 per cent in 2011–12.

The East Anglia-headquartered firm generated a turnover of £26.7m, up from £23.8m the year before.

Finance director Tim Sarson attributed the increase to a boost in private client and property work in Chelmsford and growth in its shipping team.

Average profit per equity partner rose by more than 8 per cent in the last financial year, from £182,000 to £197,000. This was due to a combination of increased revenue and strong cost control. However, the firm anticipates a hit on costs in the next financial year following plans for a significant investment in IT, with it looking to review its systems.

Birketts shifted from a pure lockstep to a modified lockstep remuneration system in 2009–10, with a 50/50 split based on length of service and performance. There has been no increase in equity capital contributions, but Sarson says this is under review, particularly in light of the anticipated IT investment.

Birketts hopes to continue to expand its Cambridge office by bolstering its agricultural team and also plans to increase total headcount from the mid-30s to around 50 in the coming years.