Internal promotions

Laterals

Intake as percentage of partnership 2005-06: 0

New female partners as percentage of intake 2005-06: 12.5

Firms recruited from: Blake Lapthorn Linnell, Gordon Dadds, Osborne Clarke, Pinsent Masons, Stephenson Harwood

Equity structure: 49 equity partners, 37 non-equity partners

Practice area(s) most heavily promoted: Litigation

After 12 new partners in 2004-05 and 10 in 2003-04, Charles Russell added eight to its partnership in 2005-06. Perhaps it was digesting its laterals. Of that total of 30, 12 of the new partners were external.

For a firm with a long history of private client work, it is notable that Charles Russell has made four lateral hires in that area in the past three years. In 2004-05 it took on a team from Stephenson Harwood in that area - one of the rare moves in the private client world. On the internal side, it has a track record of growing its own in commercial/IP, where it promoted three in 2004-05, and employment, where three were made up in 2003-04.

The biggest growth has been in litigation, whether through laterals or internals. In 2003-04 and 2004-05 the firm added four litigation partners each year.