Davenport Lyons

It was a mixed year for Davenport Lyons during 2011–12, with turnover up by 6 per cent, from £23.1m to £24.5m, but average profit per equity partner down by 9 per cent to £225,000.

There were significant departures that year, with the firm’s highly regarded liquor licensing partners Alun Thomas and Thomas O’Maoileoin leaving in October 2011 to set up Thomas & Thomas Partners, a boutique licensing firm based in Covent Garden.

Meanwhile, insolvency lawyer Bryn Robertson left to head Brecher’s restructuring and insolvency group. He was subsequently joined at Brecher by property litigator Janice Northover.

However, the movement was not all one way as Davenport Lyons welcomed dispute resolution partner Nick Goldstone from Magrath and financial regulatory partner Abesh Choudhury, formerly of McDermott Will & Emery.

In other partner news, in August 2011 the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal suspended litigation partner David Gore and former partner Brian Miller from practising for three months and fined the pair £20,000 each for sending intimidating letters to individuals they accused of illegal file-sharing.

The revenue split across Davenport Lyons’ core practice areas remained steady, although property revenue rose slightly against litigation and corporate.

There is no managing partner status. Instead the firm is driven strategically by a board of four partners made up of board chairman Michael Hatchwell, Kevin Bays, Jeanette Gregson and Marie van der Zyl.