DJ Freeman enjoys bumper year of profits

DJ Freeman's average profits per partner increased by a whacking 30 per cent in the last financial year to £210,000.

The previous year saw turnover up only 11 per cent to £23.3m when partners took home on average only £158,000.

DJ Freeman chief executive Jonathan Lewis said: "We are seeing the benefits of our focused market sector strategy and we have seen an improved performance in our four business areas of property, insurance, media and commercial litigation.

"We are increasingly being selected by large corporations for specialist work in these areas."

He added: "Efficient gearing means that when revenues go up, even more goes to the bottom line."

However, per partner share of profits were also helped by the loss of two of the firm's 22 equity partners last year.

The firm, which won The Lawyer/HIFAL silver award for use of information technology, will in a few weeks become the first in the UK to implement the Keystone Practice management system.

This New Zealand-made system was controversially dropped by Ashurst Morris Crisp in May but Lewis said he was confident about its capabilities.

"It should give us a competitive advantage," he said, adding that it would help improve efficiency across the business.