It is fair to say that Bingham McCutchen owes a big part of its current success to the vision and dynamism of managing partner Jay Zimmerman.

Since he became managing partner of the firm in 1994 aged just 40, Bingham has quadrupled in size to more than 850 lawyers and has increased its revenue sixfold. Turnover is now £308.5m, while average PEP is £627,000. The growth has been achieved through a series of canny mergers that gave the Boston firm offices in key centres such as New York and Los Angeles. It also moved Bingham away from being merely the legal adviser to the Bank of Boston into an increasingly important international law firm.

But Zimmerman is not interested in growth for growth’s sake. He allows offices to grow at a pace that suits their needs. Success can breed jealousy, but partners at the US firm are full of praise for their leader and his consensual style.