Outside Hammonds, few people had heard of Peter Crossley before he became the firm’s managing partner in August 2004. Crossley was in fact Hammonds’ litigation head for several years, but working from Leeds, and focusing on his practice area gave him little profile.

All that changed with the news in February 2005 that the firm was expecting a slump in profit. Crossley found himself managing one of the worst years in Hammonds’ history.

But he has done the job superbly, getting to grips instantly with Hammonds’ financial problems and instituting measures to get rid of them once and for all. At the half-year stage his work is paying off, with an 8 per cent increase in turnover and an optimistic outlook for the future.

Throughout, Crossley has controlled both internal and external communications, meaning that what could have been a PR nightmare for the firm was closer to a bad headache. Hammonds looks like it is on the road to better days - and it has Crossley to thank.