Peter Smart has led Walker Morris for more than a decade, and it is simply impossible to imagine the Leeds powerhouse without him.

A corporate finance lawyer by trade, Smart still has an active role on many of the firm’s most important client relationships, including listed companies such as Cattles, Homestyle Group, Stylo, Kelda Group and Leeds Group.

But deal-doing is not even his day job. For many years now, Smart has run one of the tightest ships in Yorkshire - a considerable feat in itself. A relentless focus on costs, coupled with a hunger for bigger-ticket regional work, has underpinned the firm’s unstoppable rise.

With an average profit per equity partner (PEP) of £575,000 last year - level-pegging with SJ Berwin and Travers Smith - Walker Morris has achieved City margins and a commercial reputation that is second to none in the regions. A large portion of this happy situation is thanks to Smart’s canny leadership.