De Brauw suffers after Linklaters split

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek has emerged from its first year of independence from Linklaters with the lowest turnover growth among its competitors in the Dutch elite.
De Brauw billed e126m (£88.5m) in 2002, up just 1.26 per cent on the previous year’s e124m (£87m). De Brauw voted almost unanimously against merging with Linklaters in April last year.
The Netherlands’ highest grossing independent, Nauta-Dutilh, grew turnover by 11 per cent to e143m (£100.4).
However, De Brauw’s fees per partner climbed from last year’s e1.4m (£1m) to e1.6m (£1.1m), coming second only to Loyens & Loeff partners, while its fees per fee-earner were the highest in the table. Loyens’ civil law notaries and attorneys billed e87m (£61.1m) last year, while its tax practice brought in a further e110m (£77.2m).
A De Brauw spokesperson said: “We have always had a high level of fees per fee-earner and it grew again in 2002, despite the economic conditions. We continue to focus on the type of work we
do. Size is not our aim, high-end legal advice and breaking new ground is.”
Another key development is the rapid progress of AKD Prinsen van Wijmen, the Dutch firm allied to Deloitte & Touche. The firm merged with Andersen Legal’s Dutch arm on 1 September 2002. By AKD’s financial year-end on 31 May, the combined firm had racked up a turnover of e63.5m ($44.6m), placing it sixth in the rankings.