Porter Dodson

Dorset and Somerset firm Porter Dodson saw turnover inch up from £7.6m to £8m in the 2011–12 financial year, the aftermath of a first full year of mergers with one-partner outfit Boase Bennetts & James and four-partner Batt Sanders & Bennett.

The strong year was also helped by the firm's recently launched fertility and parenting practice, pioneered by specialist Louisa Ghevaert, who joined the firm in 2011. Two junior lawyers have since been added to the niche practice, an area the firm's finance director Nicholas Clegg predicts to be consistently active in future.

Management has been honed down to Rob Fox, who was on the four-person management board last year but has now been promoted to managing partner, and Clegg. However, partners Bruce Weir and Andrea Nichols continue to contribute to non-executive decisions.

IT, training and practice development are three areas the firm said it will invest in for the next financial year.