BIGGART Baillie managing partner Derek Ellery made himself something of a hostage to fortune last year when he announced that revenue at his firm had grown by around 10 per cent every year for the past five years.

Last year something appeared to go not quite according to plan, as turnover grew by only 4 per cent, from £16.8m to £17.5m.

Consequently, the midsize Scottish firm surrendered its place at the top of The Lawyer Rising 50 to ASB Law, which was itself a casualty from The UK 100.

Despite the slight dip, the firm continues to be regarded as among the stronger of Scotland's midsized firms with an impressive client list that includes Royal Bank of Scotland, J Sainsbury, Clydesdale Bank and ScottishPower.

The year continued to generate a solid list of deals for the firm. It acted for Clydesdale on the £45m managed buyout of Glasgowbased Giles Insurance Brokers; for Clackmannanshire Council as project sponsors of the reopening of the Stirling- Alloa-Kincardine railway; and on three education projects with a capital value of £138m.