| Turnover: |
£39.4m |
| Profit per equity partner: |
£252,000 |
| Earnings per partner: |
£169,000 |
| Equity spread: |
£132,000-£293,000 |
| Net profit: |
£7m |
| Profit margin: |
17 per cent |
| Revenue per lawyer: |
£182,000 |
| Revenue per partner: |
£680,000 |
| Revenue per equity partner: |
£1.46m |
| Total number of fee-earners: |
333 |
| Total number of assistants: |
158 |
| Total number of partners: |
58 |
| Total number of equity partners: |
27 |
| Total no of female partners: |
9 |
| Total no of female equity partners: |
3 |
| Total no of staff: |
584 |
| Leverage ratio (equity partners to
assistants): |
1:7 |
| Representative clients: |
Bank of Scotland,
Cooperative Group,
David Wilson Homes,
HM Revenue & Customs,
Somerfield Stores |
|
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*BUY |
Expansion in Bristol and Birmingham helped drive up Clarke Willmott's turnover by 18 per cent to £39.4m last year.
The firm took a six-lawyer property team from Pinsent Masons in Bristol at the start of the financial year. Its Birmingham office, which opened in August 2004, has now grown to a 19-lawyer operation.
The firm jettisoned its new-homes conveyancing team in Taunton to Foot Anstey because of conflicts with developer clients.
Average profit increased by 17 per cent to £252,000 from £215,000 last year, but this still leaves the firm well short of its rivals in the South West, such as Burges Salmon (£410,000) and Osborne Clarke (£425,000).
The firm operates a merit-based remuneration system with performance assessed annually by the remuneration committee. Partners can lose a maximum of 10 per cent of their points in any one year; any more and they will be asked to leave the firm. One point in 2005-06 was worth £1,500. Managing partner David Sedgwick expects the value of a point to increase to £1,600 next year.
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