Rough economic winds battered small and midsize firm revenues during 2009 — though cuts in expenses helped those firms eke out small increases in profits.

That’s according to The Survey of Law Firm Economics, a joint project of ALM Legal Intelligence and The National Law Journal. The survey is open to U.S. firms of all sizes, but the majority of those who take it have fewer than 150 lawyers. The results provide a deep look into the financial state of smaller and midsize players during fiscal year 2009.