The UK’s top lawyers are banking on a sustained recovery in 2004, according to research by Legal Week, which shows business confidence at commercial firms hitting its highest levels since 2001.

The latest Legal Week/EJ Legal business confidence survey of more than 100 senior business lawyers found that more than half (54%) of the panel are now predicting double-digit fee growth over the next 12 months – the highest reading since before the 2001 attacks on New York.