High-performing but supportive, retrenching and investing – Ashurst’s strategy in a tough market has tried to reconcile conflicting forces and has unsettled its partnership. Georgina Stanley and Jeremy Hodges report on a high-stakes plan of action

Earlier this month Ashurst partners sat down to a presentation from management. The message was clear – the firm had come a long way over the last two decades, a brutally tough two years was now behind it and the partnership is the right size and shape for the future – one that will see the firm positioned among a band of leading international law firms.