Average partner profits of $3m (£1.5m) have become the benchmark for top US firms, Legal Week can reveal, after a record year for M&A helped a handful of New York firms maintain their lead in the profession’s global profits race.

Manhattan M&A powerhouse Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz is top of the list with 2006 profits per equity partner (PEP) just below $4m (£2m), while Cravath Swaine & Moore’s PEP rose 13% to hit $3m (£1.5m).