As they survey the top 50 UK law firm league table, which was compiled by Legal Week Global’s sister title, Legal Week, the managing partners of the UK’s top firms can take some collective comfort from the comparative strength of the UK legal market, compared with other sectors.

A collective fall of just 1.1% in average profits per partner against a growth in fee income of 5.1% represents a sturdy performance, given the deep recession that has hit the financial services industry.