While some firms have hit the headlines since the beginning of the current economic slowdown for parting company with large numbers of partners, others have got on with the process of managing out and de-equitising partners with little fuss.

Despite this, a Legal Week survey published earlier this year found that 71% of respondent lawyers were of the opinion that law firms had not dispensed with sufficient numbers of under-performing partners to buoy up their business while times are tough.