By any standards 2005 has been a bad year for Coudert Brothers. The New York-based firm has seen a string of departures, culminating most recently in the loss of all of the partners – eight and three respectively – from its City and Moscow arms to Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.

At the last count, 33 partners had quit the firm in just five months out of a partnership that stood at 147 in January. Since 2000 the firm has closed 11 offices across its network.