The Diary never tires of news of the latest management initiatives to improve efficiency – all that breathless talk of root-and-branch reviews, sharing best practice and sector-focused, client-facing strategic working parties certainly gets the pulse racing.

So imagine the excitement as London leviathan Clifford Chance (CC) rolled out its intriguingly-named ‘Third Matrix’ programme of performance-boosting innovations, which includes radical ideas like cross-selling services between departments and, er, perhaps some other stuff too.