“We did better in the first half… strong growth in emerging markets… challenging times… we’re not profiteering, honest” – OK, the last bit is subtext and not the official line, but there’s something eerily familiar about the message coming out from London’s big four as Allen & Overy (A&O) and Linklaters finally got around to disclosing their results.
This, of course, echoes the message that emerged sheepishly last month from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, though the awkward timing of the Spitfire Pilot’s restructuring-induced profit surge made that understandable.
