With the notable exceptions of Donald Trump’s hair and Nick Clegg’s electability, most things tend to change.

Where once partnership and the keys to the executive bathroom were all any aspiring lawyer wanted from life, now it’s not quite so cut and dried. Legal Week’s study of 2014′s round of partner promotions may show that the number being made up has increased significantly on last year, but a quick look under the bonnet shows that the topline figures don’t tell the full story.