It’s tough being a mid-tier firm these days. Things are getting pretty crowded outside the top and bottom end of the market, with client preferences increasingly polarised between full-service global firms and niche outfits capable of specialist service delivery.

According to research by Deloitte, results from the six years to the end of March 2014 show fees per fee earner growth of 18% among the top 10 firms, whereas firms ranked 26-50 reported growth of only 1%.