Clifford Chance (CC) looks set to downgrade partners in its Budapest office onto a lower set of equity points on its lockstep ladder.

Discussions are still ongoing in relation to the Hungarian office. However, one CC partner told Legal Week there is no doubt that the move will take place.

The decision to move an office to a different level is taken after discussion between central and regional management and local partners.

So far Prague and Warsaw are the only offices to have moved down to a lower set of points, which runs from 30 to 70 points compared with the usual range of 40 to 100.

The tiered lockstep system, in which partners can be held at gateways, was introduced by CC following a review in 2005. In addition to the lower tier a higher set of points are also available to award high-performing offices extra profit points.

However, no office yet operates within the top ladder.