Shoosmiths has seen profits per equity partner (PEP) surge for a second consecutive year, with average partner profits up by 38%.

The increase takes PEP £256,000 in 2009-10 to £352,000, with net profit increasing by 25% to 13.7m.

Turnover dropped by 4% from £89.9m to £86.9m, which the firm attributed to declining income levels within the firm's consumer services brand Access Legal.

Shoosmiths' corporate practice saw a 9% increase in revenue, alongside 8% revenue growth in the commercial practice. The finance litigation, recoveries and collections group saw income climb 10%, while real estate grew 5%.

Last year Shoosmiths posted a 70% increase in PEP against a 9.1% drop in turnover.

Chief executive Claire Rowe (pictured) commented: "This is our second year of profit growth, which has been achieved through an ongoing review of internal efficiency and a clear focus on client relationships and consistent service delivery."

She added: "It continues to be a challenging market, with more law firms chasing less work at lower fee rates. Like many law firms, we are working hard to adapt to this new environment, and it is pleasing to see this reflected in our financial results."

Shoosmiths added 30 staff to its Manchester office, which opened in 2009, during the last financial year, taking the total number of staff in the office to 65.

In total Shoosmiths has more than 1,200 staff working across eight offices in the UK: Basingstoke, Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Nottingham, Reading and Southampton.