Bevan Brittan is overhauling its management structure as chief executive Andrew Manning prepares to step down after four years at the public services law firm.

Manning will stand down at the close of the financial year in April, at which point the firm will revert to a managing partner and senior partner management team.

Duncan Weir, who leads the 42-partner firm's commercial and infrastructure team and is a member of the board, has been named as managing partner, with the firm also set to elect a new senior partner.

Manning is set to take some time out to attend business school at Harvard.

During his time as chief executive Manning has overseen a sharp upswing in profit margins and partner remuneration as well as a reduction in debt.

Manning commented: "I am glad I have been able to apply my broad experience of taking service businesses through considerable change to assist my friends and colleagues at Bevan Brittan to transform the firm's fortunes. The firm now has a clear direction for the future and a really solid foundation for the new management structure."

Under Manning's leadership, net profits have grown from £6.1m in 2007-08 to £8.2m in 2010-11, jumping 23.5% in the last year alone. Profits per equity partner rose 7% to £303,000 in the 2010-11 financial year, despite turnover sinking 9% to £34.3m.

Three rounds of redundancies during the financial crisis saw at least 50 fee earners and support staff laid off between 2008 and late 2010. The firm agreed to outsource 72 business support jobs to Intelligent Office UK at the end of 2011 and confirmed last week that the deal had resulted in two redundancies and 13 voluntary redundancies.