Herbert Smith Freehills and Eversheds have earned a combined total of more than £70m from work for Transport for London (TfL) since 2008, a freedom of information request submitted by Legal Week has revealed.

The two firms are the biggest earners from contracts awarded by the transport body over the five-year period to the end of 2012, with Herbert Smith billing £42.2m and Eversheds £31.5m.

Key TfL work Herbert Smith has handled in recent years includes advising on the upgrade and extension of the East London Line, and the administration of transport group Metronet, the UK's first-ever public-private partnership (PPP) insolvency.