Norton Rose's highest earning member pocketed just over £1m in 2011-12 – a 22% increase on the previous year, according to financial documents recently filed with Companies House.

The profit share entitlement – revealed in the limited liability partnership (LLP) accounts for Norton Rose LLP, which covers the original Norton Rose UK and international business but exclude its mergers in Canada, South Africa and Australia – compares with an equivalent figure of £839,000 the previous year.

The accounts also show that profits available for division among the firm's 224 members during the last financial year stood at £81.1m, up on the previous year's figure of £76.7m, which was split between 202 members.

The increase came against a rise in operating profit from £82.9m to £87.4m, while fee income climbed to £355m from £333m, with total turnover standing at £366m.6m.

Fee earner headcount increased marginally by 1% from 1,050 to 1,061, with overall staff numbers rising by a similar percentage to 2,124 from 2,099 in 2011. Wages and salary costs rose by 7% to £152m over the same period of time, with total staff costs rising by around 10% to £167.2m.

Other figures contained in the filings include a pension liability of £12.2m – significantly up on £2.25m the previous year- while capital introduced by members of the firm rose from £6.5m to £9m.

Overall, net debt fell by around 24% from £34.4m to £26.1m, while cash at bank and in hand amounted to £15.1m – broadly static on the previous year's figure of £15.3m.

The report additionally showed the business made an operating loss of £177,000 in 2010-11 against turnover of £288,000 from its alliance with Saudi Arabian firm Abdulaziz Al-Assaf. The arrangement was terminated at the end of 2010.

Estimated figures from Norton Rose last summer put the firm's 2011-12 revenue at £355m against a 2.2% rise in profits per equity partner increase to £477,000.

The firm, which set to merge with US firm Fulbright & Jaworski in June later this year, has completed mergers with Australia's Deacons, Canadian firms Ogilvy Renault and Macleod Dixon and South African firm Deneys Reitz in recent years. The deals are structured as a Swiss verein, with no financial integration.