With the notable exceptions of Donald Trump's hair and Nick Clegg's electability, most things tend to change.

Where once partnership and the keys to the executive bathroom were all any aspiring lawyer wanted from life, now it's not quite so cut and dried. Legal Week's study of 2014′s round of partner promotions may show that the number being made up has increased significantly on last year, but a quick look under the bonnet shows that the topline figures don't tell the full story.

For one, the total promotions are not a great deal more than they were in 2012, before a notable slump the following year. More significantly, the size of the firms in question has grown markedly in the last two years, meaning that more new partners should, in theory, be making the grade to replace those leaving at the other end of the career lifespan.