Dentons has posted a double-digit increase in revenue for its UK and Middle East (UKME) arm alongside a sharp rise in profit per equity partner (PEP) for 2017-18.

Revenue hit £203.1m, an increase of 22% on £166.4m in 2016-17. This figure includes revenues from Scots firm Maclay Murray & Spens, which Dentons merged with in November last year.

PEP, meanwhile, has shot up by 36% to £651,000, up on last year's figure of £481,000.

Discounting the Maclays merger, revenue would have grown 9% owing to investments made in the UK and Middle East region, according to the firm. Deal highlights for the year included acting for KKR on its €6.825bn offer for the spreads business of Unilever, and representing Aprirose on its £525m acquisition of QHotel.

UKME CEO Jeremy Cohen told Legal Week that the firm's growth had been bolstered by a strong year across the firm's corporate and private equity practices, as well as an influx of restructuring work following a "fallow period".

In the Middle East, he added that the firm's UAE, Saudi and Oman outposts have performed well owing to a rebounding oil price, a change in the mentality of government in the region and an increase in construction disputes work.

"It is particularly pleasing to have achieved this level of revenue and profit growth during a period of intensive integration activity arising from the merger with Maclays," he said. "Since joining forces halfway through the financial year, our lawyers in England and Scotland have already worked together on more than 1,000 client matters.

"Since 2013-14 our revenues have increased by 39%, with PEP rising 60%, as we have successfully pursued a strategy of creating stronger ties with key clients, developing a strong value proposition, and investing to grow market share."

He added that the firm would be looking to grow its restructuring and IP teams, adding: "We hired a large IP team last year and that has really hit its stride now. Building a global IP practice is part of our focus. When the market gets hot it gets harder to hire, but we see a good trajectory for those practices over the next year."

Cohen also highlighted Dentons' work on the collapse of Carillion, where the firm advised both the Cabinet Office, the official receiver and PwC as the firm's "standout matter" during the year. Yesterday, Legal Week revealed that the firm was paid £100,000 in fees for nine months of advice to the Cabinet Office on the demise of the construction giant.

Dentons UKME partnership incorporates its offices in London, Milton Keynes, Watford, Scotland and the Middle East, but does not include its operations in continental Europe.

The firm has continued to push forward with its strategy of rapid expansion, absorbing firms in Barbados, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Peru, Scotland, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Hawaii.

Yesterday (7 June), former RBS shared operations director Lisa Sewell was announced as the firm's new UK and Middle East managing director, succeeding UK managing partner Brandon Ransley, who retired from the firm's partnership earlier this year.