‘Grasshopper, when you can take the pebble from my hand, it is time to set up practice in Beverly Hills.’ We suspect this isn’t the exact advice that London firm Solutions in Law received from its client Sir Brian Sterling, a broadcaster and martial arts champion, but you get the gist. The firm, which specialises in US visas and immigration, says it is expanding into the US as a way to, ahem, kick the threat of recession at home. ‘Like kung fu, business success is all about sizing up the competition, deflecting, guiding and channelling competitors’ attacks and energy before, ultimately, reversing their energy to land the winning blow and defeat the opposition,’ says Sterling, who originated a training system called Mental Martial Arts. His advice to law firms facing a downturn: ‘Think laterally, multi-dimensionally, and you’ll find opportunities you didn’t realise you had.’

As the master Bruce Lee nearly said: ‘If you think, so shall you become – provided it’s billable to the client.’