Berwin Leighton Paisner ended the last financial year with nearly £25m in new short-term bank debt, as profits dipped.

Newly published accounts for the year ended 30 April also show that 'key management personnel' shared total compensation of £13.2m in 2016/17, up from £12.7m in the previous 12 months. The highest earner took £1.4m, down from £1.5m.

Last July BLP disclosed  a fall in profit per equity partner for 2016/17 of 7% to £630,000, down from £683,000.  Across the year the firm averaged 152 members.

The fall in PEP came despite a hike in revenue during the same period to £271m from £254m.

The accounts show that profit before members' remuneration and profit shares totalled £69m, down from £74.2m.

Group bank loans due for repayment within a year totalled £24.8m at 30 April - compared with zero at the same date in 2016.

It has been a successfull year for top partners at the City’s biggest firms. Earlier this week the Gazette reported that Clifford Chance’s most senior group of 13 partners shared £16m, while the highest paid partner at Allen & Overy drew £3,519,000.