Firm prizes inner life

Manchester-based personal injury firm Donns is the only law firm named in the first annual Inner City 100 - a national listing of 100 fast-growing companies located exclusively in the UK's inner cities.

The winners were chosen from more than 300 nominated companies.

Among the criteria were that they must have created jobs, and act in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The firm finished 64th on the list.Senior partner Raymond Donn said: 'We draw on staff from all over Manchester and not just the affluent areas.

In fact, the majority of our staff are from what you might call inner city areas.'The 12-partner firm enjoyed a 24% growth in turnover last year.

'It seems to me that a lot of firms are embarrassed by their success, which strikes me as self-defeating,' Mr Donn said.

'If we are doing well we shout it from the rooftops.'The Inner City 100 is part of the government's drive to open up enterprise and dispel the poor image of inner cities.Meanwhile, Donns' innovativee-file access system, which gives individuals the ability to track the progress of their cases, has won a Computer Weekly E-businessExcellence Award for customerrelationship management.

Managing partner Hilary Meredith picked up the award.Andrew Towler