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I agree with John Gudgeon that given the findings of dishonesty, the strike offs were appropriate. However, it's also clear that there are some (possibly many?) firms where people are poorly managed and expected to deal with unrealistic workloads.

Anon at 14.26 - not every firm has changed. I am a partner in a smaller firm (and one of the 'younger' partners!) The situation you describe is what we have here. Most days, I am the last one out of the door, and I rarely stay later than 6. I can think of 2 fee earners who are regularly here beyond 5.45., bit one of them rarely arrives before 9.30 in the morning, and the other goes to the gym at lunch time so takes a 90 minute lunch break, so I think that probably counts as flexible hours rather than staying late.
I'm sure we could make bigger profits if we drive our staff harder, but we're not doing badly. And our staff retention rates are good, and our fee earners are willing to go the extra mile to help out if necessary. I'm sure we are not perfect, but I think it does show it is possible to run a profitable partnership *and* treat people decently.