The Brief:
DLA Piper posts a 19.6% jump in profit per equity partner to US$4.14m, its last results as a Swiss verein.
The 4,800-lawyer firm ditches the verein for a global LLP, with the new structure now in place.
DLA Piper’s last set of numbers under the old verein structure are its best in years.
Profit per equity partner soared 19.6% to US$4.14m (A$5.90m) in 2025, the firm’s final full financial year running as a Swiss verein before its new corporate structure landed this May. Revenue climbed 8.4% to US$4.6bn (A$6.56bn) over the same period.
The 4,800-lawyer firm voted earlier this year to scrap its Swiss verein, which had kept its US and international arms as legally separate entities, in favour of a single global LLP sitting above both. The firm says it will boost capacity to chase complex work and top-tier talent.
It’s not a full profit pool merger though. Regional economics stay put, with the shake-up aimed squarely at aligning partner incentives rather than pooling the money.
Reporting is getting an overhaul too. The firm’s UK business previously ran on a 1 May to 30 April financial year. From 2027, DLA Piper shifts to calendar-year reporting globally.
Only time will tell whether the new LLP model pays off.
Source: DLA Piper, Non-Billable