The average number of fee-earning members of staff compared to non-fee earners in law firms has risen, according to new research from management consultancy Agenda Consulting.

The research reveals the average number of fee-earning members of staff compared to non-fee earners rose to 1.3 from the figure of 1.2 in 2008, while the number of fee earners to secretaries increased over the same period from 2.6 to 3.0, showing that most firms are keeping tight control of their costs.