International legal search and recruitment consultancy Shilton Sharpe Quarry (SSQ) has reported an increase in profits.

According to preliminary results released by the company for the year ended 31 December 2009, profits were up 13% on 2008 at £1.4m.

Director of SSQ, Gareth Quarry, told Recruiter that one reason for improved profits was that while law firms were “not really hiring young lawyers”, they were continuing to hire lawyers at partner level. 

This is not something that happens in other professions, such as accountancy, he adds. “We have got individual partners who ask us to manage their entire careers.”

Another factor was SSQ’s geographical spread, which allows SSQ to meet the needs of its international client base as lawyers moved between different countries. 

Quarry adds: “With our own and associate offices across Europe, the US and elsewhere, our activities span brokering law firm mergers, placing partners, teams and associate lawyers in permanent and temporary positions within leading international and domestic law firms, FTSE 100 companies, governmental and institutional clients.

“We have grown SSQ further with new hires in recent months both in London and continental Europe and we will announce the arrival of several further new consultants in the coming months.”