US litigation firm Quinn Emanuel may be making a fortune in London, but it's unable to keep hold of its staff. Four associates have handed in their notice over the last couple of months, out of a team of only 13.

The firm only works on big ticket litigation and boasts that it has won 90% of its cases which have gone to trial. Given that QE can take advantage of conditional fee arrangements, that means big bucks and profits per equity partner across the firm are a staggering £2.7m.

The lure of mammon was enough to attract partners from the likes of Kirkland and Olswang when the firm opened up in London in 2008, and the office has been going great guns ever since. Turnover for 2011 stood at £21.8m, up 75% on the previous year. Although staff need to be paid a fortune to compensate for working with some of the biggest egos in the business: founder John Quinn describes himself as "Founder & Managing Partner at Quinn Emanuel, largest biz litigation firm in the world. GC @ AMPAS. Ironman tri-athlete, Shakespeare enthusiast, father of 5."

John Quinn being an ironman yesterday

 
Losing a third of an office in a matter of weeks looks like remarkable carelessness, but the firm remained unbothered.  A spokesman claimed they had all left for reasons unconnected with the firm: for example, one is returning to the bar and another moving to the United States. While he admitted it was a shame to see them go, he added that the office was recruiting and aiming to expand.