DLA Piper had a mixed year financially in 2016, with significant currency fluctuations resulting in a rare drop in revenue. But profits still rose, thanks to a drive to cut costs, improve productivity and target higher-value work.

The firm’s revenue fell 2.9 percent in the last fiscal year, to $2.47 billion. Despite this, a 140-lawyer reduction in total head count—to 3,616 attorneys—meant that average revenue per lawyer inched up 1.5 percent, to $685,000.