Row was settled out of court last year

The legal cost of the bust-up between the executors of the late Zaha Hadid鈥檚 will has hit 拢3.5m, the firm鈥檚 latest accounts reveal.

The long-running row more than two years ago and centred on who could be in control of the business.

Patrik Schumacher at Negroni Talk: The Problem with Affordable Housing_10 漏

Source: Agnese Sanvito

Hadid鈥檚 long-term collaborator Patrik Schumacher (pictured), who had wanted the power of veto over the firm鈥檚 board of trustees, settled his dispute with the three other executors of the architect鈥檚 will out of court last year.

But the legal bills have continued to tick up and in the latest accounts for Zaha Hadid Holdings, the firm said it shelled out nearly 拢887,000 on fees in the year to April 2020 on top of the 拢2.6m it forked out the year before.

Pre-tax profit jumped from 拢1.9m to 拢2.7m on turnover down 9% to 拢56.5m with its workloads in Asia falling a third to 拢28m. But work in Europe nearly doubled to 拢20m while business in the UK remained flat at 拢1.3m.

The firm鈥檚 post-tax profit was helped by an R&D tax credit of 拢397,000 with the practice saying it would continue to make these claims in future years.