Allen & Overy, the UK-based international law firm, has hired five more corporate lawyers to its New York office as the firm gears up to compete with US firms for inward bound mergers and acquisition work.

Richard Cranfield, head of corporate at A&O, said earlier this year that the firm wanted to capitalise on an increasing demand by their European and Asian corporates for advice on US acquisitions. These latest hires go a long way to making the firm self sufficient in the US.