Allen & Overy

Allen & Overy Profile & Stats

Representing one-fifth of the Magic Circle, Allen & Overy is one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious law firms. A&O spreads its wings across 39 offices and employs approximately 2,500 lawyers worldwide, including more than 500 partners. Best known for its banking, corporate and international capital markets practices, A&O is home to the largest number of American lawyers outside of the US, creating a niche in advising American clients overseas.

Founded in 1930 by George Allen and Thomas Overy, the firm rose to prominence when, in 1936, it advised on the abdication of King Edward VIII. Since then, A&O has rarely been out of the legal limelight. The firm advised on the first hostile takeover in the so-called Aluminium Wars, and in 1963 really staked its claim as a City brand by drafting and developing the first Eurobond for the Italian company Autostrade.

The early 1980s saw investment banks branching out and opening offices all around the world; the law firms that represented them soon followed suit and Allen & Overy was no exception. In 1978 the firm opened offices in Dubai and Brussels, in 1985 it arrived in New York, and 2002 saw the opening of its Shanghai office. In 2010 A&O opened two Australian offices in Perth and Sydney, and more recently established new branches in Casablanca and Belfast, expanding its global reach even further. The firm is now represented in all the major financial centres across the world and has one of the largest US presences of any UK firm. In fact, 60% of A&O’s income now comes from outside the UK.

Over the past few years, Allen & Overy has not stopped growing and expanding in London, the city where it all began. In 2005, A&O became the first Magic Circle firm to convert to a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), meaning, among other things, that the firm now has to periodically publish its accounts. The following year, A&O relocated from its iconic London headquarters, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral, to new purpose built offices near Liverpool Street. Not to be outdone in the green-stakes, A&O’s new digs were installed with 494 solar panels on the roof, generating enough power for more than 200 laptops a year.

Although built on a foundation of banking and finance, A&O’s lofty position is reinforced by well established and reputed capital markets and corporate law practices. As such, the firm’s client list includes many of the world’s top financial institutions. A&O’s banking and finance solicitors advise over 800 corporate and financial institutions. Other areas of expertise include litigation and dispute resolution, employment and benefits, tax and real estate.

Allen & Overy also casts a wide net in pro bono and corporate responsibility matters: the firm’s solicitors regularly act as trustees for local charities, help primary schools in numeracy and literacy projects, and mentor secondary school pupils. The firm has even formed a global alliance with the Red Cross, and is helping them to promote new laws that can speed up the international response to natural disasters.