Herbert Smith has relaunched its stalled US law practice by hiring two US-qualified JP Morgan lawyers.

Jim Wickenden, Morgan's head of legal for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Allen Hanen, head of legal for asset management services Europe, will join in March.

This is the firm's second attempt to establish a US law capability.

In January 1998 it recruited assistant Wayne Rapozo from Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom. He returned to Skadden Arps six months later when the move did not work out.

Richard Bond, head of corporate, said: "With the internationalisation of our practice over the last few years, the work we are doing requires US law expertise."

He said the two partners' practice would be integrated into the firm's English law corporate and banking practice.

In the short term, Herbert Smith is only in the market for US-qualified assistants, but Bond said that ultimately, the size of the team would be driven by client needs.

Hanen said: "Over the last five years we have been building legal teams from Asia to Europe at Morgans – so we are confident that we can get a team in place [at Herbert Smith] to meet client needs."

US firms including Sullivan & Cromwell, Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft and Weil Gotshal & Manges are building up their English law practices.

And last month, Chicago's McDermott Will & Emery revealed to Legal Week that it planned to add 50 English-qualified lawyers to its new London office by the end of 1999.

Bond denied that Herbert Smith's move was defensive, but admitted that the firm would be at a competitive disadvantage in cross-border deals without the capability.

"We need to have the capability," he said, "but the idea is not to go head-to-head with the US firms."