Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge is setting its sights on the highly competitive London private equity market.

The Boston firm, which launched in London at the beginning of this year through its merger with UK firm Kendall Freeman, is already on the lookout for its first hires in the mid-tier private equity market.

Laurence Harris (pictured), a commercial litigator and partner-in-charge of the London office, told Legal Week the firm is currently seeking a senior associate or junior private equity partner to spearhead the move.

The new recruit will initially be sent to the firm's head office in Boston for 12 months to build relationships with the firm's existing clients in the US and will then return to London with a senior partner from the US to get the practice up and running.

The expansion would support Edwards Angell's strategy as while Kendall Freeman has no private equity practice, Edwards Angell has an established mid-tier practice in the US, working with clients including Advent International and Compass Group.

Harris told Legal Week: "We are very excited about the plans for the development of the London office; our aim is to grow intellectual property (IP) and private equity as real strengths, building on the excellent reputation we have in these areas in the US."

Earlier this year Edwards Angell made its first lateral hire since the merger, bringing in IP lawyer Rajita Sharma from Reed Smith to launch its IP practice in the capital.

London is currently Edwards Angell's only international office and has around 20 partners and 40 other fee earners working alongside Harris.

Kendall Freeman was formed in 2003 after a 13-partner team from legacy firm DJ Freeman defected to Olswang. The remaining partners subsequently re-branded as Kendall Freeman, with a focus on commercial litigation and insurance work.