Allen & Overy (A&O) has launched its own iPhone application in a bid to make headline reference material about the firm more accessible to clients.

The new service, 'A&O Connect', for iPhones and iPads, is a quick reference directory of the magic circle law firm's lawyers, global network and expertise.

The application, available to download from Apple's iTunes store, was the idea of A&O senior partner David Morley. It officially launched today (19 October).

Features include a lawyer directory which clients can search by specialism or location for bios and contact information, an office directory with practice overviews, links to maps and contact information for the firm's global network of offices and an 'expertise directory' with brief descriptions of the firm's core practices.

Morley commented: "This new app is one example of A&O's ongoing efforts to connect with clients on their terms. With the digital age has come a multitude of ways of connecting with people – we need to make that process as easy as possible for clients."

Following the launch, the firm is investigating whether to roll out a similar tool to be accessed on BlackBerry mobile phones. The iPhone application is not the firm's first foray into new media, with A&O also using social media network Twitter as a part in its recruitment process.

The City giant joins a select band of law firms that have experimented with the creation of dedicated 'apps' for popular mobile communications devices. Earlier this year Latham & Watkins launched a new iPhone app that provides deal lawyers with access to a digital glossary of financial, legal and regulatory jargon.