Allen and Overy (A&O) has bulked up its Spanish arm with the hire of a trio of lawyers from Clifford Chance (CC).

Corporate partner Pablo Mayor has joined A&O in Madrid after 10 years as a partner at CC.

Senior associate Victoria Martin and associate Jose Perez-Campoamor have also joined A&O from CC Madrid alongside Mayor.

Mayor marks the ninth partner in A&O's Madrid office and the fourth partner in the local corporate practice.

Regional managing partner Inigo Gomez-Jordana said: "We have always been in a growth mood in this office despite the economic environment. Some of our competitors have downsized in recent times, but we still have room to grow.

"In light of these recent hires we have now taken another floor in our building and expect to fill this in the coming months. Obviously Europe as a whole is going through a difficult moment right now, but we have personally seen a lot of work recently."

The new recruits joined the office on 1 October.

A&O's partner conference in May saw the firm discuss the need to add weight in European markets such as Spain and Germany.

Partners also pledged to invest in emerging markets in the coming years, with a particular focus on Asia.