Cravath Swaine & Moore is set to relocate its high-profile global M&A head Richard Hall to London in a bid to boost its corporate footprint in Europe. 

Hall will move from New York to the US leader's City office in February 2013 and will head the firm's sole international base. 

His relocation will take the office's partner count to five, including office managing partner Philip Boeckman, Alyssa Caples, current senior partner David Mercado and George Stephanakis. All five partners are US-qualified corporate lawyers and Cravath does not intend to change its strategy and practise UK law. 

It is not yet known whether Hall will continue in his role as global M&A head, with a decision expected in early 2013.

Hall's move comes as Cravath prepares for an uptick in activity levels in Europe. Presiding partner Evan Chesler (pictured) told Legal Week: "Europe is going to continue to be very important to our business in the future. Putting Richard in London is a testament to how important it is. 

"The two largest economies are the US and Europe. Business people find opportunities in these continents and will continue to do so, no matter what the global market is. 

"Therefore, it is important that we respond to this. The office is a highly respected one in terms of US law firms working in London on corporate finance."

Hall has acted on some of the largest M&A transactions globally in recent years, including a lead role on the $9.25bn (£5.8bn) divestment by Time Warner of its cable division in 2008. His clients include Royal Dutch Shell, Banco Santander, Linde, Xstrata and ConocoPhillips.