Linklaters' Jeff Norton has cut short his term as the firm's US co-managing partner by nine months, stepping down to leave Conrado Tenaglia in charge of its US practice.

Norton, who has also served as US banking head since he and Tenaglia took over from incumbents Larry Byrne and Nick Rees in 2011, stepped down during the summer.

He will leave his management position to focus on bolstering Linklaters' banking and leveraged finance practice in the US.

His term was due to expire in May 2015, as is Tenaglia's, who relocated to New York to take up the post after serving as co-managing partner for Linklaters in Spain.

The firm said it has no plans to replace Norton's position, leaving Tenaglia as sole US managing partner.

Traditionally, magic circle firms have struggled to compete with major US firms in the leveraged finance and high-yield space. Linklaters hopes to keep up with the likes of Freshfields, which recently hired ex Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom banking partner James Douglas to head up its US leveraged finance practice.

One Linklaters partner said: "It'll be great to have more of Jeff [as a fee earner]. We've already got the best high yield practice of the magic circle over there, but he's a great lawyer.

"Normally you'd have co-managing partners when there's a bit of work on like there is now but Jeff did it on his own for a while before Conrad came over from Spain, so it's a natural evolution really."

After closing its Washington DC office in 2002, Linklaters reopened the base two years ago, adding to its roughly 150 lawyer office in New York.