As Allen & Overy (A&O) senior partner David Morley prepares to bow out of the firm after a 35-year career, he admits he would have liked A&O to have made more progress in the US under his stewardship.

In a video interview with Legal Week, in which he discusses everything from globalisation to social mobility and the impact of technology on the profession, Morley is candid about progress to date in the US.

Acknowledging the significant growth he has overseen internationally and growth in some practices within the US, such as high yield, he admits he "would have liked to make a bit more progress in the US", where the firm is not yet "as credible as we'd like to be".

Cracking the world's largest legal market is an ambition most UK firms have yet to realise though, and Morley believes that while it will be his successor who will lead the charge for A&O in the States, most firms need to think bigger in terms of their approach to the US and their openness to merging, given how ripe the legal market is for consolidation.

We took a bet [on international expansion] and it proved to be the right one

But globalisation is far from the only challenge facing the sector, with Morley stating that one of the biggest issues at present is "how to cope with the changing needs of the talent we're looking for, who want something more than past generations".

A large part of this people issue will revolve around the progression of women within the profession, says Morley, who believes more female partners would be good for both firms and clients.

Other topics discussed during the interview, which will be published on the Legal Week website in three parts over the coming days, include his motivation for founding the PRIME social mobility initiative, the "industrialisation of law and professional services" through technology and shifting client demands, and his thoughts on how A&O and the profession have changed since he started his career.

He admits to being pleased with well and truly casting aside the firm's former reputation for being too cautious and taking A&O from "a City firm with satellite operations into a truly global player", commenting: "We took a bet and it proved to be the right one".

With his successor as senior partner set to be confirmed later this month alongside a replacement for outgoing managing partner Wim Dejonghe (whose term also ends at the end of April) Morley is hoping to see the firm continue to go "where others fear to tread" in order to retain its position in the global elite.