Last month's hire of Allen & Overy M&A partner Ed Barnett was very much a statement of intent for Latham & Watkins in the City.

The US firm has hired numerous high profile laterals in London in recent years but, to date, its mainstream M&A team has been overshadowed by efforts in practices such as private equity and banking.

London corporate co-head Nick Cline (pictured above) is now on a mission to correct this imbalance, setting out plans to replicate the elite US firm's success in other areas across the corporate M&A market, traditionally a magic circle stronghold.

"It's a long term play; we don't expect to achieve success overnight. But in keeping with other practices – capital markets, banking and leveraged finance – we see there's a great opportunity for Latham to be a leader in London in corporate M&A," says Cline, who ran the London office for five years before stepping down in March last year to become co-chair of the London corporate practice alongside fellow corporate partner Brett Cassidy.

Below the radar, the firm has been steadily expanding the City M&A team in recent years. Since 2011, the broader City M&A practice has doubled in size from 23 lawyers to more than 50. Nine of these are partners, including Barnett, who is the first lateral partner hire to the practice since Simon Tysoe joined from Herbert Smith Freehills in early 2015.

However Cline counts only a handful of this team as general corporate M&A, with the others focused on specific sectors, and it is this general M&A practice that he wants to boost.

Alongside Barnett, Cline counts himself, Martin Saywell (who joined from Simmons & Simmons in 2003), Robbie McLaren, (who was appointed to the partnership in January this year after advising Dublin-based Allergan on its $40.5bn acquisition by Israel's Teva) and Kem Ihenacho, who joined the firm in 2014 from Clifford Chance and is arguably better known in the private equity space, as "general M&A practitioners".

"Ed is the first hire into our pure strategic M&A group that we've made for a long time," concedes Cline. However, he certainly won't be the last.

"Now is a great time to grow: we've got great traction with our clients and we've managed to take on good market share – what we need to do is capitalise on that success by growing our M&A partner numbers with the right kind of hires and promotions."

Beyond simply adding to its headcount, Latham is aiming to improve its deal roster and client base, attempting to take on the magic circle for corporate advisory work.

"What we're focused on is doing what the magic circle have done in London but on a global basis, developing deep advisory relationships with corporates around the world," explains Cline. "Clients want a law firm that can understand their business in the US, UK and Asia. I don't think there is another law firm that has managed to bridge that gap yet. We've got some distance to go to fully do so."

As examples of progress in this direction, he cites winning a place on Aviva's legal panel for international and UK work in 2013, and highlights key clients in the UK as Thomas Cook and Aon, along with US-headquartered global companies such as Allergan and FMC Technologies.

For the first half of 2016, the firm came third in the UK M&A deal rankings by value according to Mergermarket, advising on 14 deals worth $20bn (£16bn). By value, the haul is only marginally behind Linklaters, which came second with roles on 31 deals worth $23bn (£18bn). Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer took first place with 39 deals worth $38.7bn (£31bn).

Cline suggests there is now a sense of urgency within Latham to attain a City M&A practice to rival the likes of M&A heavyweights Freshfields and Linklaters. "It's a high priority for the office, because we see London as a high growth market. It's a high priority for the firm as a whole."

One ex-Latham partner says the firm has been aware for several years of the need to strengthen its name in M&A. "It is all very well working for M&A deal machines in private equity but if you stop doing those transactions and don't have a reputation for corporates, it doesn't look particularly clever. The firm kept putting its eggs in one basket."

Some are sceptical that Latham will become a leading M&A player in London, despite the success it has found elsewhere. Another former Latham partner says it would be "difficult" for Latham to gain a name in corporate and a boardroom presence. He adds: "They would need to hire a Mark Rawlinson," referring to the former Freshfields' veteran who joined Morgan Stanley last month after a career advising on numerous high profile transactions, including AB InBev's mega-merger with SABMiller.

Others though, point to the firm's track record in London as an indicator of why UK firms should be wary of the latest corporate push.

A magic circle London banking partner says Latham has been the "most aggressive" US firm in building up its capability in the City. "They have a standalone business which can target a standalone client base, as opposed to servicing a US client base from London, and they have hired good people."

While Latham has yet to secure a Rawlinson, according to Cline the next batch of hires are likely to be high profile. He says: "It's more likely any further lateral hires will be more senior hires."

He concedes though that there are slim pickings in London right now at the very top. "If you look at the super senior and very high profile London M&A practitioners, there are a very limited number of individuals."

And will Brexit throw a spanner in the works? Cline thinks not. "Clearly Brexit has delivered significant challenges to any business with international operations. [But] I don't think it presents insurmountable challenges for us, with our strong global offering.

"It is a very competitive market but if you have got the right platform and the right individuals leading that platform, it's possible to take market share."

Latham London partner hires announced in 2016

February Joshua Kiernan, White & Case Israeli head and capital markets partner Jonathan Parker, Competition and Markets Authority director (joined as competition partner)

May Sophie Lamb, Debevoise & Plimpton, arbitration

June Jeremy Trinder, Dechert, real estate finance Rob Moulton, Ashurst, global co-head of regulation

July Quentin Gwyer, GE Capital real estate executive counsel (joined as finance partner) Simon Baskerville, Ashurst, restructuring Stuart Alford QC, UK Serious Fraud Office (joined as a litigation partner) Stephen Kensell, Allen &Overy, finance

August Sanjev Warna-kula-suriya, Slaughter and May, finance

September Nicola Higgs, Ashurst, finance

October Edward Barnett, Allen & Overy, M&A