The magic circle's struggles to attract expensive US talent are well-documented, but recent evidence suggests the UK's legal elite might be ready to push the boat out a little further in their efforts to make an impact in the States.

As we reported last week, Clifford Chance (CC) has broken its core lockstep in both New York London in recent months, using its 'super-point' tier to reward star performers, while magic circle rival Allen & Overy has made a significant move in the US with the hire of a three-partner Paul Hastings New York finance team, after breaking lockstep last summer for a team of high-profile finance hires.

But with top US hires remaining prohibitively expensive for many firms, others are pursuing the world's largest legal market via the more direct route of merger. Last week Norton Rose Fulbright secured its second Stateside tie-up in four years, confirming a $2bn deal to merge with New York's Chadbourne & Parke, with the US firm's international offices to financially integrate into Norton Rose's EMEA business.

And while the financials of the leading US firms are currently dominating the news – including Latham's record-breaking results – last week's most-read story on Legal Week was the news that former King & Wood Mallesons partners have been called on to pay into a 'hardship fund' for staff left out of pocket by the collapse of the legacy SJ Berwin business.

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