Allen & Overy (A&O) is aiming to build on its recent string of intellectual property (IP) hires to create "the premier IP practice amongst the global elite", according to new global litigation head Karen Seward.

London litigation head and employment partner Seward (pictured), who is set to succeed Tim House as the magic circle firm's global head of litigation on 1 May, is also planning to ramp up headcount in the firm's international arbitration, investigations and employment team with the aim of creating what she describes as a "powerful" integrated offering.

During the last 18 months, A&O has significantly bolstered its global IP practice with a series of hires including a quartet of Simmons & Simmons partners in London, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan patent litigation partner Jan Ebersohl in Munich, and AstraZeneca China GC David Shen, who now leads the China IP practice out of Shanghai.

The firm now has 20 IP partners around the world, including nine in London. In the US, where the firm is understood to be in merger talks with O'Melveny & Myers, a firm well regarded for its disputes credentials, A&O has 12 litigation partners, although none of those focus on IP.

Seward comments: "We're integrating the IP hires we made in London, China and Germany in patent litigation and brands. Building on that investment, we will have the premier IP practice amongst the global elite."

She adds that she also wants to grow the arbitration and investigations practices to respond to "buoyant demand". She comments: "International arbitration is still hugely popular, particularly in energy, natural resources and infrastructure. After a changeable time in the M&A market, there are also a number of disputes arising out of deals that haven't gone through."

In addition, she plans to grow the firm's employment offering: "If you can join up your employment offering with an integrated regulatory and litigation offering, that's something few can properly do, and is very powerful."

Seward also wants to encourage progression within the firm's junior ranks by encouraging them to identify their talented peers, rather than just leaving it to those more senior.

She says: "I would like to encourage the identification of talent at a grassroots level, rather than the traditional top-down approach. Some hidden talent will be more visible to peers, so I would like more of a bottom-up process." A&O made up four litigation lawyers to partner in its most recent promotion round.

The firm, which launched a dedicated tech startup initiative called Fuse last year, is also eyeing advances in litigation support technology. The venture, which has seen eight fledgling companies move into a specially-designed space in the magic circle firm's London headquarters, aims to identify up-and-coming tech businesses for A&O to build relationships with.

Seward comments: "If someone gets e-disclosure right, that's worth looking at. But at the same time, advances in technology will give rise to new challenges for our clients – we'll see new product wars, issues over trade secrets and related employee issues."