Group

We have had an international presence since our foundation in the 1930s and have always seized new opportunities to practise across the world.

Over the years we have helped shape and been involved in many ground-breaking developments in the legal field. We advised on the first ever hostile takeover in the City of London, drafted the first ever Eurobond in the 1960s and have taken the lead on creating many innovative structures in all core areas of our practice.

A strong and growing international dimension prompted us to become one of the first UK practices to establish international offices. We opened our first in Dubai in January 1978.

In the last 15 years Allen & Overy has become a truly international practice, opening offices in all key international financial centres, branching out into newly emerging legal markets, and merging with leading firms on the European continent. Today, more than half the firm's revenues are outside the UK.

Allen & Overy elected a non-UK managing partner, Wim Dejonghe, in 2008, while former managing partner David Morley was elected senior partner.

In 2010 - our 80th year - we annouced part-time partnership arrangements to encourage more of our best lawyers to stay at the firm through to partnership. 

We also opened offices in Sydney, Perth and Qatar, and an association in Jakarta, taking our global presence to 39 offices in 27 countries.