Legal Business

The American dream: US firms in expansion mode amid wave of international office openings

Spring seems to have brought out the globetrotting spirit among American law firms, with Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Kirkland & Ellis, Winston & Strawn and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan all announcing plans for ambitious office launches in recent weeks.

The headline investment was Cravath’s commitment to a new office in Washington DC. The move, announced on 6 June, will be seen as something of a coup for the traditionally conservative Wall Street giant, the new outpost becoming just the third in Cravath’s international portfolio. The New York headquarters was established in 1819 and the London office opened in 1973. The Manhattan stalwart also once had a presence in Paris and Hong Kong, although those closed in 1983 and 2003 respectively.