US firm Armstrong Teasdale has acquired a London practice with 50 lawyers and staff, citing the ‘tremendous growth opportunities’ in the UK capital.

The St Louis-based firm acquired Kerman & Co, a commercial firm with offices in London and Dublin, on 5 February. Armstrong Teasdale now has 340 lawyers globally and will assume Kerman & Co.’s existing office space on the Strand.

The announcement is a welcome vote of confidence in London as a legal centre following the UK’s departure from the EU. Armstrong Teasdale’s managing partner David Braswell said the firm is ‘now in a position to take advantage of tremendous growth opportunities in London’.

‘This move clearly aligns with the strategic goals we set forth to carry the firm into the future, and I am consistently impressed by our team and the progress that has been made to-date. I look forward to adding Kerman’s well-rounded experience to our firm, and progressing forward as one in 2021 and beyond,’ he said.

Kerman & Co managing partner Daniel O’Connell said he is ‘looking forward to further developing our London office, whilst building a strong bridge into Europe under the Armstrong Teasdale brand’.

A number of City firms have sought to boost their presence in mainland Europe in the wake of Brexit. Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard are opening offices in Amsterdam and Paris respectively, while US practice Simpson Thacher & Bartlett will open an office in Brussels this summer focusing on European regulatory and legal issues.

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