Allen & Overy
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| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 46 worldwide in 32 countries |
| No. of lawyers | approximately 2,821 |
| No. of employees | approximately 5,077 |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Revenue |
 £1.23 billion |
| Date founded | 1 January 1930 |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | |
| www.allenovery.com | |
Allen & Overy (informally A&O) is an international law firm headquartered in London. A member of the UK's Magic Circle of leading law firms, Allen & Overy is widely considered to be one of the world's most elite law firms, advising national and multinational corporations, financial institutions, and governments.
Since its founding in 1930, Allen & Overy has grown to become one of the largest law firms in the world, both by number of lawyers and revenue. With over 5,000 staff including over 500 partners in 46 offices worldwide, the firm provides legal advice in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.
Allen & Overy was founded in the City of London on 1 January 1930 by George Allen and Thomas Overy, formerly partners at Roney & Co. The main purpose was to build a commercial practice. The firm's reputation was made as a result of George Allen's role as advisor to King Edward VIII during the abdication crisis of 1936. By the time the Second World War broke out in 1939, Allen & Overy had firmly established itself as a leading City law firm.
Over the years, Allen & Overy has been involved in many developments in the legal field. Such work has included advising on the first hostile takeover in the City of London and acting for S. G. Warburg & Co. The firm arranged the first Eurobond (issued by Italian motorway group Autostrada) in the 1960s. Some say that the Eurobond issue in 1963 was the single most important transaction in its history.
The Eurobond transaction significantly diversified A&O's practice from a purely commercial into commercial and financial firm. Through the 1970s the firm's finance and corporate practice grew in the UK and internationally.
Although now a global player, the firm was quite international from the outset, advising mostly Canadian banks and companies. In the last 15 years, Allen & Overy has opened offices in international financial centres, branching out into newly emerging markets.
In 2000, Allen & Overy established an online subscription business, Derivative Services LLP, which provides commoditised legal solutions.
In May 2004, the worldwide partnership of Allen & Overy converted to a limited liability partnership, Allen & Overy LLP, which works together with associated undertakings in some jurisdictions to form a worldwide legal practice. In July 2008 Allen & Overy broke the £1 billion turnover mark, and, for the first time, over half of its turnover was generated outside London. Also in that year, Allen & Overy opened five new offices in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Mannheim, Düsseldorf and São Paulo, and announced a new association in Romania. The firm also announced a referral arrangement with Trilegal in India.
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