Allen and Overy (A&O) hopes to expand its newly launched Casablanca office to a team of 25 people, with a mix of recruits from the local population and its Paris office.

A&O, whose Moroccan office will be opening in September, is the first of the ‘magic circle’ law firms to expand into Africa. The firm plans to hire its new recruits by next year.

“We hope that the bulk of recruits will be local candidates,” says Campbell McIlory, PR for banking practice at A&O.

Having advised on £12bn worth of Africa-related mergers and acquisitions since 2009, McIlroy says this was a logical move for A&O: “Our focus on Africa was already expansive. With the recently launched Casablanca Finances City (CFC) and our strong ties already established there through our Paris, Madrid and Dubai offices, there are so many things that work about this expansion.”