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There’s no alternative to having a strong presence in North America, according to top partnersIllustration: Vjom/Getty Images

In recent years, in London, the UK’s top law firms have been battling their deep-pocketed US rivals, who have encroached on their home turf. Now, those firms are turning the tables and taking the fight across the Atlantic to the US by making a fresh push to break into the world’s biggest legal market.

Magic Circle firms’ first forays stateside started in the 1970s, but they are now trying again to gain traction there — a pursuit not for the faint-hearted in the intensely competitive market.