Allen & Overy appears keen to open up an office in Johannesburg and has been in discussions with potential candidates to man the base, including, it is claimed, some partners in Bowman Gilfillan. Bowmans declined to comment while Allen & Overy told Legal Week that ‘interested parties’ regularly come to talk to it. An A&O spokesman said: ‘Africa is a strategically important region and one that we continue to monitor very closely for further growth opportunities.’ But a partner in another firm in South Africa said: A&O had been talking to people in South Africa for nearly two years. Source: Legal Week