It has been reported in The Lawyer that Clyde & Co are already in talks with a number of local Miami players and could announce a tie-up in the city as soon as June.

A June announcement would neatly coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the firm's first push into the US market. Clyde & Co launched its first US offices in New York and Los Angeles in 2006 following a four-partner raid on US firm Condon & Forsyth. Since then, the firm has added offices in Atlanta, New Jersey and San Francisco and expanded its US headcount to over 150 lawyers. The US arm, which remains primarily focused on the insurance sector, makes up about 10 per cent of Clyde & Co's global business.

'That we intend to grow our office network in the US is no secret,' commented a Clyde & Co spokesperson. 'Our ambition is to have a presence in all the key insurance centres across the US and the Americas and we continuously study the market for opportunities.'

However, the spokesperson declined to confirm any details of the firm's plans for Miami, saying only that a comment from the firm will come only after 'discussions are positively concluded.'

Miami is becoming an ever more attractive tie-up target for UK firms, with many viewing the city as a bridge between operations in Latin America and the US. Last year, DAC Beachcroft launched an office in Miami to connect its offices in Mexico, Chile and Columbia with insurance clients based in the US.