Top 15 London firm Ashurst Morris Crisp is set this autumn to press for a resolution to its merger talks with New York’s Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson.

Partners at Ashursts have told Legal Week Global that the firm will step up its merger talks with Fried Frank amid expectations that a deal could be reached after the summer break. Although Ashursts has approached other US practices, Fried Frank is regarded as the most likely contender to help the firm break into the US market.