US firm Winston & Strawn remains open to a merger with a UK law firm after making its long-delayed London debut with the hire of two corporate partners from the City office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius this week.

Partners at the firm have indicated to Legal Week that the firm’s City launch – which saw partners Tom Benz and Zoe Ashcroft join from Morgan Lewis on Wednesday (28 May) – is being viewed as a pre-cursor to a full-scale tie-up with a credible UK player.