Bird & Bird and IT client BEA Systems (BEA) have parted ways after an acrimonious row.
The Nasdaq-listed software company received a call from Bird & Bird in late January in which the firm said it was ending the relationship, which has lasted for about 12 months.
Bird & Bird had beaten Eversheds in a tender process to secure its place as BEA¹s main provider of legal advice in Europe early last year. The company has a legal spend of £1m-£5m in Europe.
Bird & Bird had received instructions on cross-border work ranging from trademark issues and property to public procurement issues and whistleblowing policies.
Although it was Bird & Bird¹s decision to end the relationship, Nils Breidenstein, BEA¹s European general counsel, told Legal Week: ³We have decided that Bird & Bird cannot provide BEA with the sort of service we require. We are looking for alternatives.²
Breidenstein added: ³The quality of work was not in-line with what I was charged. Their presentation and format was not what you would expect.²
Bird & Bird chief executive David Kerr declined to comment on the BEA relationship, but said: ³Client feedback on our cross-border services over the past couple of years has been fantastic.²
It is also understood that the amount of work BEA sent over to Bird & Bird was not as substantial as had been initially suggested when the two parties began their relationship.
Breidenstein is looking to replace BEA¹s external adviser within the next month and is considering a number of smaller UK regional firms. He will also look at international firms.
