The move comes more than a decade after the only other leading international player in the market, White & Case, opened its doors in
The top 20 City firm announced last week (12 March) that Fennica would be brought under the Bird & Bird banner from 1 May. The Finnish IT and technology-focused firm has 33 lawyers, including 10 partners — making it the sixth-biggest firm in the country.
The launch will be Bird & Bird’s second office in the Nordic region, coming seven years after it opened in
Bird & Bird chief executive David Kerr (pictured) told Legal Week: “It gives us a very strong footprint in the Nordic region and provides an ideal platform to exploit the strong trading links between
Jori Taipale, managing partner of Fennica, said: “We found that Bird & Bird is a perfect match. Not only will our international capability now cover many major economic business centres across Europe, as well as the growing Chinese market, but — importantly — our people will also benefit from the opportunity to further develop their own professional skills.”
Given Bird & Bird’s technology focus, its decision to open in
Johan Aalto, managing partner of
“Fennica is the firm that is most closely aligned with Bird & Bird’s focus on technology work. It is a logical development for them as they have had a strong IT and technology profile in the Finnish market and have been taking on more international work.”
Fennica’s clients include global technology companies Xerox and SAP, as well as Finnish broadband and mobile network provider Elisa.
News of Bird & Bird’s Finnish launch came as Finnish firms Juridia and Heinonen & Co confirmed that they are to merge with effect from 1 April, with the combined firm practising under the Juridia banner.
