Bird & Bird

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Overview

Recent years have seen Bird & Bird establish itself firmly in the ranks of ambitious, upwardly-mobile City operators, with the firm rising to 15th place in Legal Week's UK top 50 rankings. The firm defies easy comparisons, though its tech focus and internationalism have some similarities to Osborne Clarke, while its practice is sometimes bracketed alongside more corporate-driven firms like Olswang and Taylor Wessing.

Having grown quickly in recent years, including rapid international expansion over the past decade, Bird & Bird's turnover for 2008-09 had reached £186.3m - representing an increase of 30% on the previous year - with partner profits standing at a respectable £481,000.

Unusually, Bird & Bird has grown through its core intellectual property (IP) practice and focused on related industry sectors, rather than building around corporate. The firm was a pioneer of international expansion after beginning an aggressive programme of growth in the late 1990s - a move that many rivals saw as the preserve of larger firms.

The last ten years have seen the firm grow from its base in London and small offices in Brussels and Hong Kong to a total of 21 offices across 15 countries. More than two thirds of the firm's 215 partners are now based outside of the UK.

With the firm maintaining substantial growth in recent years, Bird & Bird appears to have carved out a significant and lucrative position for itself in Europe's legal market. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a firm that that is not driven by its transactional practice, the firm has also maintained a decent reputation for its treatment of staff, work/life balance and culture.

History

Bird & Bird traces its roots back to 1846, when Bird & Moore was founded by William Bird and James Moore. The firm was later renamed Bird & Bird under the leadership of William Bird and his cousin Ernest Bird.

The firm built up its IP practice and in 1909 conducted its first reported patent case - 'Z' Electric Manufacturing Co v Marples Leach & Co, a dispute over filaments for incandescent electric lightbulbs.

In 1958 the firm started to show the first signs of its expansionary style after acquiring the practice Richard Furber & Son Windsor & Brown. Nine years later the firm merged with Ranken Ford & Chester, one of London's oldest law firms, its origins dating back to the 18th century.

Bird & Bird won its first telecoms client during the 1980s as telecoms liberalisation got underway in the UK, and the firm swiftly built a commanding profile in the sector, also conducting the first Judicial Review of OFTEL in 1989.

In common with numerous City rivals, the theme of the following decade was expansion. Bird & Bird first launched an overseas outpost in Brussels in 1991, followed by Hong Kong in 1995 and Paris and Sweden in 2000.

An opportunistic launch in Germany came in 2002 with the hire of an eight-partner team from the fracturing Andersen Legal network.

The firm, which had been one of the worst-affected law firms in the early 1990s recession, was to show admirable pluck to continue to invest through the post-2001 collapse in its core TMT market, with continental Europe continuing to see substantial investment. By late 2009, the firm had a built up a network of 21 offices across Europe and Asia.

In February 2007 chief executive David Kerr (pictured above right) - a key architect of the firm's strategy - was re-elected, having led Bird & Bird since 1996. At the same time, Sweden managing partner Michael Frie took on the role of chairman from Hamish Sandison, becoming its first chair based out the UK.

In October 2008 the firm expanded its London operation via a merger with 30-lawyer City boutique Lane & Partners.

News, deals and analysis on Bird & Bird

Culture

Bird & Bird, like many law firms, describes itself as "open and collegiate", arguing that it puts a strong emphasis on high staff retention and associate involvement. The firm also claims to offer a "healthy work-life balance that avoids the City excesses of very long hours".

Aside from the usual marketing puff, neutral observers and independent research do largely back up this rosy view of the firm, which gets good reviews for its treatment of staff and team development.

Key departments

IP remains core for Bird & Bird, covering the full gamut of contentious and commercial work and patent enforcement. Other big areas for the firm are IT, media, sports, telecoms, life sciences and - perhaps appropriately - aviation. Recent recruitment in outsourcing has further bolstered an already strong team.

National/international coverage

As mentioned above, Bird & Bird has developed a substantial overseas network, operating a total of 21 offices across Europe and Asia.

The firm launched in Munich - Europe's key technology centre - in 2003, a year after planting its flag in Duesseldorf with the hire of an eight-partner team from the local arm of Andersen Legal. A Frankfurt launch came in 2005. France and Sweden, two of the first European markets the firm entered, are also particularly strong practices.

More recent launches include Rome and Madrid in 2005, Lyon in 2006, and in early 2008, the firm expanded its Scandinavian footprint after brokering a merger deal with Finnish independent Fennica Attorneys, making Bird & Bird one of the few international firms with a presence in Helsinki. That year also saw the firm open up in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, with a third China office in Shanghai.

Key clients

Major clients of the firm include BT, Sanofi-Aventis, BAE Systems, Yahoo!, The Football Association, EADS and Lenovo.

Leading partners

As you would expect from a firm that is a leader in many of its chosen fields, Bird & Bird has a wide crop of highly accomplished technical lawyers and client favourites. The firm's leading partners include:

- Paul Briggs (aviation);
- Trevor Cook, Morag Macdonald, Isabelle Leroux and Wolfgang von Meibom (IP);
- Howard Rubin (computer games);
- Jan Byok (public law);
- Justin Walkey and Felicity Reeve (pictured) (sport);
- Stephane Lemarchand (IT); and
- Marjolein Geus and Johan Tyden (telecoms).

Career prospects

Good - the firm retained 100% of its 16 qualifying trainees in London in 2009.

Salaries

In May 2008, the firm announced that pay for newly-qualified solicitors (NQs) would rise from £55,000 to £60,000 - an increase of 9%. This move was accompanied by increases across all associate pay bands, with first-year trainees' pay rising by more than 19% to £37,000. Second-year trainees were also rewarded with a double-digit increase, rising by more than 14% to £40,000, up from £35,000.

Recruitment

Main contacts are:

• Lynne Walters (graduate recruitment); and
• Vicky Thompson and Andrea Leighton (general recruitment).

Work-life balance

The firm is viewed as one of the least hours-centric of London's major law firms.

Awards/third-party citations

• 2009 - Service Provider of the Year, awarded at the Investor AllStars Awards, a leading industry event for the UK venture capital community
• 2009 - Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year, Singapore, awarded by Asian Legal Business SE Asia
• 2009 - Global Law Firm of the Year, awarded by the International Council of Jurists
• 2008-09 - IT Law Firm of the Year, awarded by JUVE

Pro bono/corporate social responsibility

Full details of the firm's pro bono and CSR activities can be found by clicking here.

In 2007, Bird & Bird became one of the founding members of Greenovate! Europe, a European grouping gathering experienced professionals with a focus on eco-innovation. The group offers a range of innovation support services at EU level to public and private research laboratories, technology developers, companies willing to acquire new technologies and investors. For further details, click here.

In 2008, Bird & Bird's office in The Hague signed up to sponsor War Child, while lawyers in Bird & Bird's Madrid office are collaborating with local government on the 'Knowing Your Laws' programme, which helps immigrants living in the city.

Diversity

For information on Bird & Bird's diversity policy and a few stats, click here.

In 2009 Bird & Bird announced the launch of its Bursary, which will provide financial assistance to talented UK students from underprivileged backgrounds to study law at university. The firm will also provide a mentoring programme to offer these students support and career guidance, including time with newly qualified trainees and partners.

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