2Birds migrates to CEE with Prague launch

Bird & Bird has launched a Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) desk with the hire of rated Czech Republic technology and media partner Stephen Kines, paving the way for an office opening in Prague.

At Bird & Bird Kines will coordinate CEE technology work across all the firm's offices, starting with the UK, Germany and France. His practice will focus on Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Initially Kines will be based out of the London office, but he said the firm plans to launch an office in Prague later this year. "The intention is to build a presence in CEE. The process is underway to have an office there," he said.

Kines added: "Bird & Bird was a natural fit for me. It was the right partner with a local interest in CEE and a focus on technology, media?and?telecoms [TMT]."

Kines was previously head of Linklaters' CEE technology group, which he left in 2004 to co-found Prague TMT boutique Kines?Böhmová?& Schollaert, along with a team of six associates from the magic circle firm.

He left the Kines partnership at the end of last year to become general counsel at Silicon Valley technology start-up company Newstin, which provides users with a database of news stories from the world press.

This is the latest push for expansion by Bird & Bird after the firm merged with Finland's Fennica Attorneys last month.