Baker & McKenzie clinches Austrian debut with local merger

Baker & McKenzie has opened an Austrian office following a merger with local 21-lawyer firm Kerres & Diwok.
The two founding partners of the Austrian firm, Dr Christoph Kerres and Georg Diwok, have joined Baker & McKenzie’s international partnership. The office will also have two local partners.
Baker & McKenzie's executive chairman Christine Lagarde said the merger would further develop the firm’s central and eastern European practice. "Vienna is capital of a thriving economy in its own right and a natural gateway to other central European countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. It is a natural step in the continued expansion of Baker & McKenzie," she said.
Christoph Kerres will be managing partner of the new office, which will be Baker & McKenzie’s 66th worldwide. On 13 February the firm opened an office in Shanghai.