Bird & Bird merges with Finnish firm Fennica

Bird & Bird has boosted its Nordic coverage, merging with 10-partner Finnish firm Fennica Attorneys.

The merger gives Bird & Bird its first office in Helsinki. Fennica has 33 lawyers and a turnover of €10m (£7.6m). The firm is full service but specializes in advice to clients in the telecommunications and IT sectors.

David Kerr, managing partner of Bird & Bird said: "We see this merger as the latest step in Bird & Bird's continued expansion into new markets. The combination of this new deal and our highly successful Stockholm office gives us a very strong footprint in the Nordic Region and provides an ideal platform to exploit the strong trading links between
Sweden and Finland."

Fennica was founded in 1999, one year before Bird & Bird launched its first Nordic office in Sweden. From the start of May, Fennica will change its name to Bird & Bird Attorneys.

Fennica managing partner Jori Taipale said: "We recognize that as a growing proportion of our clients are international, we need to be able to offer a high quality international service."

Bird & Bird's expansive international strategy has seen the firm post its highest half-year revenue figures, with the firm hitting £68.5m in the first six months of 2007.