E&Y hire maintains TwoBirds' Italy growth

Bird & Bird has raided Ernst & Young's (E&Y) Italian corporate practice as it continues its European hiring spree.

The departure of M&A partner Edoardo Courir is the second this year for E&Y's corporate practice in Italy, after department head Paolo Tanoni left earlier in the year for Lovells.

In the past few months, Bird & Bird has made a bigger corporate team in Italy a top priority. Italian corporate head Alberto Salvadè said: "Our team in Italy has experienced substantial growth recently and we've appointed five assistants in the past few months."

Courir's practice encompasses a mix of M&A, competition and litigation work. He will join Bird & Bird's Milan office, where he will work with Salvadè.

The new partner hire increases Bird & Bird's Milan partner count to seven, and the worldwide corporate partner number to 35. Courir is the second partner to join Bird & Bird within a month after IT partner Simon Fielder joined the firm from the London office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.