The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, tier 6

Bird & Bird is best known and well appreciated for its IP-related antitrust work such as advising Nokia on antitrust aspects of the proceedings against IPCom. The team also advised Johnson Controls in EU merger control proceedings regarding its acquisition of Michel Thierry. Jörg Witting is recommended along with the ‘first-class’ Anne Federle, who divides her time between Brussels and Düsseldorf.

Within Mid-sized deals, Bird & Bird is a second tier firm,

Bird & Bird advised Lenovo on its public takeover of Medion; GEA Group on an M&A transaction in Germany; and PayPal on the acquisition of shares in BillSAFE. Wolfgang Hess, whose network of contacts is valued by clients, is recommended along with Alexander Schröder-Frerkes. The firm notably recruited Kerstin Mast from Noerr.

Within Employment ,

Taylor Wessing is reaping dividends from the realignment of its practice according to industry expertise, with technology, infrastructure and life sciences particularly noteworthy. This ‘very pragmatic and solutions-oriented’ team, headed by Jörg Bausch, acted for Evonik Industries on the sale of its carbon black division and regularly advises Google Deutschland. Oliver Bertram joined from Kleiner Rechtsanwälte, but Roland Falder moved to Bird & Bird.

Within Litigation, Bird & Bird is a first tier firm,

Bird & Bird’s great strength in IP means that, ‘however large the litigation, it has high-quality lawyers who can be deployed to excellent effect’, say clients. The team represented Denso in infringe-ment and parallel antitrust law proceedings, acted for Honeywell in an international dispute regarding a new refrigerant for automotive air conditioning systems, and represented Nokia in its extensive dispute with IPCom. Telecoms is an area where the firm has deep experience, as is pharmaceuticals, where GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a new client win. ‘Strong court advocate’ Oliver Jan Jüngst writes ‘clear and persuasive briefs’, and ‘excellent litigator’ Christian Harmsen displays ‘very good technical understanding’.

Within IP: trade marks , Bird & Bird is a first tier firm,

Bird & Bird excels at administering large trade mark portfolios and rendering long-term strategic advice, including in a litigation or multi-jurisdictional context. It is also expert in advising on interaction at the intersection of trade mark and media law, the latter being a growth area for the firm. The team comprehensively advises Peek & Cloppenburg, and handles Richemont’s Cartier and Montblanc trade marks. Christian Harmsen and Uwe Lüken are recommended.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , Bird & Bird is a third tier firm,

Bird & Bird has ‘excellent business acumen and industry knowledge’ as well as ‘excellent’ depth, and also leverages the firm’s first-rate IP expertise. Litigation and e-commerce have been growing areas for the practice, which recently advised Merck variously on outsourcings, IT projects and software agreements, and represented Kaspersky in IT litigation. Fabian Niemann gives ‘practical advice’, and Alexander Duisberg is also highly regarded.

Within Media: Entertainment Other recommended firms

Within Media: Press and publishing, tier 4

Bird & Bird achieved a coup when it took an entire team, including the highly regarded Stefan Engels and Michael Stulz-Herrnstadt, from Hogan Lovells International LLP. The team is rated as one of the best in the market, and has brought numerous well-known clients with it following the move. It will benefit from the wider firm’s strong IT and IP practices. Clients include Bauer Media Group and the German press agency, dpa.

Within Public sector , tier 4

Bird & Bird fields a leading public procurement practice, and this specialised team recently acted for several pharmaceuticals companies and public health insurers regarding various tender procedures and litigation, and advised a city on its IT procurement procedures. Jan Byok is the name to note.

Within Telecoms , Bird & Bird is a third tier firm,

Bird & Bird increasingly advises IT clients on related telecoms matters, with one example being its advice to Google on regulatory framework conditions for the introduction of Google Voice in Germany. It advises 1&1 Internet on telecoms wholesale and supplier agreements, and ACN on range of telecoms laws and regulations including consumer protection laws. Sven-Erik Heun heads the practice.