Bird & Bird

A natural fit for Ireland, a big draw for local lawyers

The Bird & Bird brand is as prestigious as its blue-chip clients; entry into the Irish market was perhaps long overdue. “We’d been looking at it for several years,” says Sally Shorthose, IP and life sciences partner and initial head of the firm’s Dublin office which opened in June. The focus is on Bird & Bird’s core specialisms: privacy and data protection, technology, life sciences, intellectual property and corporate law.

“Our corporate colleagues were involved in many transfers/ setting up of European headquarters,” says Shorthose. “Time and again, the Irish option was the most attractive, not only for US companies but also for Indian or Chinese companies because it’s anglophone and Common Law is something they can get their heads round. People just like the market; where one company goes, others follow.”