Bird & Bird has entered into a cooperation agreement with leading Istanbul IT and telecoms boutique BTS & Partners, just a week after announcing a similar arrangement with two Indonesian firms.
Bird & Bird has a longstanding working relationship with BTS, which is rated by The Legal 500 as a first tier firm in the IT and telecoms sector.
The Turkish tie-up is said by the top 20 firm to be in response to increasing client demand for legal services in the transcontinental jurisdiction, particularly in the technology sector, which is also one of Bird & Bird’s core areas of focus.
It is hoped by both firms that the association will allow them to provide domestic legal services for multinational corporations competing in the Turkish market and for the growing number of Turkish companies competing in the global markets.
Bird & Bird is the latest in a line of firms to strike a Turkish alliance, after November saw CMS launch a presence in Istanbul led by corporate partner John Fitzpatrick. In February 2013 Pinsent Masons entered into a joint venture with local lawyer Noyan Göksu – formerly head of arbitration at Turkey’s largest law firm Hergüner Bilgen Özeke – while US firm Edwards Wildman received approval from the Istanbul Bar Association to operate as a foreign law firm, offering services in cross-border private equity and corporate M&A. In addition, it confirmed an association with local boutique Ismen in early September.
Bird & Bird’s CEO David Kerr said: ‘Turkey has proved a significant region for our clients, particularly those in technology driven sectors. BTS & Partners has been repeatedly ranked as a regional leader in technology and innovation and together we will be able to provide our clients with a high quality, comprehensive offer on a local and global level.’
Yasin Beceni, managing partner of BTS, added: ‘BTS’s local knowledge and Bird & Bird’s global capabilities for advising clients in industries that are being disrupted by the use of technology will help us provide even more comprehensive and unique solutions for both national and multinational clients.’
At the end of June Bird & Bird announced it had signed strategic cooperation agreements with two Indonesian law firms, intellectual property specialists K&K Advocates and business law firm Nurjadin Sumono Mulyadi & Partners.
Tom.moore@legalease.co.uk