DLA Piper has continued its Nordic expansion, confirming a merger with Swedish law firm Grönberg Advokatbyrå.
With a focus on commercial, corporate and M&A, dispute resolution and insolvency, Grönberg Advokatbyrå’s 21 lawyers and its seven support staff will join DLA’s 76 lawyers in its Stockholm office in October.
DLA signalled the merger will strengthen the firm’s offering in its key sectors: financial services, technology, energy, real estate and infrastructure and construction.
The announcement of the merger comes just four months after DLA confirmed it had agreed to a combination with 30-lawyer Finnish law firm Peltonen, which joined the firm’s Helsinki office. With offices across Finland, Norway and Sweden, DLA’s Nordic presences is now home to over 200 lawyers.
The Nordic region will now form part of DLA’s EMEA practice led by co-managing directors Barbara van Hussen and Juan Picon.
Grönberg Advokatbyrå partner Lars Wiking said although the firm was successful and a leading player in its specialist areas, it had been seeking a merger with an international practice ‘for some time’. ‘[We] are convinced that the future of business law requires international firms with strong local offices,’ Wiking said. ‘From the start, DLA Piper felt like the right fit as we both have a long history of operating in the Swedish market and share similar values. Now we can offer our clients access to unparalleled capability, both in the Nordic market and globally.’
DLA global co-CEO Simon Levine added: ‘We have already demonstrated a commitment to the Nordic region and the opportunity to join with an established firm such as Grönberg Advokatbyrå further supports this. As part of our global strategy we will continue to grow and develop our capabilities to meet the needs of our clients in all of the major world economies and other important markets in which they do business.’
Ashurst announced earlier this month it was closing down its Swedish offering with the firm’s 30 staff based in Stockholm moving to local firm Hamilton.
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk
