With over 1,200 lawyers and legal practitioners across a network of 28 offices both in Europe and Asia-Pacific, Bird & Bird is well known for its technology and IP focus with a full practice approach, and specializes in delivering expertise across the full range of legal services. Our clients build their businesses on technology and intangible assets, and operate in regulated markets. Our deep industry understanding of key sectors includes not only the tech and communications sector, but also aviation & defense, energy & utilities, financial services, food & beverage, life sciences, media and sport. We operate as one truly international partnership, committed to providing clients with advice from the right lawyers, in the right locations.  Our open and flexible business culture allows us to respond quickly and effectively to the commercial pressures they face with business-minded solutions.

Bird & Bird & Israel

Israel is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative countries, particularly with regard to R&D.  This is reflected in the fact that there are more start-ups per capita than any other nation and, aside from the USA and China, has more companies listed on the Nasdaq than any other country.  Bird & Bird focus on protecting the innovations of fast growing businesses in an increasingly globalized world Bird & Bird has a long history of working with Israeli clients, in areas including technology, life sciences, energy and financial services. Bird & Bird’s pre-eminence and expertise in Israel’s key industry sectors, together with our global reach and our understanding of Israel’s business culture, means that we are able to provide a broad range of legal services to fast growing Israeli clients. We frequently advise Israeli businesses on legal issues relating to intellectual property, commercial contracts, corporate, employment, real estate, banking, privacy and data protection and tax, amongst others. Our experience and expertise places us in an extremely strong position to:

• support Israeli companies which are looking to operate abroad; and
• create openings for existing clients who are seeking to explore opportunities in Israel.

Our Experience:

Life Sciences

With lawyers who have hands on experience from working in life sciences companies and the bodies that regulate them, we offer a unique breadth and depth of expertise in the sector. Our international Life Sciences team comprises of 69 partners and over 130 lawyers operating in 26 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Our specialist lawyers combine their legal skills, in depth industry knowledge and scientific background to provide a multi-disciplinary approach which delivers more than core legal and litigation services. Life Sciences is at the heart of what we do: we’ve been doing it for over 25 years and we make it our business to stay ahead of developments in the market. We are the highest ranked law firm for life sciences work in the Chambers Global directory outside the US and are well versed in the full range of legal issues affecting the industry. According to the Forbes “World’s Biggest Company Report”, more than half of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies choose to instruct us. Our full service group offers intellectual property, regulatory, product liability, commercial and corporate advice to some of the world’s most innovative companies in the life sciences sector across the world, from small start-up companies to large complex organisations and therefore are at the forefront of the international life sciences industry.  We have built our practice in the belief that it is important to understand the scientific, ethical and business challenges facing companies in the sector, to be able to take these into account in a practical commercial way when advising our clients.

Tech & Comms

Israel’s vibrant technology sector hosts R&D centres for some of the world’s most innovative companies including IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Google and eBay. Bird & Bird’s team has market leading expertise in technology and communications underpinned by our deep industry and market knowledge and longstanding commitment to these areas. We have been at the forefront of legal developments in the sector for many decades, and have unrivalled expertise in advising on matters ranging from smaller innovative projects to some of the largest, most complex and ground-breaking transactions and disputes of recent years. Our Tech & Comms team includes lawyers with a particular focus on Communications, Devices & Components, Digital Tech & eCommerce and Software & Services as well as a number of more specialist industries including Data Centres, Postal and Satellites. We have deep expertise and experience in a number of the key issues and developments that are shaping the Tech & Comms marketplace including:

• agile development methodologies;
• artificial intelligence;
• big data;
• cloud services;
• cyber and IT security;
• M2M;
• the internet of things and smart metering;
• mobile payments and apps;
• next generation genomics;
• open source and open data;
• robotics; and software patentability;
• spectrum auctions, sharing and trading; and
• 3D printing.

Energy & Utilities – Renewables

The renewable energy and cleantech sectors are a key part of our longstanding and broadly based work across the energy and utilities sectors, giving us a deep understanding of the challenges our clients seek to address. With more than 100 lawyers across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we advise on a range of energy matters including electricity generation, energy trading, gas storage, electricity and gas transmission, distribution and supply, Oil & Gas, water and sewerage and renewable energy, cleantech and climate change. Our renewables & cleantech team advise both commercial and public sector organisations on a wide range of legal issues within the renewables and cleantech sector including advice on the use of carbon credits and trading schemes, solar and wind feed-in tariffs, unbundling of European energy supplies and protection and maximisation of intellectual property assets. Working closely with many organisations who are developing or investing in projects and technological solutions to the challenges presented by the combined forces of climate change and energy security, you will benefit from our deep understanding of the issues facing the sector. We advise on a wide range of issues such as corporate work, projects, intellectual property, regulatory, commercial contracts and dispute resolution. We provide advice to clients working in:

• Biomass;
• Energy from waste;
• Onshore and offshore wind;
• Solar;
• Wave and tidal power;
• Hydro power;
• Transmission systems including subsea cables; and
• Carbon capture and trading.