Eversheds picks up 7-lawyer team from Bird & Bird in Paris

Eversheds Sutherland has hired a Bird & Bird team of seven lawyers in Paris to expand its employment offering across France and continental Europe. The move brings the firm’s tally of lateral partner hires in continental Europe to 17 this year.

The team is led by senior partner Benjamine Fiedler, former head of Bird & Bird’s Paris employment practice and former Paris and Lyon co-managing partner, along with partner Chris Ivey, with experience across the full lifecycle of employment relations management, the firm said.

The joining team also includes principal associate Caroline Mouriquand, senior associate Eugenie Choay, and associates Sofia Merlet, Adrien Paquet and Henri Mayeur.

European moves

The latest hires continue a busy period for Eversheds Sutherland in Europe. In August, the firm added a 10-lawyer team in Prague from a local boutique specialising in real estate and litigation.

It followed that up in September by relaunching in Ireland, bringing together 26 partners and around 170 staff across Dublin and Belfast under one combined practice. And just last week, the firm hired disputes lawyer Anne-Marie Lacoste from Quinn Emanuel as a partner in Paris.

The firm has been operating in Paris since 1984. The office has around 20 partners.

What they said

Diane Gilhooley, global head of employment, said: "Benjamine’s and Chris’ hire and the expansion of the team confirms our ambition to be the leading global employment and labor practice in France."

Incoming partner Fiedler said: "This integration of our two teams represents a powerful and complementary alignment of talent and experience, which we’re thrilled to be a part of. Though we join as two teams, we move forward as one - working together to unlock the many opportunities now available and reaffirming our competitive edge in key markets."