Bird & Bird appoints managing partner

Frankfurt partner and head of country Sven-Erik Heun, and Munich patent attorney Michael Alt, remain part of the management body. Jüngst took over the marketing domain from Byok and, as head of the recruiting team, will also work with Alt on HR issues.

Including partners from Bird & Bird’s renowned patent practice in the firm’s management team highlights the importance of the practice within the firm. A mixed team of lawyers and patent attorneys, Bird & Bird is one of the market leaders for patent litigation in Germany. The firm also has well-established patent teams in the UK, France and the Netherlands.

Varied vocation

Jüngst is regularly involved in large pharmaceutical cases. Lately, it has concerned generics manufacturers Stada and Aliud against Merck Sharp Dome (MSD) about the cholesterol-lowering drug Inegy, and for Ratiopharm against AstraZeneca concerning the breast cancer drug fulvestrant. Another line of work for Jüngst is mobile cases, with Nokia being a key client of Bird & Bird.

He also advises companies in industries such as semiconductors and technology, such as the US distributor Mouser Electronics in infringement proceedings against Soul Semiconductors over LED technology from Everlight.

Based in Düsseldorf, Jüngst has been with Bird & Bird since 2002. He joined the ranks of equity partners in 2004. Jüngst was previously senior associate at Wessing Berenberg-Gossler Zimmermann Lange, which became Taylor Wessing in 2002 following the merger with British law firm Taylor Joynson Garrett.

Before the merger Jüngst left Wessing as part of a team led by Wolfgang von Meibom. The team joined Andersen Luther in 2001. One year later the same team set up the first German office for Bird & Bird, based in Düsseldorf.

An international firm, the German Bird & Bird practice currently has more than 150 lawyers and patent attorneys working  in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg.