Bird & Bird to open office in Lisbon

International law firm Bird & Bird is launching an office in Lisbon, thus bringing its European offices to 22.

IP and life sciences specialist Ana Rita Paínho will head the team, which also includes corporate and M&A lawyer Sofia Carreiro, one of counsel, two senior counsel and three associates. Paínho and Carreiro both join from Portuguese full-service firm Sérvulo & Associados.

The mixed practice has long operated an office in Madrid, and the new team in Lisbon is set to collaborate closely with the Spanish team to serve the Iberian market. It will cover IP, TMT, life sciences, corporate, M&A, employment law and litigation.

Coral Yáñez, Bird & Bird’s head of the Iberian region, says, “Portugal is a strong player in the European economy and is known for its significant trading activities. We see that Portugal’s growing reputation as a technology hub and innovation centre is very attractive to our clients. Many industries operate seamlessly across Spain, Portugal and beyond. By leveraging cross-border business synergies, key industry sectors and the success of our Madrid office, the opening in Lisbon is a logical step to further solidify our reputation in the Iberian market.”

Portugal key location

Ana Rita Paínho trained at Portuguese firm Veiga Gomes, Bessa Monteiro, Marques Bom & Associados. She joined Anselmo Vaz, Afra & Associados in 2008, where she became partner before the firm merged with Sérvulo & Associados in 2019. Paínho advises on trademarks, patents and IT, focusing on software, e-commerce, data protection, marketing and advertising.

Paínho says, “After years of working with Bird & Bird, there is a strong synergy between our client work and Bird & Bird’s vision of being a leading international law firm guiding organisations through a world shaped by technology, innovation and regulation. Portugal is a key location for technology and financial services companies.”

Like most Portuguese lawyers, Paínho does not focus exclusively on patent litigation but has a broader focus on IP law, technology and media.

The missing piece

However, the addition of Paínho in Lisbon now gives the pan-European patent team direct access to one of the smaller UPC local divisions, which has recently attracted the interest of companies for surprising lawsuits.

In the beginning, the local division in Lisbon did not see many cases but this has changed over the past two years. According to the UPC’s latest case statistics from June, the division currently has one infringment and two PI cases.

In October 2024, for example, the court denied Ericsson’s request for a PI against AsusTek in the division’s first such case. Ericsson also filed an infringement claim against Asus there. In May 2025, the court again rejected a PI application, this time from Boehringer Ingelheim against Zentiva. But later the Court of Appeal overturned the first-instance decision, granting the PI.

Bird & Bird is not involved in this case but was a first mover at the UPC, and was one of the few international law firms to adopt a mixed approach at an early stage. The firm maintains offices at all important UPC locations. Lisbon was a missing piece in the UPC puzzle.

With highly active teams in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the UK, Bird & Bird has made a good start at the UPC. Its patent litigators have played a role in many high-profile cases. For example, it represented NanoString in its dispute with 10x Genomics over diagnostic devices. The case reached the Court of Appeal and was one of the UPC’s first major disputes.

Bird & Bird’s wider UPC expansion

Despite its strong presence in the key jurisdictions for patent litigation, the firm has expanded its patent litigation services in smaller European jurisdictions in recent years. In 2023 for example, Bird & Bird expanded its presence in Ireland, following the hire of Ann Henry as a partner in its patent practice.

However, the firm has also repeatedly strengthened its established offices. In July, for example, Bird & Bird’s Hamburg offfice welcomed back renowned patent litigator Anna Wolters-Höhne, who had spent 17 years at the firm before leaving in 2021 for stints at her own firm and A&O Shearman. She primarily represents originators such as Takeda and generics manufacturers such as Teva in life sciences, as well as medical device manufacturers. (Co-author: Mathieu Klos)