Bird & Bird, the European law firm, has opened a new office in Munich as Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, the US law firm, opens one in Brussels in efforts to boost their European presence.

Bird & Bird's Munich office, the firm's second in Germany, will open at the start of October, bringing its total number of offices to nine. Ulrich Goebel and Joseph Fesenmair, both partners at the firm, are spearheading the launch.