Stephen Bird is the chairman of the international law firm Bird & Bird. He has extensive experience advising public and private sector clients on various transactions, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Stephen has been a partner of Bird & Bird for over 30 years, having joined in 1984 and being made chairman in 2002. During this time, he has advised on every type of transaction imaginable – from large transactions like privatizations and carve-outs to smaller ones such as mergers into companies with small exposures to foreign jurisdictions.
- Awards
He has been awarded the Order of the British Empire and the French Legion d’Honneur. In 2009, he was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. He was also made Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his services to Polish companies and their shareholders in the UK. He also achieved the Lithuanian Order of Merit. He was also awarded the Belgian title of Officier de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques (Officer of the Order of Academic Palmes) for his services to Anglo-Belgian business and mergers.
- Career
At an early age, he was involved in the student protest movement as a National Union of Students press officer. He then became a spokesperson for the National Union of Teachers. He also worked for Greenpeace and the Law Society for Young People in its legal department. He served at the War Office and the Ministry of Defence. He spent a year as a visiting lecturer at the University of Essex and Brunel. In 1976, he became a Barrister at Law of Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the Bar in 1977. He joined Bird & Bird as a Partner in 1984. He managed to keep up his work at the Bar, and in 1983, he became the Chairman of the Law Society of England and Wales, a post he held until 1993. He is also a member of the International Law Commission and writes articles for legal journals. He writes regularly for newspapers and online publications such as Newsnight, The Times, and Huffington Post UK.
Stephen’s success has been attributed to his ability to understand and act on the ethical obligations of his clients. He has famously refused to take on controversial clients, citing the need for impartiality and objectivity when dealing with these issues. He is an active member of the Club of Rome and is a trustee of CAMS (The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). Stephen has been the Chief Executive of Young Advisors International, which runs The Future Forum.
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