Linklaters has appointed a new Nordic managing partner, with Stockholm banking and finance head Per Nyberg to take over the role for a four-year term.

Nyberg will replace current managing partner Peter Hoegstroem from 1 September, with Hoegstroem set to return to full-time fee earning in the firm's Stockholm office.

Nyberg, who has been a partner in Stockholm since 1999, will split his time between management and fee earning and will remain head of the banking practice. Before taking up the head of banking role in 2007 he headed the local real estate group.

Hoegstroem was appointed as Nordic managing partner two years ago with a specific brief to make Linklaters' Swedish arm leaner and more transaction-oriented. The firm also wanted to give the office a Nordic, rather than Swedish, focus. Since Linklaters originally launched in Sweden through a merger with local firm Lagerloef & Leman in 2001, the operation has shrunk from 35 partners down to just 12.

Nyberg said: "The strategic review was one of Peter's main tasks and when that work is finished he wants to return to full-time fee earning. We believe that our office is well-adapted to the work we target, so we are not planning any further changes. My brief will be to further strengthen our strong position in the Nordic market."

The office has seen a large number of departures over the last year, notably losing a number of lawyers to Finnish firm Hannes Snellman's Stockholm start-up. Most recently Linklaters lost global management board member Ingvar Zander, who joined Hannes in June this year.

Linklaters on the Legal Week Wiki