Linklaters' Swedish spin-off Kastell has hired Bird & Bird litigation partner Henrik Bielenstein.

The hire gifts Kastell, which was launched earlier this month by former Linklaters competition partners Kent Karlsson and Erik Soederlind, with a litigation capacity.

Bielenstein spent three years with Bird & Bird, prior to which he was a partner and head of the dispute resolution group at Linklaters' Stockholm office. He specialises in litigation and arbitration work with a particular focus on contractual and professional liability and insurance cases.

Soederlind told Legal Week: "The hire of Henrik gives us a litigation practice and brings us one step closer to the final set-up of our boutique. We intend to offer services in intellectual property (IP), litigation and competition and will now be looking for IP capacity to complete this outline. Having worked together previously, we knew Henrik would fit well with us, and we are excited to be progressing so quickly."

Prior to launching Kastell, Karlsson was based in Linklaters' Stockholm office, while Soederlind was based in Hong Kong and served as head of competition and antitrust.

Linklaters has seen a number of departures from its Swedish arm in recent years. Prior to Karlsson's departure, M&A partner Martin Boerresen left the office to join Ashurst in May 2010. The magic circle firm now has eight partners in Stockholm.

Both Karlsson and Soederlind joined Linklaters' Swedish competition practice in 2001 through its merger with local firm Lagerloef & Leman.