Taylor Wessing is merging with Austrian law firm ENWC, handing the Anglo-German firm its first offices in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

The merger with the 70-lawyer practice firm will see the addition of eight offices across six new jurisdictions added to the group, with the CEE arm to operate under the name Taylor Wessing ENWC. The union went live today (4 May).

ENWC, founded in 1986 as Natlacen Walderdorff Cancola, is a 24-partner firm with offices in Budapest, Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Warsaw, Kiev, Klagenfurt and Vienna. It focuses on the commercial, industrial, service, banking and insurance sectors.

The Austrian firm will remain a separate partnership and profit centre within the Taylor Wessing group.

Taylor Wessing said the CEE has been a target region for the firm based on its strategy of expanding in developing economies. Its only previous foray in the region was to form a referral relationship with Polish law firm BSJP in 2009, which ended in February this year.

Taylor Wessing UK managing partner Tim Eyles (pictured) said: "We have been looking at this region for a while. If we are going to be in the emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East we should also have comprehensive coverage in Europe. We are, originally, a European firm. The move is driven by clients mainly – we have a number of clients telling us this is a hole in the network.

"We have done a lot of research and found that ENWC is the most complementary firm to become a member of the Taylor Wessing network. They have good lawyers, with a great reputation and we found they have similar aspirations and share our international ambitions."

Taylor Wessing most recently added a Singapore arm through the combination with Singapore ally RHT Law in March, which now goes under the name RHT Law Taylor Wessing. Taylor Wessing said it does not rule out further European openings but that the next priority target is to add a Hong Kong arm to its existing China practice.

ENWC managing partner Raimund Cancola commented: "As our clients become increasingly international in their outlook and requirements, the decision to become part of an international law firm is logical, allowing us to grow with them in this fast changing and increasingly competitive environment."

Taylor Wessing was formed in 2002 through the union of UK firm Taylor Joynson Garrett and Germany's Wessing.

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