Nordic firm Magnusson has secured a second base in Russia by merging with St Petersburg-based firm Kachkin & Partners.

The launch is set to go live in April. The office will sit alongside Magnusson's offering in Moscow, which opened in 2005. It will be staffed by a team of 22 lawyers, including three partners, and will be led by legacy name partner Denis Kachkin.

Kachkin's key practice areas are real estate, construction, land and corporate law, dispute resolution and arbitration.

Senior partner Per Magnusson said: "St Petersburg is a natural choice for us. There is a lot of market activity between Scandinavia and the Baltic states, and the office would support our Russian coverage.

"Our Scandinavian and Finnish clients often go to St Petersburg rather than Moscow given its proximity. It is in the heart of the Baltic sea region, which fits perfectly with our strategy."

The move brings Magnusson's office count to 16 across 12 countries. Last October Magnusson opened an office in Ukraine with a 10-lawyer team led by partner Anton Prysyazhnyuk, who joined from Cypriot firm Andreas Neocleous.

The firm also opened in Berlin and in Lithuania last year. In the previous year Magnusson launched in Estonia, Latvia and Norway, with the latter set up through an associated office in Oslo.