About Me

As a Finnish senior corporate partner and the firm's Partner Head of Business Development in the Nordic Region, I have in-depth experience of complex cross-border M&A transactions and corporate and commercial work. I am also a member of our Finnish Management Team and a Board Member of OXYGY, the management consulting firm offering a multi-disciplinary offering with Bird & Bird.

Specialising in M&A, I have over 20 years' experience of structuring and negotiating complex transactions, with a focus on private M&A deals and both inbound and outbound cross-border work. You'll find me ranked in Chambers and Legal 500 legal directories, in the fields of both Corporate and Commercial law.

In recent years, a large part of my work has revolved around mergers & acquisitions with a technology sector angle, as well as advisory in the fields of automotive and infrastructure. I have a background in technology licensing and intellectual property, with previous responsibilities including steering group work with Business Finland.

In addition to M&A, I have longstanding experience in strategic contracting, advising clients on matters including joint ventures and co-operation contracts. A special interest area of mine since my studies in London is Civil vs. Common law contracting, and how the small but intricate differences play out in practice.

I enjoy lecturing and writing and am a regular speaker on topics including M&A and commercial contracts, as well as being the author of five books in my areas of interest. Before joining Bird & Bird, I was a partner at another leading law firm.
Education

Studied

  • eMBA, Aalto University Executive Education 2017
  • LL.M., King's College London 2004
  • Master of Laws, University of Helsinki 2000

Admissions

  • Attorney-at-law, the Finnish Bar Association 2005
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Testimonials

'She has an excellent skill at taking the complex and making it simple'.

Fortune 100 client quote

'Maria is an intelligent, high-quality lawyer and a really trustworthy adviser in legal matters.'

Chambers Europe 2023

'Maria Carlsson. She understands the company's situation well and proposed well-customised solutions.'

Legal 500 EMEA 2023

Latest insights

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Bird & Bird’s Finnish M&A professionals contributed to The Technology M&A Review

Nov 01 2022

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Technology M&A review - Edition 1

Jan 20 2021

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Governmental grants and financial assistance available for Finnish companies in distress due to COVID-19

Mar 19 2020

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Bird & Bird advises Edita Group on Divestment of Edita Prima

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Bird & Bird advises Oji Holdings on the acquisition of Walki Group

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Bird & Bird Nordic offices maintain strong rankings in IFLR1000 2023 edition

Sep 13 2023

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Bird & Bird advises Edita Group on the divestment of Edita Prima

Jun 14 2023

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Bird & Bird team assisted Basware in global partnering with Xerox

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