William Schofield

I am a Counsel in both the Corporate Group and the Finance & Financial Regulation Group at Bird & Bird, and I have in-depth experience in a range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including financing transactions, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital transactions. I am based in our Helsinki office but also work closely with our London and Stockholm offices, as well as with our international teams.

I am an English law-qualified lawyer working in the Bird & Bird office in Helsinki, Finland. I moved to Finland in December 2018, having previously worked at two law firms in London.

My practice primarily focuses on banking and corporate transactions that involve a cross-border element. In particular, I have represented a number of non-Finnish lenders and bank syndicates that have advanced financing to Finnish companies, as well as non-Finnish companies in the acquisition of Finnish companies. I have also acted for international insurers in connection with the placement of warranty and indemnity insurance policies for Finnish transactions.

In addition to my banking, corporate and W&I practice, I also have a particular interest and expertise in cross-border venture debt transactions. I have advised several well-known venture debt providers on their venture debt financings across Europe and in the USA. I have also worked closely with venture debt providers to develop in-house legal templates and provide training.

My international background and experience of practising in London allow me to help clients navigate through the challenging Finnish legal and regulatory landscape, particularly in areas that are largely unfamiliar to non-Finnish clients. I pride myself on having a pragmatic approach and working collaboratively with clients to ensure they can focus on what matters without getting bogged down in legal details.

I am a qualified solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and I have also been admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of Ireland.