“Our warmest congratulations to David from myself and the board,” said Massimiliano Mostardini, chairman of Bird & Bird.

“It’s been a privilege to work alongside him over the past years and continue to take the firm from strength to strength. I look forward to continuing to work closely with David and the leadership team.”

Since holding the top job, Mr Kerr has seen Bird & Bird grow from 70 lawyers in three offices to over 1,300 lawyers across 29 offices.

Revenue growth has also climbed, with half-year figures for the current financial year 2018/2019 showing a 12 per cent increase in turnover and a 15 per cent increase in profit compared to the same period the year before.

“Bird & Bird is a tremendous firm full of fantastic people, and I’m honoured and grateful that the partnership has placed its trust in me for the next three years,” Mr Kerr said.

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“I work alongside a strong leadership team heading up our sector groups, practice groups and offices across the globe. I’m excited to work with this leadership team over the next three years to maintain our position as the number one law firm in the world advising organisations being changed by the digital world or themselves driving that change.

“We are going through a transformational period in the legal profession, our clients’ industries, and in the world at large. Our focus has always been on helping our clients thrive in times of change – whether that’s through new ways to deliver legal services or the creation of new offerings outside of legal. This focus puts us in a strong position.”