CEE Legal Matters

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  • Cechova & Partners Advises AFS on Acquisition of Slovak Software Company

    Cechova & Partners announced that it has, in cooperation with the Arizona-based Snell & Wilmer law firm and the Israel-based S. Horowitz & Co. law firm — advised AFS Technologies on its acquisition of 100% of Visicom.

    AFS Technologies is a provider of integrated business software solutions for Consumer Packaged Goods and Food & Beverage verticals. Visicom is a Slovakia-based provider of mobile software solutions for sales organizations involving resales, merchandising and direct store delivery, with subsidiaries in the United States and Israel. 

    Cechova & Partners provided complex legal advice on the acquisition, including due diligence review and transaction structuring.

     

  • EPAM Partner Appointed President of Ukrainian Bar

    Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners Ukrainian Partner Oleksii Reznikov has been appointed Acting President of the Ukrainian Bar Association as of April 11, 2014.

    Reznikov takes over all President’s duties and responsibilities set forth in the Company’s Charter, including representation of the UBA before state authorities, organizations, and third persons.

    Reznikov heads the EPAM Litigation Practice in Ukraine, and has additional experience in the privatization and securities, and protection from hostile takeovers (including corporate raids). He specializes in the resolution of disputes with tax, customs and other state authorities. His experience includes representing clients in the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the Supreme Economic Court, the Higher Specialized Court, and the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine.

     

     

     

  • Astapov Obtains Arbitration Victory for Vodka Producer

    Astapov announced yesterday that it has successfully represented one of the largest Ukrainian vodka producers before the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

    According to Astapov, the dispute resulted from the buyer’s failure to effect payment for the goods supplied under a long-term DAF sale contract. The total debt of the buyer to Astapov’s client was in excess of USD 6 million. According to Astapov, “the claim was challenged by the buyer on the basis of the alleged off-set of mutual monetary counterclaims said to have been made after the arbitration proceedings had been commenced.”

    The ICAC rejected the buyer’s arguments and ordered the the buyer to pay the entire purchase price for the shipped goods along with additional contractual penalties. The matter was handled for Astapov by Partner and Head of International Arbitration Eugene Blinov and Associate Marina Agaltsova. 

     

     

  • IFLR Names Chadbourne “National Law Firm of the Year: Ukraine”

    Chadbourne & Parke was given the award for “National Law Firm of the Year: Ukraine” at the 15th Annual IFLR European Awards ceremony, held on April 3, 2014 in London.

    In particular, the award recognized Chadbourne’s work on the AES Corporation’s sale of its interests in two Ukrainian power distribution companies, AES Kyivoblenergo and AES Rivneoblenergo, to VS Energy International in 2013. The Chadbourne team on that transaction was led by London Partner Charez Golvala and Kiev Partner Jaroslawa Johnson, supported by team of Associates in Kiev and London including: Anna Putintseva, Tetyana Dovgan, Oleksandra Soloviova, Anna Iakubenko, Alexandra Neovius, and Paul White.

     

     

     

  • KIAP’s Launches International Commercial Arbitration Practice

    KIAP has announced its intention to expand its service by launching an International Commercial Arbitration practice to take advantage of what the firm describes as “the increase in the number of projects involving client representation in international commercial arbitration in Russia and abroad.”

    In previous years the firm has appeared, with foreign partners, before the ICAC, the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and the Singapore International Arbitration Center.

    The new division will be headed by KIAP Founding Partner Konstantin Astafiev, who will be joined by Senior Associates Mikhail Samoylov and Irina Suspitcyna.

     

     

     

  • Bondoc si Asociatii Expands Team

    Bondoc & Asociatii announced today that Horatiu Dan Dumitru has joined the firm as a Managing Counsel.

    Prior to joining the firm, Dumitru was a Managing Associate with Musat & Asociatii. He has been a member of the Bucharest Bar since 2000 and holds a Ph.D. in Civil Law. The new Managing Counsel’s expertise ranges from IT Law, Corporate/M&A (including Privatizations) to Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and legislative process management.

    The firm also announced the hire of Ionut Stircu as a Junior Associate with its Competition and Real Estate Departments. Ionut holds an LLM in Business law from the Madrid Complutense University.

     

     

     

  • Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic Advises Dogus on Croatian Hotel Purchase

    Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic has advised the Turkish Dogus Group on its purchase of a majority stake in the Villa Dubrovnik hotel from the Croatian Heruc Group.

    The transaction closed on April 14, 2014, when the transfer of shares was registered and all other pertinent actions executed. The Dogus Group now holds 3 Croatian marinas and 2 Croatian hotels in its portfolio, and the estimated value of its investments in the country is over EUR 200 million. In addition, Dogus is in the final stages of a transaction involving the acquisition of another hotel on the Adriatic coast, with two more in the works.

    DTB expects Dogus’ investments in Croatia to total over EUR 400 million.

     

     

     

  • New Partner at Lakatos, Koves & Partners

    Lakatos, Koves & Partners has promoted Szabolcs Mestyan to Partner, effective as of January 1, 2014.

    Mestyan leads the firm’s Banking and Finance Group with co-head and founding Partner Peter Koves, a veteran of the Hungarian bank and finance law market. Mestyan has been with the firm for eight years. He specializes on debt-restructuring, sovereign bond issuance, and aviation law. 

    Koves was effusive about Mestyan in a firm press release, describing him “one of the best of his generation.” Koves continues that Mestyan “is a very focused, extremely diligent and energetic, business-minded lawyer. He is a smart and creative problem-solver.”

    Managing Partner Peter Lakatos said of Mestyan’s promotion that: ” I am pleased to welcome him to the partnership – his promotion reflects both our confidence in him and our confidence in the growth and future of our firm and our Banking and Finance practice.” “

     

  • Dentons Adds Competition Team in Bucharest

    Dentons announced today that competition lawyers Raul Mihu and Madalina Constantin have agreed to join the firm’s Bucharest office.

    Mihu, who joins as Partner, is an experienced Competition and Life Sciences lawyer, who will take lead of these two practices in Bucharest. He is a past winner of the International Law Office “Client Choice Award” in Competition. Constantin joins as Managing Counsel, and will practice both as a member of Mihu’s Competition team and within the Corporate/M&A practice group. 

    Anda Todor, Dentons’ Managing Partner in Bucharest, says: “I am happy to welcome Raul and Madalina to Dentons. The decision to recruit a new partner was based on our clients’ needs but also taking into account the firm’s growth strategy. Raul and Madalina represent valuable additions to the Bucharest team, and I trust their capabilities, doubled by their past experience working together, will result in outstanding performance.”

    Raul Mihu was similarly enthused: “After nine years in a local law firm, moving to Dentons comes as a natural step in my career path, and I am proud to join one of the largest and strongest law firms in the world. I am looking forward to contributing to the development of new projects and to further strengthening and expanding Dentons’ client base. “

     

  • Survey: Female Partners in CEE

    Survey: Female Partners in CEE

    Women in Austria make up only 15% of all partnership positions at ranked law firms – the lowest percentage in CEE. Women in Romania, by contrast, make up 45% of partners in that country – the highest in the region.

    Infographic_female_partners_in_CEE.jpg

    What percentage of partners are women in the other countries of CEE? Which firms have the highest percentage of women partners, and which the lowest? What about associates? Which firms have large number of male partners – but no women? Do any firms have large numbers of women partners – but no men? How many?

    The next issues of CEE Legal Matters provides the answers. In the first part of a special two-part report, we provide comprehensive data regarding the numbers and percentages of women working in leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe. Learn where your firm ranks, and your country.

    Make sure you get the fodder you need for discussion, argument, and policy. Subscribe to CEE Legal Matters today, to make sure the magazine lands directly on your desk. Female or male – CEE Legal Matters should matter to you.