JPM Jankovic Popovic Mitic has announced that senior lawyer Nikola Poznanovic was made a Partner in the firm on February 1, 2014.
Poznanovic specializes on Corporate, M&A, Banking & Finance and Competition. He graduated from the University of Belgrade in 2004 and obtained a Master’s degree in European Law from the University of Nancy in France. He joined JPM in 2005.
The Almaty office of the Integrites law firm has successfully represented the National Vodka Company, a Ukrainian company, in a trademark dispute in Kazakhstan.
The company’s attempt to register the trademark for its Khlebnyi Dar vodka in Kazakhstan was blocked by the discovery that another entity had already registered the trademark in the country, without any intent to produce or dispute any alcohol products. Integrites succeeded in characterizing the previous registration as an act of unfair competition, and it was annulled, with the rights to the Khlebnyi Dar trademark transferred to the National Vodka company.
Integrites Partner Duman Akhmetov led the representation.
Watson Farley & Williams has successfully defended itself against a professional negligence claim arising from the global financial crisis.
Former WFW client Itzhak Ostrovizky alleged in a counterclaim that WFW had, in 2007, negligently drafted three share purchase agreements relating to Ostrovizky’s investment in Greek solar electricity projects. As a result of the poor drafting, Ostrovizky claimed, he suffered a significant loss on the deal, and was eventually drawn into litigation in Greece.
Justice Silber of the English High Court of Justice dismissed the charges, suggesting that any damage Ostrovizky may have suffered was more properly attributed to the global financial crash than any malpractice by WFW.
Watson Farley & Williams was defended by Clyde & Co Partner Sarah Clover, while Ostrovizky was represented by Mathew Arnold & Badwin Partner Jonathan Sachs.
Attorney Gerard Karp has joined the partnership at Wierzbowski Eversheds in Poland.
Karp Co-Heads the firm’s Privacy, Information & Communication Technologies and Electronic Communications teams. He has been affiliated with the firm since 2006, and specializes in the data protection and high tech and electronic communications.
Partner Arwid Mednis, Co-Head of Wierzbowski Eversheds’ Electronic Communications and Privacy, Information & Communication Technologies teams, commented: “For several years Gerard Karp has successfully developed the firm’s data protection practice, which over time grew to include media and telecommunications issues. The practice has won recognition for years from clients, including those who work with other law firms on everyday legal matters. They often prefer to entrust their data protection and electronic communications matters to us.”
DLA Piper has advised Ukrainian Public Joint Stock Company Bank Finance and Credit in a refinancing transaction of USD 95 million Eurobonds, due in 2014, on matters of English, US, Ukrainian, and Dutch law.
Bank Finance and Credit has refinanced its Loan Participation Notes (LPNs) due in 2014 with the issuance of new USD 100 million 9.25% LPNs due in 2019 issued by Finance & Credit Ukraine BV through a successful exchange offer and consent solicitation process.
The transaction featured lawyers from DLA Piper’s UK, Austrian, Ukrainian, and Netherlands offices. The team was led by Partners George Barboutis, Attila Csongrady, and Oleksandr Kurdydyk, and Senior Associate Alexander Kolmakov. VTB Capital was the Dealer Manager for the transaction and was represented by Freshfields and Avellum.
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The English High Court of Justice has disqualified White & Case as conflicted in a USD 2 billion dispute among Ukrainian businessmen.
Although White & Case had withdrawn from a related arbitration in December, 2013, it had sought to continue in the formal litigation between Victor Pinchuk and rivals Gennady Bogoliubov and Igor Kolomoisky. Upon a finding that an unavoidable conflict of interest existed, the court issued a permanent injunction debarring the international law firm from acting on Pinchuk’s behalf.
The Court’s determination that White & Case was conflicted was based on the revelation that the firm had previously advised a number of companies in the United States in which Bogoliubov and Kolomoisky has ownership interests. The Court ruled that White & Case was in possession of confidential information that was or might be relevant to the litigation, and that Pinchuk’s interests were or might be adverse to the interests of the claimant.
The smaller Enyo Law (instructing barristers from Brick Court Chambers) represented the claimant companies, whose majority shareholders are Bogliubov and Kolomoisky, and White & Case was represented by Olswang Partner Richard Bamforth (instructing barristers from Fountain Court Chambers). Nabarro Partner Tom Dane (instructing counsel from Blackstone Chambers) represented Pinchuk in his ultimately unsuccessful intervention on behalf of White & Case.
Musat & Asociatii has advised Sterling Resources in its sale of 65% of it shares in the offshore Midia XV deep water perimeter.
Midia XV is an area in the Romanian waters of the Black Sea with a surface of 46,539 hectares. It represents 11% of the total area under concession to the Midia and Pelican companies, and is adjacent to the “Neptun” perimeter, of Exxon and OMV Petrom, which already hosts the first deep sea exploration rig in the Romanian Black Sea.
The buyers of the shares were ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania and OMV Petrom. In the same transaction, Petro Ventures Europe transferred its 20% shares in the Midia XV perimeter, also to ExxonMobil and OMV. Gas Plus, which owns the final 15% of shares, opted not to sell.
Musat & Asociatii advised on the entire transaction. The team was led by Musat Partner Miruna Suciu.
The Astapov Lawyers law firm has promoted two lawyers to Counsel in the firm’s International Litigation practice in Kiev.
New Counsel Oleh Gromovoi leads the firm’s Ukrainian Litigation, Mediation, and Economic and White-Collar Crime team, and specializes in commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, and alternative dispute resolution in Ukraine and CIS.
Fellow new Counsel Ivan Lischyna’s practice includes international litigation, and he has appeared before the London Court of Arbitration, the European Court of Human Rights, the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, among others. He also advises on international commercial, corporate, and investment transactions.
The Gur Law Firm has announced the promotions of two Associates to Partner in the firm’s Istanbul office.
New Partners Feyza Gerger Erdal and Sena Apak both focus on Corporate and Banking/Finance matters. Gerger has extensive experience in M&A, Foreign Direct Investment, Public Tenders and Privatizations, Real Estate and Construction, Employment, and General Corporate Counseling. Apak is specialized in International M&A, Cross-border Investment, Banking and Finance Transactions, Project Finance, among other areas and sectors.