CEE Legal Matters

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  • Baker & McKenzie Advises Vneshprombank on Eurobond Offerings

    Baker & McKenzie has advised Vneshprombank on its debut Eurobond offering of USD 200 million 9% bonds due in 2016 and a tap offering of USD 25 million. Listed on the Irish Stock Exchange, these Eurobonds will be used to diversify the bank’s funding sources and for general corporate purposes.

    The book was subscribed by investors from Europe, Asia, and Russia following a roadshow in Moscow, Zurich, Geneva, Frankfurt, and London.

    Vladislav Sitnikov, Vneshprombank’s vice president, was pleased with the result. “In our opinion this LPN issue will allow us not only to diversify sources of funding, but also to accumulate experience in a new segment of the financial market. We are confident that this project is only the first step in increasing awareness of the bank on the international stage.”

    Baker & McKenzie’s team was led by Roy Pearce with support from Associates Dmitry Dembich and Maxim Khrapov in Moscow.

  • Egorov Puginsky Achieves Regulatory Approval for Purchase of Dole Food Company Shares

    The Competition teams of Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev and Partners in Moscow and Kiev have successfully represented Dole Food Company CEO David Murdoch in his request for regulatory approval in those countries for his purchase of the final 60% of the shares in the company.

    Completing the USD 1.6 billion deal that closed in November 2013, the final acquisition now gives Murdoch’s DFC Holdings control over all 100% of the shares.

    EPAM lawyers representing David Murdoch on the deal included Associates Elena Kazak, Ksenia Firsova, Kristina Kokina, Oksana Franko and Nadezhda Dmitrenko, all supervised by Natalia Korosteleva, Partner and the Head of the Antimonopoly Practice at the Moscow Office, and Oksana Ilchenko, Partner and the Head of Corporate/M&A and the Antimonopoly practices of the firm’s Kiev Office.

  • TSAA Adds Clifford Chance Lawyer

    The Romanian Doru Traila, Silviu Stratulat, Adriana Almasan, Andrei Albulescu (TSAA) law firm has strengthened its Corporate M&A team with the addition of Raul Andriuc as a Managing Associate. 

    Prior to joining TSAA, Andriuc worked for Clifford Chance Badea in Bucharest. He specializes in both Corporate M&A and Real Estate.

  • Schoenherr and Vavrovsky Heine Marth Advise OVAG on Sale of Financing Portfolio

    Schoenherr has advised Osterreichische Volksbanken-AG on the sale of a financing portfolio with an approximate value of EUR 428 million to CA Immobilien Anlagen. They were assisted on the project by the new Austrian Vavrovsky Heine Marth law firm.

    The Schoenherr team was led by Partner Sascha Hodl, who was assisted by Associate Sascha Schulz. Vavrovsky Heine Marth Founding Partner Dieter Heine led that firm’s team in the matter. 

    The buyer, Immobilien Anlagen, and was advised by Partner Wilfried Seist from Doralt Seist Csoklich.

     

  • Serban & Asociatii Announces Promotion in its Litigation Team

    The Romanian Serban & Asociatii law firm has announced the appointment of litigator Vlad Goanta to the role of Head of Litigation.

    Goanta joined the firm in 2008 and has been a partner since 2011. He has over 15 years of experience, and has advised on several high-profile cases in Civil and Commercial law as well as IP and Insolvency.

    (foto credits: Bizlawyer.ro)

  • Lavrynovych Lawyers Win Mortgage/Bankruptcy Dispute

    Lawyers from Lavryonovych & Partners law firm have successfully represented an unnamed client’s interests in a mortgage foreclosure case involving three loan agreements amounting to over USD 1 million.

    According to Lavryonovych & Partners, the dispute involved a bank’s ability to foreclose on a mortgagee’s real property after the sale of debtor’s property during bankruptcy procedures. The Court agreed with Lavrynovych’s lawyers that Ukraine’s Bankruptcy laws have priority over the country’s Mortgage laws in bankruptcy litigation. As a result of the trial the Russian Court of First Instance prohibited the bank from foreclosing on the mortgaged property.

    Lavryonovych & Partners Associates Eugene Kolomiyets and Inna Rudnyck led the unnamed client’s representation, working under the guidance of Partner Stanislav Skrypnyck.

  • Esin Attorney Partnership Hires New M&A Partner

    Partner Eren Kursun has left White & Case in Istanbul to join the Esin Attorney Partnership, the Turkish member firm of Baker & McKenzie. 

    Kursun, who will become the fifth partner in Esin’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice, focuses his practice on M&A, real estate, and capital markets law. He focuses primarily on the healthcare, financial services, and transportation sectors.

    “The Turkish market has seen a number of high-profile M&As over the past year, and the addition of a fifth partner to our M&A practice enables us to further expand the scope of services we can offer. Eren’s appointment reaffirms our ongoing commitment to being the leading M&A practice in Turkey,” commented Ismail Esin, Managing Partner of the Turkish office.

  • Schoenherr Promotes EU and Competition Lawyer to Equity Partner

    Schoenherr has extended equity to Volker Weiss, a Partner in the firm’s EU & Competition practice.

    Weiss, whose practice focuses on European and Austrian competition law, will become an equity partner as of 1 February 2014, the start of the firm’s financial year. At the same time, Volker Weiss will become resident in Belgium to lead Schoenherr’s expanded offering of EU law and Competition law advisory via its Brussels office.

    Weiss, who was admitted to the bar in Austria in 2005, is an EU and Competition law expert, focusing particularly on the banking, insurance, construction, retail and travel industries. He started his post-traineeship career at Linklaters in Brussels from 2000, before joining Schoenherr in 2003. In 2008 he was promoted to Partner and invited to assume responsibility for the firm’s Brussels office.

  • Baker and Orrick Play Separate Roles in Major Russian Gas Acquisition

    Even in Russia, deals for (almost) 3 billion dollars don’t happen every day.

    Baker & McKenzie has announced that it advised Yamal Development, a 50/50 joint venture between Novatek and Gazprom, on a USD 2.940 billion acquisition of a 60 percent stake in Artic Russia from the Italian Eni oil and gas company. Artic Russia owns a 49 percent interest in SeverEnergia, a Russian oil and gas company operating in the Yamal-Nenets region of Russia.

    Baker & McKenzie’s multi-jurisdictional team included Partners Jeroen Hoekstra and John Paans in Amsterdam, Hugh Stewart in London, and Sergei Voitishkin in Moscow. Support was provided by Associate Koen Bos in Amsterdam, Mark Richardson in London, and Sergey Krokhalev and Kirill Manshin.

    Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe advised Sberbank on the financing to Yamal Development. Baker & McKenzie’s multi-jurisdictional team included Partners Jeroen Hoekstra and John Paans in Amsterdam, Hugh Stewart in London, and Sergei Voitishkin in Moscow. Support was provided by Associate Koen Bos in Amsterdam, Mark Richardson in London, and Sergey Krokhalev and Kirill Manshin.

    The cross-border Orrick team was led by Moscow Corporate Partner Leo Batalov and Associate Maria Kazakova, as well as London Partner Anthony Riley, Of Counsel Richard Moudiotis, Associate Kirill Kholod.

  • BBH Adds New Head of Litigation in Moscow

    BBH has hired Senior Lawyer Irina Martvel to head its Moscow office’s Litigation department.

    Martvel’s professional experience includes corporate and commercial disputes, disputes with regulatory authorities, employment cases, disputes over consumer claims, bankruptcy proceedings, proceedings related to challenging arbitrary awards, and criminal cases.