CEE Legal Matters

Category: CEELM PR

  • Be Chuffed! Special Issue of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine is Out Now

    Cor’ blimey, look what time it is, Guvnor! The special issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine — focusing on the work English law firms and English lawyers are doing in CEE, as well as the presence and significance of English law in the region — is out now. So quit your whinging, put away your umbrella, take off your wellies, and pour yourself a cuppa. Settle in — it’ll be brilliant!

    Yes, the issue is here now, in electronic form, and subscribers will soon be able to enjoy the hard copy as well. Either way, they will find:

    • Guest Editorial by Kevin-Paul Deveau of Reed Smith
    • Featured Deals
    • Across the Wire: Deals and Cases in CEE
    • On the Move: New Firms and Practices
    • The Buzz in CEE
    • Centering CEE: Interview with Reed Smith’s Dedicated CEE/SEE Group
    • Expat on the (English) Market: Pawel Szaja of Shearman & Sterling 
    • Expat(s) on the Market: An Update
    • Connected to CEE: Interview with Slaughter and May’s Dedicated CEE Partner Group 
    • Article: After the Gold Rush: What Causes and Comes After an International Law Firm’s Departure from a CEE Market 
    • ILFs in CEE: What’s the Deal?

    The publication of the November 2020 issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine means that the September 2020 issue has been moved from behind the paywall and made available to subscribers and non-subscribers alike (here in e-reader format and here in pdf). As a reminder, that issue includes:

    Stay strong, take a deep breath, and — if you haven’t already — purchase a subscription to the CEE Legal Matters magazine today!

  • So Shines a Good Deed in a Weary World: New Issue of CEE Legal Matters Out Now

    These are challenging times. Covid-19. American elections. Climate change. All this plus, as the man says, “Winter is coming.” But it’s not all grim. Just think: The new issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine is out now!

    Thus, subscribers to the CEE Legal Matters magazine – those lucky few, with wisdom far beyond that of ordinary humans – can already access the electronic version of the magazine online, and will be seeing it appear in hard copy on their desks in the next week or two. 

    Those subscribers, whether accessing the issue now online or in hard copy, will discover to their delight that the issue contains:

    • Guest Editorial by Michal Nulicek of Rowan Legal
    • Across the Wire: Deals and Cases in CEE
    • Featured Deals
    • On the Move: New Firms and Practices
    • The Buzz in CEE
    • Building Blocks of CEE: Duncan Weston Brings CEE to CMS
    • Beyond Dispute: Interview with Counsel Victoria Pernt of Schoenherr
    • Data Implications of Remote Working
    • Market Spotlight: The Balkans
    • Guest Editorial by Milan Samardzic of Samardzic, Oreski & Grbovic
    • Article: The Serbian Situation
    • Article: Marketing with One Arm Tied Behind Your Back: Attorney Advertising Bans Across the Former Yugoslavia
    • Inside Insight: Interview with Milan Kajtez, Head of Legal at Unicredit Bank a.d., Banja Luka
    • Inside Out: Privatization of Komercijalna Banka
    • Market Snapshots
    • Expat on the Market: Pablo Perez Laya of BDK Advokati
    • Experts Review: Tax

    Usually, with the publication of the October 2020 issue of the magazine the August 2020 issue would have become available. However, that special issue – which doubled as the premiere issue of the CEE In-House Legal Matters magazine – was already launched as a publicly available edition. As a reminder, however, that special issue – available here in electronic format and here in pdf format – included:

    Don’t miss out on the fun. Register for a subscription to the CEE Legal Matters magazine here!

  • Cancelled by COVID-19: Dealer’s Choice and DOTY Events Postponed to 2021

    Because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it is with deep regret that CEE Legal Matters is canceling the 2020 Dealer’s Choice International Law Firm Summit and the 2020 Deal of the Year Awards Banquet, both of which were scheduled for London on October 13, 2020.

    The 2021 Dealer’s Choice event and DOTY Awards Banquet – representing an official Re-Opening of CEE – will be held in London in late May. Ticket-holders to the 2020 events should contact CEE Legal Matters at tickets@ceelm.com before December 1, 2020, to request a refund or indicate their intention to roll their reservations forward to next year’s events.

    The 2021 Dealer’s Choice event will be Co-Hosted by Reed Smith, and CEE Legal Matters is proud to announce that 2020 sponsors Avellum (Ukraine), Ijdelea Mihailescu (Romania), Kambourov & Partners (Bulgaria), Nagy es Trocsanyi (Hungary), and the Pontes the CEE Lawyers law firm alliance will be rolling their sponsorship forward to next year as well. We remain grateful for their support and confidence, and we look forward to seeing everyone in London next spring!

  • The Constant in a World of Change: New Issue of CEE Legal Matters Magazine is Out Today

    It’s a crazy world. The global pandemic is taking the form of a whack-a-mole game, with numbers decreasing in some places, only to jump back up in others. School is starting, but perhaps the word should be in quotation marks. Travel is limited. Business is ongoing. Weather is cooling. Fortunately, in this tumultuous world, one thing is dependable. So relax: The new issue of CEE Legal Matters is here.

    Subscribers will soon be able to sigh contentedly, open their mailboxes, and delve right into the issue. Indeed, the more impatient of them can already access the electronic version of the issue, here. Whether in hard or electronic copy, they will find:

    • Guest Editorial by Mia Kalas of Selih & Partners
    • Featured Deals
    • Across the Wire: Deals and Cases in CEE
    • On the Move: New Firms and Practices
    • The Buzz in CEE
    • Logistics and Manufacturing in CEE: Today’s Trends and Opportunities
    • Blazing a Trail for LegalTech in CEE
    • The Corner Office: Your Favorite ClientCOVID
    • Market Spotlights on Bulgaria and Turkey
    • Guest Editorials by Yavor Kambourov of Kambourov & Partners and Done Yalcin of CMS
    • Article: Bulgaria at the Boil
    • Inside Out: Turkey’s First Unicorn
    • Expat on the Market: Stephanie Beghe Sonmez of Paksoy
    • Inside Out: Sabev & Partners Advises the Government of Bulgaria on the Tender for the Sofia Airport Concession
    • Special Report: Tiptoeing in Turkey
    • Inside Insight: Interview with Alice Radu of Bosch Group Romania
    • Experts Review: Competition

    The publication of the September 2020 issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine means that the July 2020 issue has been moved from behind the paywall and made available to subscribers and non-subscribers alike (here in e-reader format and here in pdf). As a reminder, that issue includes:

    Stay strong, take a deep breath, and — if you haven’t already — purchase a subscription to the CEE Legal Matters magazine today!

  • The More Things Change, They Change! Special August Issue of CEELM/CEEIHM Magazine Out Now!

    “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” right? Maybe not! Because this month’s special issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine, out today, really is something different – it doubles as the launch of the new CEE In-House Matters publication.

    Thus, we are proud to introduce the newest CEE Legal Matters platform – a special quarterly publication focusing exclusively on the in-house legal world of CEE: CEE In-House Matters. 

    Whether accessing the issue now online (landing page here, e-reader here, or pdf here) or who prefer to wait until the hard copy lands on their desk will discover that the issue contains:

    • Guest Editorial by Jelena Djurovic of Mondelez Europe Services
    • Across the Wire: Featured Deals and Cases in CEE
    • In and Out: GC Moves
    • In-House Counsel 2.0: From Business Blocker to Business Partner
    • How the Current Climate Pushes In-House Counsel to be More than Lawyers
    • Building an In-House Team to Be Proud Of
    • Lessons (Finally) Learned: Selecting (and Pitching) Legal Services
    • Law with a Pinch of Tax
    • Beware of Trade Sanctions’ Tortuous Twists
    • Overseeing a Successful Shopping Spree
    • The GC in a Professional Services Setting
    • Keeping the Plates Spinning: Managing Intense Workflow During COVID-19
    • Fighting Spirit: Keeping Production Lines in Times of Crisis
    • Data Protection and Cybersecurity in a COVID-19 Context
    • Investigating How to Continue Internal Investigations
    • Navigating the Use of Data Through Uncertain Waters
    • Re-Thinking the Role of Lawyers in Regulatory Affairs
    • The In-House Team Behind the Financial Shield Programs
    • The General Counsel That is Building Robots for Arbitration and Beyond
    • Raising the Bar: The Budapest Bar Association’s In-House Arm

    Of course, the publication of the August 2020 issue of the magazine means that the June 2020 issue has been moved from behind the paywall and made available to subscribers and non-subscribers alike (here in e-reader format and here in pdf). As a reminder, that issue includes:

    • Guest Editorial: Octavian Cazac of Turcan Cazac
    • Across the Wire: Deals and Cases in CEE
    • On the Move: New Firms and Practices
    • The Buzz in CEE
    • Raising the Bar: Hungary’s New CLE Requirements for Lawyers
    • An Interview with CMS’s Eva Talmacsi About the OTP Societe Generale Acquisitions
    • A CEELM Profile of Daniel Szabo
    • Marketing Law Firm Marketing: Childhood Dreams
    • Market Spotlights: Ukraine and Slovakia
    • Guest Editorial: Glib Bondar of Avellum and Michaela Stessl of DLA Piper
    • Expat on the Market: Daniel Bilak of Kinstellar
    • Market Snapshots
    • Article: Advancing Avellum
    • Inside Out: Rosum Office Complex Acquisition
    • A Progressive Profile: Slovak President Zuzana Caputova
    • Inside Insight: Interview with Stefan Orosi of Prima Banka Slovensko
    • Experts Review: TMT & Data Protection

    Don’t miss out on the fun. Register for a subscription to the CEE Legal Matters magazine here, and sign up for a free subscription to the new CEE In-House Matters publication here! 

  • Extra! The Winner of the CEE 2019 CEE Deal of the Year is …

    After a week of counting down, only two deals remain in contention for the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year. And, in an extremely close contest, the Steinhoff Group’s Financial Restructuring, which received 9 votes from this year’s Final Selection Committee, falls an agonizing one vote short of the 10 received by Advent International and Zentiva’s Acquisition of Alvogen’s CEE Business, meaning the Advent-Zentiva/Alvogen deal is CEE Legal Matters’ 2019 CEE Deal of the Year.

    A final recap: CEE Legal Matters has been counting down all week towards today’s announcement of the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year winner, eliminating one of the five nominees each day. On Tuesday the Severgroup’s acquisition of TPG’s 34% shareholding in Lenta and subsequent mandatory tender offer was removed from the list; on Wednesday the United Group’s acquisition of Vivacom Bulgaria was removed; and on Thursday the PPF Group’s USD 2.1 billion acquisition of Central European Media Enterprises fell by the wayside.

    Today’s unlucky loser is the winner of the 2019 Deal of the Year for Austria: the financial restructuring of the Steinhoff Group. With debt of approximately EUR 9 billion, and in order to stabilize its financial situation and continue operating, the Steinhoff Group underwent overall comprehensive restructuring by entering into a “Company Voluntary Agreement” between Steinhoff Europe (and Steinhoff Finance Holding) and their creditors. The CVA is a legal process from the United Kingdom that allows a company with debt problems to reach a voluntary agreement with creditors involving the payment of debts but allowing it to continue to operate. In order to be eligible, Steinhoff had to undergo major corporate restructuring, including transferring its business operations from Austria to England. In parallel, Steinhoff pursued debt refinancing negotiations with a syndicate of banks. A total of 12 Austrian holding companies were included in the financial restructuring process. According to Wolf Theiss, which submitted the deal for consideration for Deal of the Year and advised the Steinhoff group along with Fellner Wratzfeld & Partner, Linklaters, and Gleiss Lutz, the restructuring of Austrian debt via an English restructuring tool was the first of its kind in Austria. Binder Groesswang and Allen & Overy advised the international creditor coordinating committee on the deal, while Latham & Watkins and Dorda advised the secondary creditor committee, and Eisenberger & Herzog and Kirkland & Ellis advised the convertible bondholder. 

    With second place going to that deal, Advent International and Zentiva’s Acquisition of Alvogen’s CEE Business, which won the Deal of the Year for the Czech Republic, also wins the overall 2019 CEE Deal of the Year. In that deal, CMS (which submitted the deal for consideration) and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Advent International and its European medicines producer, Prague-based Zentiva, on Zentiva’s acquisition of the Central and Eastern European business of Alvogen, which markets over 200 generic and over-the-counter products across multiple therapeutic areas in 14 markets, including Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and the Balkans. White & Case and Romania’s Bondoc si Asociatii advised Alvogen on the deal.

    CEE Legal Matters offers its congratulations to all of the firms that worked on the deals shortlisted for 2019 Deal of the Year, and in particular to CMS, Freshfields, White & Case, and Bondoc si Asociatii for their work on the final winner.

    We also wish, one last time, to thank all the Shortlist Panelists and members of the Final Selection Committee for their work in helping select this year’s winners in each CEE country and the overall award. They all dedicated many many hours of their lives to this process, and deserve more than the simple but profound gratitude and recognition we are able to provide. 

    Shortlist Panels:

    Austria

    • Christoph Lindinger, Partner, Schoenherr
    • Gunther Hanslik, Partner, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz
    • Christoph Moser, Partner, Weber & Co.
    • Tim Pfister, Managing Partner, Knoetzl
    • Horst Ebhardt, Partner, Wolf Theiss

    Bosnia & Herzegovina

    • Dino Aganovic, Head of Legal and Compliance at HETA Asset Resolution BiH
    • Emina Saracevic, Managing Partner, SGL-Saracevic and Gazibegovic Lawyers
    • Nina Vjestica, Partner at Dimitrijevic & Partners
    • Sead Miljkovic, Managing Partner, Milijkovic & Partners
    • Andrea Zubovic-Devedzic, Partner, CMS Reich Rohrwig Hainz

    Bulgaria

    • Alexandra Doytchinova, Managing Partner, Schoenherr
    • Victor Gugushev, Partner, Gugushev & Partners
    • Renata Petkova, Partner, Deloitte Legal
    • Pavel Hristov, Managing Partner, Hristov Partners
    • Kostadin Shirlestov, Managing Partner, CMS Cameron McKenna

    Croatia

    • Luka Tadic-Colic, Managing Partner, Wolf Theiss
    • Damir Topic, Senior Partner at Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic
    • Mojmir Ostermann, Managing Partner, Ostermann & Partners
    • Silvie Cipcic-Bragadin, Managing Partner, Cipcic-Bragadin & Associates
    • Boris Savoric, Senior Partner, Savoric & Partners

    Czech Republic

    • Erwin Hanslik, Managing Partner, Taylor Wessing Prague
    • Ron Given, CE Senior Legal Counsel, Deloitte Legal
    • Tomas Dolezil, Partner, JSK
    • Alexandr Cesar, Partner, Baker McKenzie
    • Roman Pecenka, Partner, PRK Partners

    Estonia

    • Martin Tamme, Managing Partner, TGS Baltic
    • Ermo Kosk, Partner, Ellex Raidla
    • Martin Simovart, Partner, Cobalt
    • Rene Frolov, Partner, Fort Legal
    • Hannes Kuun, Partner, Tark Law Office
    • Piret Jesse, Partner, Sorainen

    Hungary

    • Richard Lock, Partner, Lakatos, Koves & Partners
    • Erika Papp, Managing Partner, CMS Cameron McKenna
    • Andras Posztl, Managing Partner, DLA Piper
    • Csaba Polgar, Managing Partner, Pontes Budapest
    • Kinga Hetenyi, Managing Partner, Schoenherr

    Latvia

    • Ivars Grunte, Managing Partner, TGS Baltic
    • Filips Klavins, Managing Partner, Ellex Klavins
    • Dace Silava-Tomsone, Managing Partner, Cobalt
    • Maris Vainovskis, Senior Partner, Eversheds Sutherland Bitans
    • Gints Vilgerts, Partner, Vilgerts

    Lithuania

    • Irmantas Norkus, Managing Partner, Cobalt
    • Gediminas Dominas, Partner, Walless
    • Marius Matonis, Executive Partner, TGS Baltic
    • Andrius Ivanauskas, Partner, Glimstedt
    • Sergej Butov, Partner, Sorainen

    Moldova

    • Roger Gladei, Managing Partner, Gladei & Partners
    • Igor Odobescu, Managing Partner, ACI Partners
    • Alexander Turcan, Managing Partner, Turcan Cazac
    • Oleg Efrim, Managing Partner, Efrim Rosca Asociatii

    Montenegro

    • Dragan Prelevic, Managing Partner, Prevevic Law Firm
    • Vladimir Radonjic, Managing Partner, Radonjic Associates
    • Milos Komnenic, Managing Partner, Komnenic & Associates
    • Milen Roncevic, Head of Montenegrin Practice, Karanovic & Partners

    Poland

    • Krzysztof Wiater, Managing Partner, NGL Legal
    • Judith Gliniecki, General Counsel, CEE Equity Partners
    • Pawel Rymarz, Managing Partner, Rymarz Zdort
    • Alekander Stawicki, Senior Partner, WKB Wiercinski, Kwiecinski, Baehr
    • Pawel Halwa, Managing Partner, Schoenherr

    Romania

    • Costin Taracila, Managin Partner, RTPR Allen & Overy
    • Bryan Jardine, Managing Partner, Wolf Theiss
    • Gabriel Zbarcea, Managing Partner, Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii
    • Gelu Maravela, Managing Partner, MPR Partners | Maravela, Popescu & Roman
    • Joerg Menzer, Partner, Noerr

    Russia

    • Alexei Roudiak, Managing Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
    • Polina Lyadnova, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
    • Konstantin Kroll, Partner, Dentons
    • Jean-Francois Marquaire, Managing Partner, CMS Russia

    Serbia

    • Nikola Jankovic, Senior Partner, JPM Jankovic, Popovic & Mitic
    • Tijana Kojovic, Managing Partner, BDK Advokati
    • Marjan Poljak, Senior Partner, Karanovic & Partner
    • Milan Samardzic, Partner, SOG Samardic, Oreski & Grbovic
    • Igor Zivkovski, Partner, Zivkovic Samardzic

    Slovenia

    • Eva Skufca, Co-Managing Partner, Schoenherr
    • Tine Misic, Partner, ODI Law
    • Nina Selih, Partner, Selih & Partners
    • Simon Bracun, Managing Partner, Kavcic, Bracun & Partners
    • Uros Cop, Managing Partner, Miro Senica and Attorneys

    Slovakia

    • Hugh Owen, Owner, Go2Law
    • Marek Staron, Partner, White & Case
    • Martin Magal, Partner, Allen & Overy
    • Roman Prekop, Partner, Barger Prekop
    • Katarina Mihalikova, Partner, Majernik & Mihalikova

    Turkey

    • Muhsin Keskin, Partner, Esin Attorney Partnership
    • Nazan Diri, Managing Partner, Diri Legal
    • Eda Cerrahoglu Balssen, Partner, Cerrahoglu Law Firm
    • Bora Kaya, Managing Legal Counsel, GAMA Power Systems

    Ukraine

    • Mykola Stetsenko, Co-Managing Partner, Avellum
    • Vladimir Sayenko, Partner, Sayenko Kharenko
    • Margarita Karpenko, Managing Partner, DLA Piper
    • Adam Mycyk, Partner, Dentons
    • Olexiy Shoshenko, Managing Partner, Redcliffe Partners

    The Final Selection Committee: 

    • Christian Blatchford of Energo-Pro (Czech Republic)
    • Alexandra Doytchinova of Schoenherr (Bulgaria)
    • Rene Frolov of Fort Legal (Estonia)
    • Ron Given of Deloitte Legal (Czech Republic)
    • Judith Gliniecki of CEE Equity Partners (Poland)
    • Bora Kaya of Gama Power Systems (Turkey)
    • Hugh Owen of Go2Law (Slovakia)
    • Roman Pecenka of PRK Partners (Czech Republic)
    • Andras Posztl of DLA Piper (Hungary)
    • Mykola Stetsenko of Avellum (Ukraine)
    • Pawel Szaja of Shearman & Sterling (United Kingdom)
    • Damir Topic of Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic (Croatia)

  • Bronze Medal Awarded: Countdown for 2019 CEE Deal of the Year Continues

    One more finalist for 2019 CEE Deal of the Year is removed from the shortlist, leaving only two nominees left. In other words: We’re almost there!

    Another recap: CEE Legal Matters is counting down towards Friday’s revelation of the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year winner by eliminating one nominee from the five-deal shortlist each day. On Tuesday the Severgroup’s acquisition of TPG’s 34% shareholding in Lenta and subsequent mandatory tender offer was removed from the list, and on Wednesday the United Group’s acquisition of Vivacom Bulgaria was removed.

    Today’s victim is the PPF Group’s USD 2.1 billion acquisition of Central European Media Enterprises, which operates television stations in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. BNP Paribas and Societe Generale acted as structuring advisors to PPF on the EUR 1.15 billion acquisition facilities, which were fully underwritten by BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB, Credit Suisse, HSBC, Societe Generale, and UniCredit. White & Case, which submitted the deal for consideration, advised the PPF Group on the deal, which won Deal of the Year for Slovakia, with Bucharest’s Bondoc si Asociatii, Sofia’s Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov, and the Ljubljana office of Karanovic & Partners serving as local counsel in Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovenia, respectively. CME was advised by Covington & Burling and Sullivan & Cromwell. Allen & Overy advised the arranging banks on the transaction. 

    Thus, with those three deals removed from the shortlist, only two remain:

    Tomorrow, we’ll announce the firm that came in second, and reveal the Winner of the 2019 CEE Legal Matters CEE Deal of the Year.

  • They All Rolled Over and One Fell Out: The List of CEE Deal of the Year Contenders Shrinks Again

    Tension is rising, as the second 2019 CEE Deal of the Year finalist is removed from the shortlist, leaving only three nominees in contention for this year’s most prestigious award.

    Just to recap: CEE Legal Matters is counting down towards Friday’s revelation of the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year winner by eliminating another nominee from the shortlist. On Tuesday the Severgroup’s Acquisition of TPG’s 34% Shareholding in Lenta and Subsequent Mandatory Tender Offer was removed from the list, and today’s unlucky contender is the United Group’s Acquisition of Vivacom Bulgaria.

    In that EUR 1.2 billion deal, the United Group, which is owned by BC Partners, and which Schoenherr described in its submission as “the leading telecoms and media business operating in South Eastern Europe,” acquired Vivacom Bulgaria (Bulgarian Telecommunications Company AD), the largest telecoms operator in Bulgaria. Schoenherr, which advised the United Group on the deal, described it as “the largest deal in Bulgaria in 2019 both in terms of value and size of the asset,” and reported that it “comes as part of the United Group’s plans to expand in south-eastern Europe.” Latham & Watkins worked on the buy-side as well, with CMS and Kambourov & Partners advising the sellers.

    Thus, with those two deals removed from the shortlist, the three remaining contenders for 2019 CEE Deal of the Year are:

    On Thursday, one more nominee will be asked to leave the island, and CEE Legal Matters will reveal which two of the three finalists remain in contention.

     

  • The Final Five: Shortlist for CEE Deal of the Year Announced

    Each day this week CEE Legal Matters will be counting down towards Friday’s revelation of the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year winner, but today, before we start revealing which deals were voted off the island, we have the singular pleasure of announcing the finalists: Those five deals that received the greatest number of votes from the Final Selection Committee.

    In alphabetical order, those deals (listed with the law firms that made them happen) are:

    • Advent International and Zentiva’s Acquisition of Alvogen’s CEE Business (CMS (submitting firm); Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; White & Case)
    • PPF Group’s Acquisition of CME (White & Case (submitting firm); Allen & Overy; Bondoc si Asociatii; Covington & Burling; Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov; Sullivan & Cromwell)
    • Severgroup’s Acquisition of TPG’s 34% Shareholding in Lenta and Subsequent Mandatory Tender Offer (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (submitting firm); Clifford Chance; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Ogier)
    • Steinhoff Restructuring (Wolf Theiss (submitting firm); Allen & Overy; Binder Groesswang; Dorda; Eisenberger & Herzog; Fellner Wratzfeld & Partner; Gleiss Lutz; Linklaters; Latham & Watkins; Kirkland & Ellis)
    • United Group’s Acquisition of Vivacom Bulgaria (CMS and Schoenherr (submitting firms); Latham & Watkins; Kambourov & Partners; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison)

    The votes for Deal of the Year were cast by this year’s Final Selection Committee:

    • Christian Blatchford of Energo-Pro (Czech Republic)
    • Alexandra Doytchinova of Schoenherr (Bulgaria)
    • Rene Frolov of Fort Legal (Estonia)
    • Ron Given of Deloitte Legal (Czech Republic)
    • Judith Gliniecki of CEE Equity Partners (Poland)
    • Bora Kaya of Gama Power Systems (Turkey)
    • Hugh Owen of Go2Law (Slovakia)
    • Roman Pecenka of PRK Partners (Czech Republic)
    • Andras Posztl of DLA Piper (Hungary)
    • Mykola Stetsenko of Avellum (Ukraine)
    • Pawel Szaja of Shearman & Sterling (United Kingdom)
    • Damir Topic of Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic (Croatia)

    Congratulations to all five finalists. Tomorrow the winnowing down begins!

     

     

  • One Down, Four to Go: First of Five CEE Deal of the Year Contenders Eliminated from Contention

    With the removal of the first 2019 CEE Deal of the Year finalist from the shortlist, only four nominees remain.

    As a reminder, each day this week CEE Legal Matters will be counting down towards Friday’s revelation of the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year winner. The unlucky nominee this time is Severgroup’s Acquisition of TPG’s 34% Shareholding in Lenta and Subsequent Mandatory Tender Offer, which received the fewest votes of the five finalists.

    That deal — which won the 2019 CEE Legal Matters Deal of the Year for Russia — involved the acquisition by Severgroup, which is held by Russian entrepreneur Alexey Mordashov, of TPG’s 34% shareholding in Lenta for USD 599 million and the EBRD’s 7.5% stake in Lenta for USD 130 million. The sale by TPG and the EBRD triggered a requirement for Severgroup to make a mandatory tender offer for all remaining shares in Lenta, as a result of which, a further 37% of Lenta shares were tendered by public shareholders and purchased for USD 640 million. According to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which submitted the deal for consideration, this was one of the largest public tender offers ever carried out for a Russian business, and took Severgroup to a 79% holding.

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton represented TPG Capital and the Lenta Board of Directors on the deal, with Ogier acting as British Virgin Islands counsel to Lenta, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advising Severgroup, and Clifford Chance advising the EBRD.

    With the elimination of that deal, only four remain:

    On Wednesday, one more nominee will be asked to leave the island, and CEE Legal Matters will reveal which three of the four finalists remain in contention.