Category: Czech Republic

Czech attorney Marta Fisnerova has become the fifth partner at JSK in Prague.

Marta started her career at JSK as a junior lawyer in June 2005 after graduating from the Faculty of Law of the Masaryk University in Brno and spending almost two years in-house with Kooperativa insurance company. Although she has, over the years, focused primarily on the insurance industry, in recent years she has begun specializing in litigation, particularly in the construction, logistics, energy, and IT sectors.

“Marta has been with us for fifteen years and few deserve a partnership position as much as she does,” said JSK Partner Eva Novakova. “Together, we have achieved amazing results in working for the financial sector, especially insurance companies. So far we have continued to enjoy it and we have plenty of other plans. I am looking forward to implementing them.”

“We have a wonderful team of passionate lawyers with whom it’s a joy to work,” Fisnerova said. “In my new position I will focus on expanding our litigation practice into new segments. Of course, I will continue to devote myself to current clients with the maximum dedication and care they are accustomed to, but I would also like to show other clients that they can like their lawyer.”

Dentons and Simpson Thacher have advised Round Hill Capital and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities on the sale of a EUR 1.3 billion residential real estate portfolio in the Czech Republic to Swedish real estate company Heimstaden Bostad AB, which was advised by Clifford Chance. 

According to Dentons, “the portfolio, owned and operated by Residomo, is the largest privately held residential portfolio in the Czech Republic. It consists of approximately 4,515 assets with 42,584 residential units and 1,675 commercial units in the city of Ostrava and surrounding Moravia-Silesia region.”

The Dentons team included Prague-based Partners Evan Lazar, Stewart Middleman, and Marketa Tvrda.

The Clifford Chance team was led by Partner Emil Holub and included Senior Associate Milan Rakosnik and Associate Josef Lysonek.

Counsels Jan Lasak and Vlastimil Pihera have joined the partnership at Kocian Solc Balastik in Prague.

Lasak specializes in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, including restructuring and compliance. He graduated from the Masaryk University in Brno and holds an LL.M. from Columbia University in New York. He obtained his Ph.D. at Masaryk University in 2015 and has been with KSB for almost ten years.

Pihera specializes in securities and capital markets, investment funds and companies, collective investment, and public regulation of financial institutions. According to KSB, “he works at the Institute of State and Law and is a member of the Appeal Committee of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.” He was recently commended by the Minister of Justice Marie Benesova for his contribution to Czech legislation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Czech Government’s Legislative Council. He graduated from the Charles University in Prague in 2001 and holds an MA and a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Law of West Bohemian University in Pilsen. Before joining KSB, he worked for Komercni Banka for almost three years and for the Czech Security Commission for three years.

“Both Jan Lasak and Vlastimil Pihera are excellent attorneys who have great prerequisites to be KSB’s partners not only for their long-term and diligent law work but also for their active approach in building the reputation of our law firm,” commented Managing Partner Dagmar Dubecka. “I wish them a lot of success in their new role.”

BPV Braun Partners has advised Pojist’ovna Patricie on an intra-group sale of two properties from a real estate project in Prague, and on an extra-group sale of real estate in Ostrava and Usti Nad Labem to the Capexus group, which was advised by Havel & Partners and Czech solo practitioner Theodor Klan. 

Financial details were not disclosed. 

The BPV Braun Partners team included Partner Jiri Barta and Associate Marketa Nesetrilova.

Martina Schutzova has been promoted to Partner at CEE Attorneys in Prague.

Schutzova graduated from the Law Faculty of University of P.J. Safarik in Kosice, Slovakia in 2011. Before joining CEE Attorneys in September 2017 she worked for two years with the Vilimkova, Dudak & Partners law firm, a year and a half with Reznicek & Partners, and a year with the Ludovit Pavela Law Office. According to CEE Attorneys, “in her previous practice, she specialized in labor law and advisory on M&A transactions.”

On its LinkedIn page, CEE Attorneys noted that “in the past years Martina showed great enthusiasm and professional skills and she is highly appreciated by both our clients and the whole CEE Attorneys team. Martina is an expert in labor law and, moreover, she is one of the few lawyers on the market with extended knowledge of gastro regulation and business environment of this specific industry segment. Last but not least, she is a great team member, leader, and a very kind person. We are delighted that she had decided to commit her future career to strengthening CEE Attorneys and bringing it to new professional levels.”

For her part, Schutzova commented that “I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to [Partners] Lukas Petr and Zdenek Tomicek for providing me with this big opportunity and thank you for your trust in me. I look forward to being a partner at the CEE Attorneys’ Prague office.”

Pavel Gonda, Pavel Grim, Tomas Chobola, and Jiri Zapletal have joined the Skils law firm partnership in the Czech Republic — the former Weil, Gotshal & Manges office in the country, until the American firm withdraw from the market in 2018 — increasing the overall number of partners at the firm to 14.

“All new partners have been part of our team for more than 12 years and their appointment demonstrates the organic growth of our law firm,” said Skils Managing Partner Karel Muzikar. 

Pavel Gonda, who joined Weil in 2005, is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague and obtained an LL.M. from the New York University School of Law. He focuses on dispute resolution and litigation, insolvency, mergers and acquisitions, and public procurement, primarily in the areas of construction and rail and road transport.  

Pavel Grim, who joined the firm in 2006, graduated from the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague and from the University of Economics in Prague. He also obtained an LL.M. from the Faculty of Law of University College London. He focuses on banking and financial law, mergers and acquisitions, commercial law, and insolvency.  

Tomas Chobola, who joined Skils in 2006 after a brief period with White & Case, graduated from the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University in Brno and from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, and added an LL.M. from the University of Essex. He focuses mainly on dispute resolution and litigation and public procurement (including proceedings before the Czech Office for Protection of Competition), and according to the firm, “has extensive experience with insolvency, competition, TMT law, and energy, and with the agenda of business corporations and comprehensive business contracts.”   

Jiri Zapletal, who joined Skils in 2007 after spending a year with PRK Partners, graduated from the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University in Brno and got an PH.D. from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, as well as an LL.M. from King’s College London School of Law. He focuses on commercial law (especially EPC and other contracts for large investment projects, corporate law and mergers and acquisitions), public procurement law, and intellectual property.

Kinstellar has advised Star Capital Investments on the acquisition of Lighthouse Towers in Prague´s Holesovice district from German real estate fund DEKA Immobilien. The sellers were advised by CMS Prague.

The property consists of two separate stand-alone buildings joined at the underground parking level, where 360 parking spaces are provided. The main office tenants in the property include CD Cargo, Accenture, Pharmaceutical Research Associates, LMC, and Pharma Swiss.

Kinstellar’s team was led by Partner Jan Juroska and included Associate Martin Holub, Counsel Martina Brezinova, and Junior Associates Alice Radvanovksa and Denisa Simanska.

CMS Prague’s team consisted of Partner Lukas Hejduk, Associate Petr Koral, and Lawyer Lucie Zanaskova.

Zdenek Hustak has been promoted from Counsel to Partner at the BBH Law Firm in Prague.

Hustak has over 20 years of professional experience in capital and financial markets, financial regulation, banking and finance, and insurance law. According to BBH, “he has advised a number of clients on a broad scope of issues including new products and services, financial market transactions, corporate governance and compliance, licensing, and sanction proceedings. 

“We are very glad that our long-time colleague and generally recognized expert in the area of capital markets, financial law and regulation, Zdenek Hustak, expanded the number of partners in our law firm,” commented Managing Partner Vladimir Uhde. “Zdenek is highly demanded by clients as an authority in the field of regulation, which is currently the most dynamic field of law and legal practice in general.”

Hustak graduated from the Law Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno where he also received a Ph.D. He also holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the Faculty of Economics and Administration in Brno. Prior to joining BBH in 2007, he worked at the Czech Securities Commission for six years and for two as an Advisor at the Czech Ministry of Finance.

PwC Legal has advised the U City Group on internal restructuring, involving the incorporation of hotels previously purchased by Vienna House into its portfolio and the restructuring of the Vienna House Diplomat Prague hotel.

U City is a Thailand real estate company with a total asset value of EUR 1.63 billion that is listed on the Bangkok Stock Exchange, and the Vienna House Diplomat Prague is a four-star hotel in the Czech capital with over 400 rooms.

According to PwC Legal, “the transaction included the spin-off of the entire hotel to a new entity. The newly created company, Recoop Tour a.s., will now manage the operation of the four-star hotel. The assets, including the real estate itself, were segregated to Vienna House Diplomat Prague RE s.r.o.”

The PwC Legal team included Senior Associate Daniel Pikal and Junior Associate Pavlina Krausova.

Dentons has advised joint lead managers Barclays, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Citi, and HSBC on the issuance of EUR 750 million 0.875% bonds due 2026 by CEZ, a.s., and listed on the regulated market of Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

The transaction represents the first issuance by CEZ under its newly updated EUR 8 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme. 

Dentons’ team in London included Partner Nick Hayday, Associates Moeen Qayum and Niharika Khimji and Trainee Shinae Lee in London. The firm’s team also included Prague-based Partners Jiri Tomola and Petr Zakoucky and Associates Jan Hrivnak and Ivo Hartmann.

Dentons did not reply to our inquiry on the matter.