Category: Hungary

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.” “

Gide Loyrette Nouel’s Budapest office has advised global toy maker LEGO on its construction of a EUR 354 million plant in the city of Nyiregyhaza, Hungary. 

The aim of the project was to expand the existing LEGO toy manufacturing facility, based since 2008 in Nyiregyhaza. The new complex is located on a 100-hectare site, with the manufacturing area built in under 12 months. According to the firm, the upgrade created 250 new jobs, which boosts LEGO’s headcount to 1,500. The new plant’s grand opening was celebrated on March 25, 2014, in the presence of the Hungarian Prime Minister.  

The Gide team was lead by Partner Eszter Kamocsay-Berta and included Associates Gabriella Galik and Marton Hajnal.

The Budapest office of Specht Bohm has assisted the Hungarian management of Brinks Incorporated in a transaction involving the management buy-out of the company’s Hungarian subsidiary.

Brinks is the world’s largest cash and valuables logistics company — the famous “Brinks Trucks”. In addition to its assistance on the management buy-out, Specht Bohm provided legal counsel on the subsequent rebranding, and restructuring of the new company, TrezEz, which is now owned and operated by the Hungarian management team.

The Budapest and Munich offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges advised the management of Hungary’s TV2 on the purchase of the Hungarian TV operations of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group by way of a management buy-out.

The managers involved in the purchase were CEO Zsolt Simon and CFO Yvonne Dederick.

The TV2 portfolio includes four channels: TV2, FEM3, PRO4 and Super TV2. Founded in 1997, TV2 is one of the most popular national television channels in Hungary, and has been part of the ProSiebenSat.1 Media Group since 2007.

The Weil team advising TV2 management included Partner Barbara Jagersberger and Associate Thomas Zimmerman in Munich, Associates Pal Szabo and Tamas Simon in Budapest, and Gergely Szoboszlai in London.