Category: Deals and Cases

The Moscow and Paris offices of Debevoise & Plimpton have advised the Vladimir Potanin Foundation on the organization of an exhibition of Soviet and Russian contemporary art at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Debevoise describes the exhibition as “unprecedented” and “one of the most important in recent times,” reporting that it “included the generous donation of a remarkable collection of Soviet and Russian contemporary artworks to the Centre Pompidou by the Foundation and other benefactors.”  

The Foundation arranged for more than 250 artworks of 65 Soviet and Russian artists to be donated to the Centre Pompidou both by the Foundation and by private collectors, artists, and their families. The exhibition of these artworks, titled Kollektsia! Contemporary Art in the USSR and Russia, 1950-2000, will be unveiled on September 14, 2016 and will run until March 27, 2017 as part of the program of the Franco-Russian Year of Cultural Tourism. After the exhibition is over, the artworks will remain in the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou.  

According to Debevoise, the Foundation, which was established by Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin, “supports the training of art and culture professionals and works to promote philanthropic activity in Russia. Since its creation in 1999, the Foundation has supported hundreds of museums across Russia to introduce innovations, advance their impact on local communities and boost professional networks, and has built partnerships with the most prominent museums in Russia, including the State Hermitage Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Kunstkamera and the Polytechnic Museum.”  

The Debevoise team is led by Partner Alyona Kucher and includes Partners Pierre Clermontel and Alan Kartashkin, Associates Mikhail Movshovic, Svyatoslav Skopintsev, Daria Serebrova, and Elena Bader, and legal assistants Alexey Khnalkov and Olga Kiseleva.

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners is reporting that the Austrian Supreme Court (OGH) has issued a final ruling on a long-running dispute involving the City of Vienna’s attempt to evict general leaseholder Norbert Weber from the “Copa Cagrana” stretch of bars and restaurants in the city. FWP represented the City of Vienna throughout the dispute.

According to FWP, “the OGH dismissed all legal remedies filed by the general leaseholder. Therefore the eviction order handed down by the district court of Donaustadt has become final and absolute and the proceedings cannot be reopened. After successfully evicting the general leaseholder and bringing the lengthy proceedings – over 40 civil lawsuits and administrative proceedings – to a close, redeveloping the area is no longer impeded by any obstacles. The City of Vienna is expected to start the relevant work in 2017. According to the information provided by the City of Vienna, the leisure area will cover an expanse of 30,000 square meters. In addition, a variety of functional areas, different bars and restaurants, and numerous open spaces shall bring new life to a 300-meter waterfront.”

The FWP team was led by Partner Michael Hecht.

CMS has advised the Coalco Development real estate developer on its sale to VTB Real Estate of 90% of the Tsar Square (Tsarskaya Ploshad), Presnya City, and Basmanny 5 projects for construction of business class residential complexes in Moscow. Dentons advised VTB on the deal.

The CMS team was led by CMS Counsel Vladimir Zenin, Head of M&A at CMS Moscow, supported by Corporate Counsel Gregor Kennedy. Zenin commented: “We have been delighted to represent Coalco Development on what is clearly a very high-profile and one of the most visible transactions in the Russian market this year. Completed at a turbulent time for the Russian economy, the deal shows the strength of the projects and underscores the high level of expertise of the parties to it and their commitment to the Russian real estate sector.”

Jean-Francois Marquaire, the Managing Partner of, and Head of Real Estate and Projects at, CMS Russia, added: “We are pleased to witness another example of CMS’ capability to execute big-ticket M&A deals involving sophisticated counterparties, complicated transaction documentation and a very ambitious timetable. This deal also emphasizes our focus on advising Russian clients on their strategic cross-border transactions.”

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Dentons announced that its team was led by Senior Associate Artashes Oganov, assisted by Senior Associates Vladislav Bromberg and Anton Kunashov, Of Counsel Nadezhda Gryazeva, and Associate Tatyana Indisova. Associat Natalia Afinogenova obtained antimonopoly consents for the deal.

Derling has advised Navirail OU on the sale of the freight and passenger route between Paldiski (Estonia) and Hanko (Finland) to DFDS. 

According to Derling, “the agreement includes a four-year time-charter agreement for a ro-pax ship and an earn-out agreement. The transaction is subject to approval by the competition authorities.”

The Derling team was led by Partner Rolan Jankelevitsh, and it included Partners Andres Siigur and Toomas Taube, assisted by lawyers Markus Jakobsoo and Kart Karus.

The firm did not reply to our inquiries about counsel for DFDS.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners (EPAM) has announced that on September 3, 2016, it entered into a strategic cooperation and legal support agreement with the Roscongress Foundation at the Eastern Economic Forum. 

Under the agreement, EPAM will act as a legal partner for the key forums organized by the Roscongress Foundation, including the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum, and the Sochi International Investment Forum.

The agreement was signed by Roscongress Foundation CEO Alexander Stuglev and EPAM Chairman Dmitry Afanasiev.

“Having hosted a series of international events for several years now, we are fully aware of the importance of legal support and the processes involved in organizing and holding business events,” commented Stuglev. “We are grateful to the Firm’s management for their decision to support the Foundation during future events, including providing due diligence for our activities.”

Sorainen has advised Betsson on its acquisition by its wholly-owned subsidiaries of gaming operator Losimu Strategine Grupe (LSG), which trades as TonyBet in Lithuania. LSG was advised by Tark Grunte Sutkiene on the deal, which is expected to close within a month. The initial acquisition consideration is EUR 4.0 million. 

TonyBet is the second largest licensed online operator in Lithuania. According to Sorainen, “through this acquisition the Betsson Group will strengthen its foothold in the Baltic region with licenses in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. TonyBet currently offers its customers primarily a sportsbook online and through a network of more than 20 betting shops in Lithuania.” 

Sorainen also reports that “Betsson.com offers digital and mobile gaming entertainment (a multitude of casino games, sportsbook betting, poker, bingo, and scratch cards),” and that “Betsson is owned by Swedish Betsson, one of the world’s largest gaming groups, which has been providing gaming entertainment for over 50 years.” 

Sorainen is working in cooperation with the Swedish law firm Gernandt & Danielsson “to ensure a successful finalization.” The Sorainen team is led by Partner Renata Berzanskiene and Senior Associate Jonas Kiauleikis.

The Tark Grunte Sutkiene team is led by Partner Marius Matonis, supported by Associate Andrius Voska.

The Bucharest office of Schoenherr is reporting that it is assisting the BraasMonier group in acquiring the Elpreco concrete tile plant in the southern Romanian city of Craiova from the CRH group. D&B David and Baias advised the sellers on the transaction, which is valued at RON 33 million (approximately EUR 8 million).

The BraasMonier group has announced that, going forward, the products of the former Elpreco factory will be sold under the brand name Getica. According to the BraasMonier group, the transaction will generate revenue worth some RON 22 million by 2019 and an operational profit of some RON 7.5 million. The group is represented locally by Bramac, a company selling the group’s products under the brand name Schiedel.

The Schoenherr team involved in the project was coordinated by Local Partner Madalina Neagu, and included Attorneys Alexandra Munteanu and Anda Tufan.  

The team providing assistance to Elpreco consisted of Partner Anda Rojanschi, Associate Madaline Dobre, and Associate Adina Oprea.

Valiunas Ellex team has provided legal advice to the City of Vilnius in preparing concession tender conditions for the Lithuanian National Stadium. 

According to a statement released by Valiunas Ellex, “it has been agreed that there will be established a multifunctional facility by a private investor based on the concession agreement. We are honored to be a part of this nationally significant case. This is the first time when concession will be provided by two institutions; i. e. the municipality and the Department of Physical Education and Sports under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. The concession is planned for 25 upcoming years; the first three years are intended for construction.”

According to Valiunas Ellex Partner Dovile Burgiene the construction should start after almost two years if the tender takes place without any delays.

Paksoy is reporting that, working closely with global counsel Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, it provided local Turkish advice to the lenders on a EUR 120 million facility granted to Luxembourg Investment Company 43 S.a r.l and OnlinePizza Norden AB, affiliates of Delivery Hero. Dentons and Herguner Bilgen Ozeke advised the borrowers on the deal.

The lenders advised by Freshfields and Paksoy include UniCredit Luxembourg S.A., Citibank, N.A. London Branch, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., and Goldman Sachs Bank USA. 

The Paksoy team consisted of Partner Sera Somay and Senior Associate Ozlem Barut, with the assistance of Associate Beril Paksoy. 

Editor’s Note: Herguner Bilgen Ozeke did not reply to our inquiry asking it to confirm its involvement on the deal.

Sorainen Belarus has advised Finland’s OpusCapita Group Oy on Belarusian aspects of its acquisition of all shares in jCatalog Software AG (Dortmund, Germany) from its shareholders.

The firm’s support included, among other things, a review of contractual arrangements between jCatalog Software AG and its local partner and advising on issues related to intellectual property protection, employment relations, and tax implications.

The Sorainen team was led by Partner Maksim Salahub and included Specialist Counsel Viktar Strachuk and Associates Nadezhda Fomenok and Kirill Laptev.