Category: On the Move

Slaughter and May has promoted Olga Ladrowska to Partner as part of a promotion round that saw a total of six new Partners at the firm.

Ladrowska is part of the Disputes and Investigations team at Slaughter and May. Prior to joining Slaughter and May, Olga completed a Ph.D. in private international law at the University of Cambridge.

“I am delighted to announce the election of six new partners,” commented Senior Partner Roland Turnill. “They will each bring valued experience and insight to their respective practice areas, the firm, and our clients.”

CMS has promoted Romania-based Alina Tihan, Hungary-based Veronika Kovacs, and Bulgaria-based Borislava Piperkova to Partner, as part of its latest promotion round that saw a total of 56 lawyers elevated to partnership ranks.

The round included Slovakia-based Martina Gavalec and Natalia Janoskova (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on February 5, 2025).

Tihan’s primary area of focus is finance. She has been with CMS as a Senior Counsel since 2019 and was previously engaged with the firm as a Senior Associate between 2007 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2019, Tihan was a Senior Managing Associate with Reff & Associates, a member of the Deloitte Legal network.

Kovacs focuses primarily on life sciences & healthcare, public procurement, and commercial areas. She has been with the firm since 2010 when she joined as a Senior Associate. In 2021, she was promoted to Senior Counsel.

Piperkova is the Head of Renewables at CMS Sofia. She has been with the firm since 2008, first joining the firm as a Trainee. She has been a Counsel since 2023.

“We’re delighted to welcome another strong cohort of lawyers to the partnership who demonstrate the depth and breadth of talent across the firm’s practice areas and geographies,” commented Senior Partner for CMS UK Charles Currier. “Our new Partners have all shown a commitment to delivering excellence for our clients and they embody core CMS values of collaboration and innovation. We look forward to seeing their practices continue to develop and thrive.”

“Congratulations to our newest CMS Partners who have consistently shown that they are adaptable and proactive in their approach to serving our clients,” added CMS Chairman Pierre-Sebastien Thill. “Their leadership will help solidify CMS’s commitment to delivering high-quality expert advice and innovative, industry-shaping solutions.”

Former Reed Smith Partner Kevin-Paul Deveau has joined Greenberg Traurig as a Shareholder.

According to Greenberg Traurig, “bringing extensive experience in private credit, bespoke financing arrangements, and acquisition finance, Deveau regularly advises banks, alternative lenders, asset managers, and borrowers on a diverse range of financing transactions. Alongside his extensive experience in Central and Eastern Europe, his areas of focus include Turkiye, the Middle East, and Africa.”

Before the move, Deveau was a Partner with Reed Smith between 2018 and 2025. Earlier, he was with Dechert as a Senior Associate between 2015 and 2017 and as a Counsel between 2017 and 2018. Earlier still, he was with Clifford Chance as an Associate between 2007 and 2010, and as a Senior Associate between 2010 and 2015.

“Kevin-Paul brings a breadth of multijurisdictional legal expertise that plays well to our strengths in global finance,” said Greenberg Traurig Executive Chairman Richard A. Rosenbaum. “With this addition, we reaffirm our commitment to strategically growing our London team, ensuring that we continue to offer top-tier service to clients in the U.K., Europe, the Middle East, and worldwide.”

 “I’m excited to join Greenberg Traurig’s London team and collaborate with colleagues across the firm’s extensive European, Middle East, and global network, and of course, the firm’s unmatched coverage of the United States,” added Deveau. 

Deveau reflected on his CEE work over the years in our Looking In series, an interview available here.

Montenegro-based Jovovic, Mugosa & Vukovic and Serbia-based Zivkovic Samardzic have joined the South East Europe Legal Group.

As described by SEE Legal, “Jovovic, Mugosa & Vukovic is one of the largest and most established independent law firms in Montenegro. With over 40 years of distinguished practice and a dedicated team of more than 20 lawyers based in Podgorica, the firm has been advising both domestic and foreign clients across a diverse range of practice areas.”

Moreover, SEE Legal describes Zivkovic Samardzic as “one of the oldest and largest full-service corporate law firms on the Serbian market. With a team of 37 legal professionals, the firm offers a comprehensive range of legal services, including corporate, banking, financial services, commercial, employment, regulatory, real estate, litigation, intellectual property, competition, and tax.”

The addition of these two firms follows the departure of BDK Advokati (which just announced it is expanding into North Macedonia and its presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina) from SEE Legal, as of January 1, 2025. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Jovovic, Mugosa & Vukovic and Zivkovic Samardzic to SEE Legal,” said the Honorary Chair and Co-Chair of SEE Legal Borislav Boyanov, the Managing Partner of Boyanov & Co. “The new members’ expertise will not only strengthen our network’s regional capabilities but also enhance the overall quality of the services we provide. We are also grateful to our colleagues at BDK Advokati for their many years of outstanding collaboration, professionalism, and camaraderie, and we wish them the very best in their future endeavors.”

BDK Advokati has entered North Macedonia via a cooperation agreement with a local qualified independent Attorney at Law Josif Filipovski. Moreover, the firm has expanded its presence in Bosnia & Herzegovina with the addition of Melika Basic.

Before joining forces with BDK Advokati, Filipovski spent almost nine years at the helm of his eponymous Law Office Filipovski, since 2016.

According to BDK Advokati, this move will allow the firm to “extend to yet another jurisdiction the offering of our expertise and the quality of service our clients are used to. Josif is a corporate and commercial lawyer based in Skopje, with eight years of experience in advising clients on a wide range of issues of relevance to their business operations in North Macedonia. Apart from his native Macedonian, he is fluent in English, Serbian, and Slovenian.”

Additionally, BDK Advokati has entered into a cooperation with Melica Basic, an independent Attorney at Law established in Sarajevo. According to the firm, “Melika is a corporate and commercial lawyer who started her career in the legal department of a Big 4 accountancy firm in Sarajevo, where she quickly became the youngest manager and first female in that role.”

Before teaming up with BDK Advokati, Basic was with KPMG between 2021 and 2024, where she has been a Manager between 2023 and 2024.

With the expansion, the firm also announced it will no longer be a member of the SEE Legal network, with the firm announcement concluding: “We also thank our SEE Legal partners for an incredible 15 years. Even if we will be no longer a member, we remain committed to outstanding professional cooperation and the valuable personal friendships we have built together.”

Peterka & Partners has appointed Bratislava-based Attorney at Law Michal Rampasek as the new Co-Leader of its Polish desk.

According to the firm, “in this new role, Michal Rampasek joins Marcin Kryszko, Senior Associate at Peterka & Partners based in Warsaw who has been successfully developing the Polish Desk since it was officially launched in 2018.” Rampasek is also the head of the Criminal Law practice and the Cybersecurity, Data and Privacy Protection practice at Peterka & Partners. 

The appointment is in “response to the growing potential of Poland’s economy and the trend of successful Polish companies moving to new markets with a special interest in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” according to Founder and Managing Partner Ondrej Peterka.

Former NGL Symbio alliance founding members Rowan Legal, Erdos Partners, Biris Goran, and HKV have announced a new set-up under the Horizons Alliance brand.

The four firms covering the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia originally came together in 2020 under the NGL Symbio alliance which also included NGL Legal in Poland (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 10, 2020).

Horizons Alliance describes itself as “a network of four independent law firms [with the] aim to assure the seamless collaboration of four offices to serve their regional clients in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) at the highest quality level.” It added: “Foreign investors require consistent and coordinated resolutions for the issues and transactions taking place in the CEE, to help build trust and ensure sustainable investments, reduce regulatory uncertainties, and foster a transparent environment that supports long-term economic growth and competitiveness.”

White & Case has announced a new Local Partner hire in Prague as well as four new Local Partners in Prague and Warsaw as part of its latest promotion round.

In August 2024, Jana Chwaszcz joined the mergers & acquisitions practice in the firm’s Prague office as a Local Partner. Before the move, Chwaszcz was a Senior Associate with A&O Shearman which she first joined in 2015 as a Trainee. In 2017, she became an Associate and was promoted to Senior Associate in 2021. Earlier, she was a Junior Associate with Hartmann, Jelinek, Frana, and Partners between 2013 and 2015.

Warsaw-based former Associate Karolina Brzeska has been named a Local Partner in the international arbitration practice. She has been with the firm since 2018, when she joined as an Associate. 

Prague-based former Associate Tadeas Matys has been promoted to Local Partner in the debt finance practice. He has been with the firm since 2016. He was first a Legal Intern between 2016 and 2017 and an Associate since.

Former Counsel Magda Olysarova has been promoted to Local Partner in the firm’s antitrust practice in Prague. She has been with the firm since 2006 when she joined as an Associate. Earlier, she worked in-house as a Lawyer with CSOB between 2003 and 2006.

Finally, former Associate Jan Vacula, based in Prague as well, has been promoted to Local Partner in the capital markets practice. He has been with White & Case since 2017, when he joined as an Intern. He was promoted to Associate after four months.

The promotions are effective January 1, 2025.

Editorial Note: After its publication, this article was updated to replace the shorthand “Partner” title to the formal job titles of “Local Partner” for all five in the heading and first paragraph as well.

Schoenherr has promoted Vienna-based Stefanie Aichhorn-Woess, Alfred Amann, Johannes Frank, Ayla Ilicali, Christoph Jirak, Sara Khalil, Sebastian Lukic, Johannes Stalzer, and Stefanie Stegbauer, Zagreb-based Kresimira Kruslin, Warsaw-based Daniel Radwanski, and Bucharest-based Nora Olah to Partner (already announced in August this year).

As part of the promotion round, six lawyers were elevated to Counsel, across the CEE. The firm also appointed Andrei Salajan as its new Director of Legal Tech & Innovation.

Former Counsel Aichhorn-Woess focuses on corporate and M&A. She joined Schoenherr in 2011 as an Associate and was promoted to Attorney at Law in 2014 before becoming a Counsel in 2019. Earlier, she was an Associate with BPV Huegel between 2010 and 2011.

Former Attorney at Law Amann focuses on corporate and M&A. He joined Schoenherr in 2016 as an Associate and became an Attorney in 2021.

Former Counsel Frank focuses on competition and EU and foreign trade. He has been with the firm since 2019 when he joined as an Associate. He became an Attorney at Law in 2020 and a Counsel in 2024. Earlier, he was an Associate with Cerha Hempel between 2015 and 2019.

Former Counsel Ilicali focuses on real estate and construction. She has been with Schoenherr since 2009.

Former Attorney at Law Jirak focuses on regulatory matters, primarily in the areas of environmental law and renewable energy. He joined Schoenherr in 2017 as an Associate and became an Attorney at Law in 2021.

Former Counsel Khalil focuses on dispute resolution. She has been with the firm since 2016 when she joined as an Associate. She became an Attorney at Law in 2019 and a Counsel in 2022. Earlier, she was an Associate with Binder Groesswang between 2015 and 2016.

Former Attorney at Law Lukic focuses on dispute resolution as well. He has been with Schoenherr since 2016 when he joined as an Associate. He became an Attorney at Law in 2021.

Former Counsel Stalzer is a regulatory expert. He re-joined Schoenherr in 2013 as Counsel after having already spent time with the firm as a Junior Partner between 2008 and 2010. He was a Senior Associate with Cerha Hempel between 2004 and 2007, a Partner with Nemetschke Huber Koloseus between 2010 and 2011, as well as a Partner with Weber & Co between 2011 and 2013.

Former Counsel Stegbauer focuses primarily on competition and EU and foreign trade. She has been with Schoenherr since 2008 when she joined as an Associate. She became an Attorney at Law in 2011 and a Counsel in 2014. Earlier, she was an Associate with BPV Huegel between 2002 and 2008.

Former Attorney at Law Kruslin’s primary area of focus is corporate and M&A. Before joining Schoenherr in 2019, she was an Associate between 2013 and 2017 and a Senior Associate between 2017 and 2019 at Savoric & Partners. 

Former Counsel Radwanski primarily focuses on banking, finance, and capital markets. He has been with Schoenherr since 2018. Earlier, he was a Counsel with Dentons in 2018 and a Senior Associate with Baker McKenzie between 2006 and 2017.

Olah’s promotion was reported on by CEE Legal Matters on August 16, 2024.

“These promotions underscore our dedication to nurturing exceptional talent within our firm, while also reinforcing our broad service portfolio across diverse practice areas and jurisdictions,” commented Managing Partner Alexander Popp.

Dentons’ Europe Partners have elected Amsterdam-based Partner Wendela Raas as the firm’s Europe CEO succeeding Tomasz Dabrowski. Raas will start her term on November 1, 2024.

According to Dentons Raas will be “responsible for the leadership and strategy of the Europe Region which includes 23 offices in 18 countries in Europe and Central Asia.”

“In my short time with Dentons, I have seen Wendela demonstrate true leadership capability and a collaborative spirit,” Dentons Global CEO-elect Kate Barton commented. “I congratulate her on her election as Europe Region CEO and I look forward to partnering with her as she focuses on elevating our brand and client service across our Europe Region – one of the Firm’s crown jewels”. 

“I am thrilled and grateful to have been entrusted by my fellow Partners to lead our firm across Europe and Central Asia,” Raas added. “I thank Tomasz Dabrowski for his immense contribution to our firm over the last 11 years and I look forward to continuing to enhance and differentiate our brand and being the go-to firm for our clients’ evolving needs within Europe and Central Asia and across the more than 80 countries globally where Dentons has a presence.”

“It has truly been an honor to serve as Europe CEO for more than a decade,” Dabrowski said. “I am very pleased to be handing over the reins to Wendela as my successor. She is a consummate professional, a highly regarded lawyer, and an experienced leader and I believe she is the right person to lead our teams across Europe into the future.”

Dabrowski has served as Europe Region CEO since 2014. According to the firm, under his leadership, “Dentons has experienced exceptional growth across Europe and Central Asia, more than doubling revenue and partner count. During his tenure, Dentons expanded its footprint in the region, adding offices in Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Rome and Tbilisi, and strengthened capabilities across the region, particularly in key Western European markets.”

Raas was the Managing Partner of Amsterdam-based Boekel De Neree which combined with Dentons in 2017. She is a member of Dentons’ Europe Region Board and Global Board and serves as Global Vice Chair. She also serves as the Global Leader of the Consumer Products and Services sector group.