Category: On the Move

Dvorak Hager & Partners is joining Eversheds Sutherland, one of the 40 largest law firms in the world.

DHP Legal has 49 lawyers, including eight partners. The merger builds on Eversheds Sutherland’s opening of offices in 2017 in Luxembourg, Russia, and Germany. The firm now has 68 offices in 34 countries.

“Dvorak Hager & Partners and Eversheds Sutherland have been working together for several years and this step is a natural outcome of our successful collaboration,” said Dvorak Hager & Partners Managing Partner Stanislav Dvorak. “It is great for us, our colleagues and clients that we will become part of a global professional firm. This combination will bring advantages mainly for our clients who will now have access to top quality legal support in Central and Eastern Europe and in global markets.”

“DHP Legal is a highly regarded law firm in the Czech and Slovak Republics,” said Co-CEO, Eversheds Sutherland Co-CEO Lee Ranson. “Developing in key European jurisdictions is a core part of our global strategy and this announcement allows us to expand the reach of our legal services for our clients into new markets, which is of increasing importance to them. We are pleased that they have decided to join forces with us.”

“We have been working closely with best friend DHP Legal for some time,” added Ian Gray, Chair, Europe, Eversheds Sutherland, “and have grown closer over the last two years due to the strength of the Czech and Slovak economies. It is very attractive to clients to offer them additional legal resource in the CEE to complement our German and Russian practices.”

Czech law firm UEPA has opened an office in Bratislava, led by Partner Marcel Macai, a recent addition to the firm’s team.

According to UEPA, “this step is the logic consequence of a growing demand of our clients, which can easier be dealt with through an own office in Bratislava. The UEPA advokati s.r.o. was recently founded and two of our Partners, Andreas Ueltzhoffer and Lars Klett, are now registered as advocates with the Slovak bar. The Slovak team counts besides Marcel Macai several Slovak native speakers, who are fluent in German and English as well.  The Slovak office is supported by the Prague unit.”

“At this stage the Slovak UEPA law office mainly focuses on Commercial, Corporate, M&A, Real Estate and Labor law,” the firm reports, though it notes that “other specialization will follow.”

Slovak lawyers Zoran Draskovic, Turkish lawyers Ceren Sen and Ates Turnaoglu, and the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Zaloudek were included in White & Case’s global local partnership promotions round, announced on November 27, and effective on January 1, 2019.

Overall, White & Case promoted 21 lawyers around the world to local partner. 

“Spanning 21 offices and nine practice groups, these promotions reflect the truly diverse and global nature of our firm while recognizing the exceptional ability and commitment to client service this group has demonstrated,” said White & Case Chairman Hugh Verrier. “I am confident they will make a valuable contribution to White & Case and our clients as we continue to make progress toward achieving the goals of our 2020 strategy.”

According to White & Case, “the position of local partner is offered in select White & Case regions and locations where it is a common market practice. At present this position applies to offices in Asia-Pacific, Central & Eastern Europe, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The title of local partner is a recognized career step toward admission into Firm partnership.

Zoran Draskovic and Michal Palisin are in White & Case’s Bratislava office, where both work within the firm’s Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Draskovic advises clients on mergers and acquisitions and regulatory matters, with experience in the energy, infrastructure, banking and real estate sectors. Palisin advises clients on competition matters, regulatory matters and corporate law, including related EU law aspects.

Both Ceren Sen and Ates Turnaoglu work in Istanbul as part of White & Case’s Global Banking Practice. Senadvises clients on secured and unsecured financings including domestic and cross-border syndicated loan transactions, leveraged buyouts, corporate financings and restructurings. Turnaoglu advises clients on project financing transactions for Turkish banks and international financial institutions, particularly infrastructure and energy projects.

Vaclav Zaloudek, in Prague, works in White & Case’s Global Project Development and Finance Practice, and he advises clients on commercial law, international private law, energy law and labor law.

Johannes Juranek has been appointed Managing Partner of CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz and will assume the role at the start of the firm’s financial year on February 1, 2019.

Juranek will be taking over from Peter Huber, who has served as Managing Partner of CMS in Austria for the past 12 years. “Our firm has experienced exceptional growth since 2007 and the development of our CEE business has contributed to CMS becoming the third largest law firm in the world,” stated Huber in a CMS press release. “I am proud to have been able to lead our firm through a period marked by such expansion.”

As Managing Partner, Juranek explains that he is keen to remain true to the successful ways of the past but at the same time will take on new challenges: “We aim to strengthen our client relationships over the coming years even more by offering interdisciplinary, industry-specific services,” he said. “As one of the leading corporate law firms, we are also aware of the importance of overcoming the challenges of digitization both at clients and within the legal industry. We must remain open to change in all respects, particularly with regard to AI.” 

Juranek has been partner at CMS since 2008 following the merger that year between the law firm Dallmann & Juranek, which he had co-founded, and CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz. He specializes in the fields of technology and data protection law. According to CMS, he “has extensive experience in dealing with complex legal cases and will continue to advise his Austrian and international clients on the implementation of the new General Data Protection Regulation and to represent them in court and in arbitration proceedings. His clients include technology, software, and industrial companies as well as banks.”

According to CMS, “after twelve years as managing partner, Peter Huber will now be able to devote himself fully to managing and developing CMS’s corporate transactions and M&A practice, which is one of the most successful teams in the industry and is regularly advising on a wide range of complex international transactions.” 

Bird & Bird lawyers Izabela Kowalczuk in Poland and Laszlo Nanyista in Hungary have been promoted to partner as part of the firm’s global promotion round.

Bird & Bird describes Kowalczuk, who specializes in Data Protection, Retail & Consumer, Tech & Comms and Life Sciences & Healthcare, as “one of the top data protection practitioners in Poland.” According to the firm, “she runs over 300 data protection projects annually, providing clients with both legal analyses and practical risk assessment in the field of Gaming, IT, Healthcare and Life Sciences.”

Nanyista specializes in Dispute Resolution, Litigation and Energy & Utilities, Hungary. According to the firm, “he has more than 18 years of experience specializing in litigation matters, as well as corporate and capital markets law. He has significant experience advising Hungarian and international clients in complex commercial and regulatory disputes, as well as public takeover, and insider trading issues.“

White & Case has announced that Nikolay Feoktistov in Moscow and Tomas Jine in Prague will be made Partner as part of the firm’s global promotion round, which includes a total of 41 lawyers around the world. The promotions will become effective on January 1, 2019.

Feoktistov works in White & Case’s Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice in Moscow. His practice focuses on M&A transactions and joint ventures, particularly in the telecommunications, energy and food & beverages industries, both in domestic and cross-border corporate transactions.

Jine, in Prague, is part of White & Case’s Global Banking Practice. His practice covers a range of areas, with a particular focus on cross-border leveraged finance, restructurings, and derivatives transactions.

“Becoming a partner is the result of many years of dedication and top quality work for our clients,” said White & Case Chairman Hugh Verrier. “This year’s class is the largest in our history, which illustrates the level of talent we have cultivated within the firm. As we grow the White & Case partnership through both internal promotions and lateral hires, we are poised to deliver on our 2020 strategy.” 

The Derling law firm in Estonia and Primus, Attorneys at Law, in Lithuania and Latvia have established a new pan-Baltic alliance, which operates in four offices across the three Baltic countries as Derling Primus in Estonia and Primus Derling in Latvia and Lithuania.

“The main goal of this move is to improve legal services for our clients and create more added value by providing professional legal services in all three Baltic countries,” said Robert Juodka, Managing Partner at Primus Derling in Lithuania. “Derling is the best choice in Estonia.”

“Since its launch in April 2016, Derling has made the fastest organic growth in the Estonian legal market,” said Hannes Vallikivi, Managing Partner at Derling Primus in Estonia. “While good times are continuing and our region takes new heights in attracting foreign investments, it is very important to have strong allies in our closest neighboring countries.”

Derling, which has offices in both Tallinn and Tartu, has eight partners among its 25 lawyers. The firm is managed by Hannes Vallikivi, who is also the President of the Estonian Bar Association.

On September 21, 2018, CEE Legal Matters reported that the Lithuanian and Latvia members of Derling’s previous pan-Baltic alliance had launched the new Levin alliance, replacing Derling with Estonian law firm Glikman Alvin.

Denise Hamer has joined Kinstellar as Special Counsel, in a regional CEE/SEE position working in the firm’s Finance, Private Equity, NPLs & Distressed Assets, and Restructuring practices.

Hamer is a New York-qualified attorney with 30 years of experience. She has broad technical and geographical legal expertise and experience as both a general counsel and a private practice partner/managing partner in top-tier global financial institutions, investment funds, corporates (including listed companies), consultancies and law firms. Her practice extends to Private Equity/Buy and Sell Side Investment, Banking & Finance, Special Situations, Debt Restructuring, M&A, Non-Performing Loans (NPLs), and Real Estate, representing investors, creditors, and debtors.

A Russian-speaker, Hamer also has experience working in Central Asia, where she opened the first office of White & Case in Uzbekistan, and in Russia, where she was Managing Partner of Arthur Andersen’s legal practice. She has CEE-specific experience as a Partner with both Schoenherr, DLA Piper, and Richards, Kibbe & Orbe, and spent three years as Head of Legal, International Corporates at BAWAG P.S.K. in Vienna and five years as Director & Counsel, Fixed Income Legal at Citigroup in London. In February 2018 she became a Partner at Trace Capital Advisors (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on February 26, 2018), a position she retains while working at Kinstellar.

She is also admitted to the Czech Bar and is a registered foreign lawyer qualified to practice in the UK. She holds a B.A. in English & Comparative Literature from Columbia University in New York, and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Kinstellar Managing Partner Patrik Bolf commented: “I am pleased to welcome Denise to Kinstellar. We are delighted that she is joining our team. Denise is a highly respected lawyer with a standout reputation in all our countries of operation. I am confident that her deep expertise in the CEE and Central Asia regions will be a remarkable asset to our clients, an excellent addition to our regional practice and will substantially grow our current capabilities.” 

Leda Irzikeviciene has become the first ever Chief Operating Officer at Sorainen, taking overall charge of firm management with Managing Partner Laimonas Skibarka.

Sorainen Senior Partner Aku Sorainen said, “this structure of a Managing Partner and COO acting as a duo will support the further development and growth of our firm. We were delighted to welcome Leda to our management team and her background in pan-Baltic service organizations is an excellent fit for our firm.”  

Irzikeviciene, who joins Sorainen from Nordea Baltics, is based in the firm’s Lithuanian office. In addition to taking responsibility for firm-wide business services and regional integration, she is also a member of the Sorainen board. Skibarka has been acting as the firm’s Co-Managing Partner since 2015. He was also Lithuania Managing Partner from 2013-2016.

“It is still rare among law firms to appoint non-lawyers to top management positions,” Skibarka said, “Sorainen is the first among Baltic and Belarusian law firms to create a COO position. I am very happy to share the firm’s management responsibilities with a strong female leader.”

Irzikeviciene, who has over 17 years of professional experience working in the financial industry in senior management positions, spent the four years before joining Sorainen as a member of the Nordea Baltics Management team, where she was responsible for finance and strategy as well as business planning for the Baltics. She studied at the London School of Economics, Business school INSEAD, Baltic Management Institute, and the Vilnius University.

Former PWC Legal lawyer Piotr Kleszczynski has become the General Counsel of Xella Polska.

At PWC Legal Kleszczynski specialized in company law, commercial law, and civil law. He has experience in advising clients on starting a business, as well as on non-profit activities. He also has over ten years of experience providing legal analyses of companies and woking in M&A, restructuring of capital groups, and negotiating commercial agreements.

Kleszczynski worked at PWC Legal since October 2015, before leaving for Xella in June of this year. Before that he worked for four and a half years at WKB, Wiercinski, Kwiecinski, Baehr and for three and a half year at Rodl & Partner.

“After ten years of professional experience gained in recognized law firms and also providing services for German speaking clients,” Kleszczynski explained, ‘I decided to join an international group, a market leader headquartered in Germany, where I can use my knowledge, ideas, and energy, and work closer to business.”

Xella Polska provides energy-saving solutions in construction. According to its website, its brands, which include Ytong cellular concrete products, Silka lime-sand blocks, and Multipor mineral insulation boards, “are innovative building systems with thermal and strength parameters that allow to quickly and efficiently erect buildings of various purpose: from single- and multi-family houses to large-scale industrial and commercial buildings.”

Kleszczynski studied law at the Europa-Universitat Viadrina Frankfurt, the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, and the University of Mannheim.