Category: On the Move

Schoenherr has announced the promotion of Bratislava-based Local Partner Sona Hekelova to Managing Partner of the Bratislava office and Banking & Finance Lawyer Gergely Szaloki to Local Partner in Budapest.

Sona Hekelova specializes in Corporate/M&A,  Banking & Finance (including banking regulatory), and Real Estate. She advises both national and international clients on acquisitions, sales, mergers and divestitures in the Slovak Republic. According to Schoenherr, she “is regularly involved in (re)financings (both on the lender and the borrower side), cross-border m&a transactions, and restructuring processes.” She received her law degree from the University of Trnava in 2007 and was admitted to the Slovak Bar Association in 2011.

Gergely Szaloki specializes in Banking & Finance and Capital Markets, and also deals with insurance regulatory issues. He has been involved in numerous significant transactions for both domestic and foreign clients in the financial industry, and also advises on the borrower side. He frequently works on bond issue transactions representing both managers and issuers, and also acts for investment funds. He holds a Ph.D. in law from the Karoli Gaspar Protestant University in Budapest and an LL.M. from the Central European University in Budapest. Gergely was admitted to the Hungarian Bar Association in 2011.

Speaking of Hekelova, Schoenherr Managing Partner Michael Lagler said: “A highly accomplished corporate and transaction lawyer, Soňa has been one of the driving forces behind our success in Slovakia. This promotion comes in recognition of her strong commitment to legal excellence and personal engagement taking the Bratislava office to the next level.”

Speaking about Szaloki, Lagler said, “Gergely is a key member of the stellar Banking & Finance team in Budapest, and over the years he has honed his legal expertise working on highly complex mandates. We are thrilled to count on his know-how and team spirit.”.      

As part of the same announcement, Schoenherr reported that Labor & Employment Specialist Barbara Jozwik had been promoted to Counsel in Warsaw.    

BDK Advokati has promoted Milan Dakic from the firm’s Belgrade office and Luka Popovic from its Podgorica office to the position of Contract Partner.

Milan Dakic is active in BDK’s real estate, construction law, and environmental law practices. He also covers the firm’s work in the aviation sector. He joined the firm in 2011 and contributes eight years of post-qualification experience.

Luka Popovic has been managing BDK’s Montenegrin operations from the position of Managing Senior Associate since 2013, having joined the firm a year earlier. According to the firm, Popovic will continue to be involved “in all aspects of the firm’s Montenegrin work, in particular projects and M&A.”

“These promotions are a reflection of BDK’s commitment to expertise, excellence and long-term approach,” said Managing Partner Tijana Kojovic. “Both Milan and Luka have immensely contributed to the firm’s success. With the new performance management system in place, launched this year, we hope to give clear guidance to all colleagues regarding their future in the firm.”

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz has announced the addition of two new Partners: Andrea Zubovic-Devedcic in Sarajevo and Dorde Popovic in Belgrade.

Andrea Zubovic-Devedzic joined CMS in Sarajevo in 2010 and, according to the firm, “has since established herself a leading expert in the field of banking and finance, being involved in some of the innovative projects conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is also renowned for her work in Corporate/M&A as well as dispute resolution.”

Zubovic-Devedzic was admitted to the bar in 2012. She completed her education in law and economics at the University of Sarajevo, and obtained an LL.M. from the University of Oxford. 

Dorde Popovic heads the energy and regulatory team at CMS in Belgrade, where he has worked since 2010. According to CMS, “he has become a leading attorney in the field of energy & infrastructure on the Serbian market and has made important contributions to the Serbian legislature governing this industry. He is also a renowned expert for issues related to real estate and telecommunications (regulatory). In his work, he also focuses on project finance.”

Popovic was admitted to the Serbian bar in 2008 after completing a Master of European Studies at the University of Bonn, in Germany, and a post-graduate specialization program training experts in securities legislation in Belgrade. 

“Excellent lawyers work for CMS in Vienna as well as at all of our offices throughout CEE,” commented CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Managing Partner Peter Huber, Managing Partner. “Two of them are Andrea Zubovic-Devedzic at CMS in Sarajevo and Dorde Popovic at CMS in Belgrade. We are very proud to welcome them as new partners.”

Sorainen is announcing that Lelde Lavina, the head of the Latvian Real Estate & Construction Team, has become the 29th Partner of the firm, and that Partner Tomas Kontautas, current head of the Sorainen Banking, Finance & Insurance practice group, has been appointed the office Managing Partner of Sorainen Lithuania.

“We believe that Sorainen’s one-firm model, with integrated regional partnership and a rotation of leadership positions, is one of our main competitive advantages,” said Senior Partner Aku Sorainen. “Both Tomas and Lelde are growing in reputation as effective leaders and I believe that these changes will benefit not only the further growth of the Lithuanian office and Real Estate & Construction Team in Latvia, but also the firm overall.”

Laimonas Skibarka, the Co-Managing Partner of Sorainen, who has served as office managing partner at Sorainen Lithuania for the last four years, commented on Kontautas’s new role as well: “As our firm grows bigger and bigger, and now employs over 180 lawyers in the Baltic States and Belarus, we have to ensure the continuous growth of leadership as well. Tomas has proved to be an influential front-runner; under his leadership the firm’s Banking, Finance & Insurance Team became a top-tier player in our region.”

Kontautas joined the firm in 2006, and in 2008 he became the fifth Partner at Sorainen Lithuania. He studied at Vilnius University as well as at the University of Hamburg and Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he obtained a European Master’s in Law and Economics (EMLE) degree. In 2006, he was awarded a doctoral degree in Social Sciences (Law) by Vilnius University.

Laimonas Skibarka, the previous Lithuanian office Managing Partner, continues as a Co-Managing Partner of the firm together with Toomas Prangli. Skibarka will now increase his attention on the strategic management of the whole firm, as well as advising Sorainen clients.

Njord’s Tallinn office has announced that on January 1st Triinu Hiob and Anne Veerpalu were promoted to full partners of the firm. Hiob heads the firm’s Dispute Resolution practice, while Veerpalu is the head of Corporate, Private Equity, and M&A.

According to Njord, “Ms. Hiob mainly specializing in commercial disputes, including court litigation and domestic and international arbitration. She has served as an arbitrator for the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and is a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague. She also regularly acts as a conciliator of the insurance conciliation body of the Estonian Insurance Association, and is an arbitrator of the Estonian insurance arbitration board. Ms. Hiob is appointed as a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR. Before joining Njord she worked for Cobalt for twelve years.”

Veerpalu advises clients on corporate law, private equity, and M&A. She is a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Tartu IT Law program. She runs a Tech Startup Legal Clinic and is an advisor of high-growth companies. She is also a co-organizer of Estonian Legal Hackers Meetups and an avid blockchain technology enthusiast. Previously, she worked for both Glimstedt and Sorainen.

With the additions of Hiob and Veerpalu, Njord’s Tallinn office has now five partners, with 34 across the firm’s five offices in Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Baker & McKenzie is announcing that former Wierzbowski Eversheds Partner Krzysztof Haladyj has joined the firm as a Local Partner in Warsaw. 

Haladyj specializes in capital market regulations, regulatory issues of public companies, and investment funds as well as in banking and corporate law. According to Baker & McKenzie, “he is the author of numerous publications on civil law, commercial law and capital market law. He has worked on many projects relating to the issue of securities and placing them on the market. He also advised on transactions for obtaining financing through the issue of bonds.”

“Krzysztof has broad knowledge and extensive experience in advising financial institutions,” said Ireneusz Stolarski, Partner in charge of the Finance Practice group at Baker McKenzie. “I am confident that Krzysztof joining the office with his team will be a great support for clients facing upcoming challenges for the financial services sector.”

Haladyj has spent the past eleven years at Wierzbowski Eversheds, which he joined in February 2006, and where he headed the Banking, Financial and Capital Market Law practice group. Before that he spent two years at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and five months at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (now Squire Patton Boggs). He graduated from the University of Warsaw in 2004, and obtained a PhD. from that same institution in 2007.

Ilyashev & Partners has opened an office in Tallinn, Estonia. 

“Opening an office in Tallinn is another important step in implementation of the development strategy of our law firm aimed at full-range legal service of companies,” said Mikhail Ilyashev, Managing Partner at Ilyashev & Partners, in a statement released by the firm. “Many of our clients told us that they were willing to structure their businesses taking advantage of the EU jurisdiction. Upon analyzing the legal and business environment in many EU countries, we chose Estonia as the most promising jurisdiction for our clients. Estonia has many advantages compared to other EU member states. They include, inter alia, business-friendly tax laws, well-developed banking system, simple and transparent administrative procedures beginning from the incorporation of a legal entity, geographic proximity, as well as similar mentality and knowledge of a common language, which is also important.”

The office is headed by Vitali Galitskihh, an Estonian specialist in corporate, tax, labor law, and dispute resolution. Vitali graduated from the Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Tartu, the oldest university in the Baltic States and Northern Europe. He has a degree in IT law and e-commerce from the University of Hannover, Germany.

“Estonia is one of the world’s leaders in technology and the number of start-ups per capita,” said Galitskihh, in the firm’s announcement. “Internet access is declared here one of the human rights. All public services are available through the Estonian e-Government, which eliminates bureaucracy and makes decision-making process completely transparent and much less time consuming. Estonian banks are working in full online maintenance mode. Business in Estonia is supported through a comfortable tax environment with the effective 0% corporate profit tax and VAT rate on transactions in the EU and exports. Communication with the tax service and filing of tax returns is conducted on the portal of the Tax Department through the Internet that allows to manage the company from anywhere in the world.”

Estonia is the third country of operation of Ilyashev & Partners, following Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The firm boasts more than 120 employees in total, with offices in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Simferopol, Moscow, and Tallinn.

White & Case has announced that two CEE attorneys – Istanbul-based Corporate/M&A specialist Ceylan Kara and Moscow-based Project Finance specialist Ekaterina Logvinova – are among the 15 promoted by the firm to Local Partner worldwide with effect from January 1, 2017. Another six CEE lawyers (three in Prague, two in Warsaw, and one in Istanbul) were among the 26 promoted to Counsel worldwide.

“These promotions reflect the quality and achievement of our lawyers and the truly global and diverse nature of our Firm,” said White & Case Chairman Hugh Verrier, speaking of the 41 global promotions. “They embrace 21 offices and 13 global practices, and exemplify the way in which White & Case provides worldwide support to clients on their most important, complex, cross-border legal challenges.”

Ceylan Kara, in Istanbul, works within the firm’s Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. According to White & Case, “she advises clients across a range of sectors, including banking and insurance, on public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and related corporate transactions.” She joined White & Case in 2007 after graduating from Yeditepe University, and obtained an LL.M. in 2009 from the Harvard Law School.

Ekaterina Logvinova, in Moscow, is a member of the firm’s Global Project Finance Practice. According to White & Case, “she advises clients on financing transactions, with significant experience in project finance, trade finance, acquisition finance and other secured financing transactions involving Russian and international banks, companies and multi-laterals.” She graduated in 2009 from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) in 2009.

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

Herguner Bilgen Ozeke (HBO) has promoted senior lawyers Nazim Olcay Kurt, Mert Oguzulgen, Deniz Tuncel, Bige Yucel, and Ismet Bozoglu to the firm’s Partnership.

Nazim Kurt began his career with HBO as a trainee in 2001, and has most recently been serving as a Managing Associate in the firm’s general corporate practice group. He specializes in real estate matters and disputes but also has experience in commercial and real estate litigation, negotiating residential and commercial real estate projects, real estate development, permitting and licensing, structuring real estate sections of energy and infrastructure projects, and international commercial dispute resolution. He holds an LL.M. degree from Istanbul Commerce University and an undergraduate degree in law from Marmara University. 

Mert Oguzulgen began his career with Arthur Andersen Legal in 2000, then spent 2001-2004 with the Esin Law Firm. He joined HBO in 2005, and was seconded to the London office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2011. In recent years he has been a Managing Associate in the firm’s corporate transactional practice group, where he specializes in private equity, venture capital, and capital markets, in addition to having experience in public procurement and tenders, joint ventures, and infrastructure and energy projects, as well as cross border mergers and acquisitions. He holds an LL.M. degree from Utrecht University in Law & Economics as well as an undergraduate degree in law from Istanbul University. 

Deniz Tuncel, like Oguzulgen, has been promoted from a position as a Managing Associate in the HBO corporate transactional group, where his primary industrial focus has been in manufacturing, e-commerce, energy, and life sciences, and the firm reports that “he generally serves as the lead transactional counsel for cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.” He holds LL.M. degrees from Harvard Law School and Istanbul Bilgi University as well as an undergraduate degree in law from Istanbul University. He began his career in 2002 with the Guzuldere Law Firm, where he stayed until moving to HBO in 2009. He was seconded to the Tokyo office of Mori Hamada Matsumoto in 2014.

Bige Yucel joined HBO in 2005 after one and a half years at the Bicakci & Tanverdi law firm, and until recently she has been a Senior Associate in HBO’s dispute resolution and commercial practice group. She provides corporate law advice to commercial clients, specializing in commercial litigation, intellectual property, unfair competition, and employment law issues, and, according to HBO, “she has an extensive background in individual and collective labor dispute resolution, having negotiated many successful high-profile collective bargaining agreements.” She holds an LL.M. degree in Business Law from Istanbul Bilgi University as well as an undergraduate degree in law from Istanbul University. 

Ismet Bozoglu joined HBO in 2007 after completing his LL.M. degree at Istanbul Bilgi University where he also earned an undergraduate degree in law as a student-athlete on a basketball scholarship. Bozoglu has been a Senior Associate in the firm’s dispute resolution and commercial practice groups. In addition to working in mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, general corporate and governance matters, and employment law, he also has experience in maritime law, shipping and transportation, import-export and customs, and commercial litigation. 

Squire Patton Boggs announced that the firm’s Global Board has unanimously approved the appointment of Jane Haxby as the firm’s European Managing Partner, and that her three year term becomes effective on January 1, 2017. Haxby, who will also serve on the Global Board, succeeds Peter Crossley, who served as the firm’s European Managing Partner for 12 years.

Haxby joined the firm as a trainee in 1993 and became Partner in 2001. She served as Managing Partner of the firm’s office in Manchester, England, and in 2013 was appointed Chair of the Global Corporate Group for EMEA. Throughout her career she has focused her practice on advising public and private companies on corporate finance with particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, reorganizations, and general corporate structuring.

“Jane is respected throughout our firm and the legal community,” said Mark Ruehlmann, Chair and Global CEO of Squire Patton Boggs. “As the legal services industry goes through fundamental change, Jane will continue to bring fresh thinking that will advance our focus on collaboration, performance and delivering top-notch service to clients.”

Haxby commented, “I am delighted to take on this exciting new challenge. Having worked with many colleagues across the globe during my career with the firm it is clear that we are well-positioned to serve the evolving needs of our clients and unlock even greater potential from the vast talent and resources within our organization.”

Squire Patton Boggs has also announced that Fred Nance has been appointed Global Managing Partner, US LLP. He will also serve a three year term and serve on the firm’s Global Board, succeeding Partner Steve Mahon.