Category: On the Move

Prague-based Attorneys Tomas Bures and Jan Varecha and Bratislava-based Attorney Eva Hromadkova have been appointed as Associate Partners at PRK Partners.

Bures, who specializes in banking and finance, corporate, and public procurement, has been with PRK Partners since 2004. He is a graduate of the Law Faculty of Charles University.

Varecha, who has been with the firm since 2008, focuses on corporate law, commercial regulatory practice, trade obligations, due diligence, and insolvency law. He, too, is a graduate of the Law Faculty of Charles University.

Hromadkova, who joined PRK Partners in 2011, focuses her practice on corporate law, commercial law, and banking and finance. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University in Bratislava and holds an LLM degree from New York University.

Former Aldertree Legal Partner Vladimir Ivanco has joined the White & Case Prague office as a Counsel and Head of the Slovak Desk on March 1, 2023.

Specializing in litigation, corporate and M&A, and real estate, Ivanco has been with White & Case since 2006, having first joined as an Associate, and being promoted to Local Partner in 2020. In 2022, when White & Case pulled out of Slovakia, Ivanco, together with the local team, continued to operate the Bratislava office as Aldertree Legal (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on March 8, 2022).

“The arrival of Vladimir Ivanco is yet another sign of our long-term focus on further growth in the CEE region,” White & Case Prague office Executive Partner Vit Stehlik commented. “Vlado is an extremely knowledgeable lawyer and seasoned professional who has earned himself a stellar reputation in the legal community and commands the respect of his peers. We believe he is the perfect addition to our successful team.”

“Returning to the top international law firm in the region as a Head of the Slovak Desk is a new challenge for me – one that I am very much looking forward to,” Ivanco added. “Both my colleagues and I myself stand to gain a lot from our renewed collaboration, though it is our clients who will feel the primary benefit.”

Senior Dispute Resolution Expert at CMS Belgrade and CMS Podgorica Nenad Kovacevic has been promoted to Partner. 

According to CMS, Kovacevic has been a “valuable member of the CMS team since 2013.” He focuses on civil, enforcement, criminal, bankruptcy, and labor proceedings as well as alternative dispute resolution. He joined the firm as an Associate and made Attorney at Law in 2015. 

“Nenad has been a hard-working, devoted, and committed member of our dispute resolution team for years,” CEE Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution in Belgrade and Podgorica Nedeljko Velisavljevic commented. “His promotion is a great achievement and will serve to drive further the growth of our team and the entire firm.“ 

“Nenad’s expertise and dedication to his clients have made him a trusted advisor and we are proud to have him on board as a Partner,” Belgrade and Podgorica Managing Partner Radivoje Petrikic added. “His promotion is a testament to his hard work as a team member and commitment to providing the highest quality legal services to clients.”

Klara Kiehl, Clemens Rainer, Sascha Schulz, and Marco Thorbauer have been appointed as Schoenherr Partners in Austria, while Serbia’s Jelena Arsic, Jovan Barovic, and Dusan Obradovic, Bulgaria’s Tsvetan Krumov, and Hungary’s Laszlo Krupl have all been appointed as Local Partners with the firm.

According to Schoenherr, “Kiehl specializes in white-collar crime, compliance, and compliance-related litigation.” She has been with Schoenherr since 2010, joining as an Associate. She became an Attorney in 2013 and a Counsel in 2018.

Rainer, a former Counsel, specializes in real estate transactions. He joined Schoenherr in 2013 as an Associate and became an Attorney in 2014, before being promoted to Counsel in 2020. He began his career in 2009 with Weber, as an Associate.

Another former Counsel, Schulz is a corporate and M&A expert. He joined Schoenherr in 2012 and was promoted to Counsel in 2016. Before that, he was the Head of Office at the Austrian Takeover Commission between 2006 and 2012.

Thorbauer, who specializes in tax law, has been with Schoenherr since 2016 when he joined as an Associate. He became an Attorney at Law in 2019. Before joining the firm, he spent over two years with DLA Piper.

Arsic, a member of Schoenherr’s Banking & Finance practice in Serbia, has been with the firm since 2013. After joining as an Associate she became an Attorney at Law in 2016.

Barovic specializes in corporate and M&A work, baking & finance, and capital market mandates in Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. He has been with the firm since 2010, when he joined as an Associate. He became an Attorney at Law in 2014.

Obradovic specializes in banking & finance. He joined the firm’s Serbian office in 2012, as an Associate, and became an Attorney at Law in 2015.

Krumov heads the firm’s Bulgaria-based Banking & Finance department in Sofia. He has been with the firm for over 13 years, joining in 2009. Before that, he spent almost four years with Landwell as an Attorney at Law.

Krupl heads the firm’s Budapest-based Real Estate & Construction practice. He has been with Schoenherr since 2019, having moved from EY Law, where he spent three years as an Attorney. Earlier, he spent over three years with Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati, between 2013 and 2016, and three years as a Trainee Lawyer with CMS between 2010 and 2013.

“The newly promoted are internationally renowned experts with excellent track records,” Schoenherr’s newly elected Managing Partner Alexander Popp said. “But even more important is that they are great personalities, embodying what makes our Schoenherr people so extraordinary. They all are dedicated and always strive for what’s best for our clients and their teams, and have proved that they are ready to further develop Schoenherr in their new positions.”

TGS Baltic has announced the appointment of Dalia Augaite, Sandra Bliuvaite-Sulciene, Marius Brasiunas, Martti Peetsalu, and Chirag Mody as Partners, while Tadas Varapnickas, Karolina Lapinskaite, and Triinu Jarviste have been appointed as Associate Partners at the firm.

Lithuania’s Augaite, a capital markets and financial sector specialist, has almost 20 years of experience and has been with TGS Baltic since 2022 when she joined as an Associate Partner. Before that, she spent six years with Sorainen as a Senior Associate. Earlier, she spent over 11 years in-house with AB SEB Bank and, before that, almost two years as a Legal Counsel with Swedbank.

Bliuvaite-Sulciene, the Head of the Real Estate, Construction, and Environment groups at TGS Baltic in Lithuania, has over 16 years of experience. She joined the firm in 2014.

Brasiunas, Co-head of the Dispute Resolution group in Lithuania, has been with TGS Baltic for 15 years. He joined the firm as an Assistant Attorney in 2008 and became an Attorney at Law in 2015.

Estonia’s Peetsalu, a former Associate Partner, has over ten years of experience in court disputes and arbitration proceedings. He joined TGS Baltic as an Attorney at Law in 2014. Before that, he spent six years with Glimstedt and, earlier, over two years as a Lawyer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

Mody, Co-Head of the Dispute Resolution practice in Estonia, has been with TGS Baltic since 2018. Prior to joining the firm, he spent a year with Ellex Raidla and, earlier, over five years with Primus.

A former Senior Associate, Lapinskaite, part of the Corporate and Capital Markets team in Lithuania, has been with TGS Baltic since 2019 when she joined as an Associate. Before that, she spent six months with Lewben Investment Management as an Associate and, earlier, two and a half years as a Legal Counsel with Siauliu Bankas. Prior to that, she spent almost three years as a Lawyer with SEB Lietuvoje, after beginning her career as a Lawyer with Nordea Bank Finland Lithuania Branch in 2013.

Varapnickas, Head of the Dispute Resolution team of the Lithuanian arbitration practice, and formerly a Senior Associate, rejoined the firm in 2016. He had previously spent over three and a half years with Tark Grunte Sutkiene, between 2011 and 2014. Between 2014 and 2016, he served as an Advisor with the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania.

Estonia’s Jarviste, Head of the Competition and State Aid and the Energy practice groups, and formerly a Counsel, has been with TGS Baltic since 2011. She joined legacy firm Varul as a Lawyer, made Associate in 2012, Senior Associate in 2014, and Counsel in 2021.

The Bucharest-based Iulia Berea Law Office and the Budapest-based Chen Law Firm have joined the BLS-CEE network. The two firms’ respective Managing Partners – Iulia Berea and Chen Chen – have also joined BLS-CEE as Collaborating Partners.

Specializing in corporate and M&A, labor, TMT/IP, and environment, Berea has been managing her eponymous law office since 2014. She has also been the Head of Legal at Flowx.AI, since 2020, and a Partner at Arcliffe, since 2017. Between 2007 and 2014, Berea was a Partner with Bulboaca & Asociatii and led the firm’s Corporate/M&A and Employment practices. She was also an Associate at Linklaters from 2004 to 2006.

“Having a strong team in Bucharest unlocks the potential for offering integrated business law solutions to clients for Hungary and Romania,” BLS-CEE Co-Founding Managing Partner Gabor Kovacs said of the appointment.

Chen has expertise in corporate and M&A, construction, real estate, dispute resolution, and arbitration. She has been leading her own practice since 2020. Between 2013 and 2020, she worked as China Special Advisor at Baker McKenzie Budapest. She also spent six months as a Junior Lawyer with Noerr in 2013. Between 2010 and 2012, she was a Business Development Manager at the China Brand Trade Center. She also spent a year with NXP Semiconductors as a Business Development Representative, starting in 2008. 

“Sharing her time between Hungary and Switzerland, Chen was seeking a legal community that enables her to thrive and take her professional career to the next level. We are very proud that she chose us,” Kovacs commented.

Former Telekom Romania Data Protection Officer George Manea has joined KPMG Legal Toncescu si Asociatii as a Senior Managing Associate and Head of the firm’s Life Sciences, Technology & Compliance practice.

Specializing in life sciences, TMT, and data protection, Manea previously spent over four years at Telekom Romania, having first joined in 2018 as Privacy Lead. He later became Data Protection Officer in 2019. From 2016 to 2020, Manea was also an Associate with DLA Piper.

“This is an exciting time for our law firm,” KPMG Partner and Head of KPMG Legal Toncescu si Asociatii Laura Toncescu commented. “The addition of […] George Manea to our firm reflects our continuing growth strategy, our openness to adding strong capabilities and suitable members to our team, and our desire to offer the best services to our clients.”

Former Osborne Clarke CEO Simon Beswick has joined Kinstellar’s Board of Directors as a non-executive member.

According to Kinstellar, Beswick “brings over 35 years of global legal and law firm leadership experience. He ran and was the managing partner of the UK business of Osborne Clarke from 2003 to 2014 … became CEO of Osborne Clarke in 2012, leading the firm’s growth across Europe, Asia, and the US. Simon’s background is as a corporate and private equity lawyer.”

“In his new role, Simon will advise on our strategic growth plans as we continue to build the Kinstellar business,” the firm announced. 

“We are honored and pleased to welcome Simon to the Board,” Kinstellar Senior Partner Jason Mogg commented. “His vast experience in managing global law firm businesses will be invaluable to Kinstellar as we grow our business and pursue our strategy.”

“I am excited to be joining the Board and to work with Kinstellar’s management team as the firm continues to expand and innovate,” Beswick added. “I am impressed by the firm’s reputation and strong brand, by its outstanding people, and I look forward to contributing to its future.”

Partner Stepan Starha has been elevated to an Equity Partner with Havel & Partners, while Lawyer Jiri Kunasek has been promoted to Partner.

According to Havel & Partners, Starha, who co-heads the firm’s Slovak office and the IP/IT law department, started his career 14 years ago. He has been with Havel & Partners since 2009. “In his new position, he will primarily continue to focus on the development of the Slovak team, customer care for the growing number of local clients, as well as advice to Czech clients eager to do business in and expand to the Slovak market.” He became a partner with Havel & Partners in 2018 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 5, 2018).

According to the firm, Kunasek, who has over ten years of professional experience, focuses on “commercial and corporate law, particularly corporate litigations, corporate transformations, and holding structures.” He joined Havel & Partners in 2017 – before that, he spent a year and a half as a Legal Assistant with Cech Partners and, earlier, almost a year as a Legal Assistant with Rybar Soppe & Partneri.

“Stepan and Jiri have provided long-standing support to our legal teams, which is why I am pleased that starting from January, they will be even more intensely involved in the management of the firm, as well as its sales and marketing activities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” commented Havel & Partners Managing Partner Jaroslav Havel.

Partners Luka Popovic and Bogdan Ivanisevic have been elevated to Senior Partners with BDK Advokati.

Specializing in the gambling and hospitality sectors and leading BDK’s Montenegrin practice, Popovic has been with the firm since 2012, having first joined as a Senior Associate. He became a Managing Senior Associate in 2013 and was promoted to Partner in 2017. Before joining BDK, Popovic served as CEO with Hidroterm from 2007 to 2011. He was also the Head of ETG Group’s Legal Department from 2006 to 2007.

Ivanisevic, who leads BDK’s Intellectual Property, Data Protection, and E-commerce practices, has been with the firm since 2012. Prior to that, he was a Consultant with the International Center for Transitional Justice from 2006 to 2011. Earlier in his career, he worked as a researcher at Human Rights Watch and as a journalist at NIN, starting in 1991.

Jelena Brajkovic and Relja Radovic were promoted to Senior Associate during the same round. 

“This year’s promotions reflect the values that underpin our promotion policy in general – leadership qualities, sharing and spreading of BDK values, constancy in personal and practice development, and the build-up of the firm’s expertise,” BDK Managing Partner Tijana Kojovic commented. “Congratulations to my colleagues on these well-deserved promotions!”