Category: On the Move

Former Nazali Tax & Legal Ukraine Partner Dogus Gulpinar has joined the Akinci Law Office as a Partner.

Specializing in corporate and M&A, energy, infrastructure, and real estate, Gulpinar previously spent almost three years with Nazali Tax & Legal, having first joined as a Managing Director of the firm’s Kyiv office in 2020 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on March 26, 2020). He was then promoted to a Partner position a year later (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 14, 2021). Before that, he was the Managing Partner of Amisos Partners in Ukraine, from 2015 to 2020.

Starting in February 2023, Partner Alexander Popp will take over as Managing Partner, with Partner Gudrun Stangl continuing in the COO position. Rounding out the Schoenherr Steering Committee are Partners Matei Florea, Thomas Kulnigg, and Franz Urlesberger.

Vienna-based Popp, a corporate and reorganizations and M&A expert, has been with Schoenherr for 23 years, starting in 1999 as an Associate. He became an Attorney at Law with the firm in 2005 and a Partner in 2009.

Stangl, also based in Vienna, first joined Schoenherr in 2000, spending four and a half years with the firm as an Associate. She rejoined Schoenherr in 2005 as a Junior Partner, making Partner in 2009, and taking over COO duties in 2013.

Romania-based Florea, an expert on banking & finance, consumer protection, restructuring & insolvency, and administrative and public law, first joined the firm’s Bucharest office in 1999 as an Attorney at law, and he was made a Partner in 2007. He stayed with the firm until 2012 and rejoined it in 2016, again as a Partner.

Vienna-based Kulnigg joined Schoenherr in 2006 as an Associate and became Attorney at Law in 2010, before making Partner in 2015. His main areas of practice are corporate, M&A, IT, and venture capital.

Urlesberger, based in Vienna as well, has been with Schoenherr for 16 years, joining the firm in 2007. His main areas of expertise are EU, competition, and antitrust law.

The newly elected Steering Committee will lead the firm for a three-year term. The five will ”build upon Schoenherr’s strengths and continue to invest into the strategic development of the firm,” Schoenherr announced.

Petr Hudec, Aleksandra Oziemska, Eva Svobodova, and Jakub Wolkowicz have made Partner at White & Case as part of a promotion round that saw a total of 46 Partner promotions.

Petr Hudec became a Partner in the Capital Markets practice. According to White & Case, “based in Prague, Petr advises issuers and investment banks on equity and debt capital markets transactions.” He has been with White & Case since 2006.

Aleksandra Oziemska was appointed a Partner in the White Collar Crime practice. According to the firm, “based in Warsaw, Aleksandra focuses on precedential civil litigation and providing regulatory advice for technology clients” and also has experience in white-collar matters. She has been with the firm for over 11 years, joining first as an Associate in 2011, being promoted to Counsel in 2020, and finally making Partner in 2022. Before joining White & Case, she spent over six years with CMS as an Associate.

Eva Svobodova became a Partner in the Capital Markets practice. According to White & Case, “based in Prague, Eva focuses on capital markets transactions, including equity and debt offerings.” She has been with White & Case for over 17 years, joining as an Associate in 2005 and becoming a Local Partner in 2011. Before joining the firm, she spent two years with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey and, earlier still, a year with Wolf Theiss as an Associate.

Finally, Jakub Wolkowicz became a Partner in the International Arbitration practice. “Based in Warsaw, Jakub specializes in complex, multijurisdictional disputes, including international arbitration, litigation, adjudication, and mediation.” Wolkowicz first joined White & Case in 2014 as an Associate and was promoted to Local Partner in 2020. 

Andersen Global has entered into a collaboration agreement for the Baltic region with Lextal Legal, adding three locations to its existing network: Lextal in Estonia, RER Lextal in Latvia, and iLaw Lextal in Lithuania.

According to Andersen Global, “Lextal Legal provides services in international relations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and competition, dispute resolution, public procurement law, insurance law, real estate, criminal law, and data protection. The firm, comprised of 21 Partners and more than 75 professionals, provides comprehensive solutions to clients in the Baltic region and globally.”

“Our team’s values and dedication to quality and client service have positioned us as a leading strategic partner for our international and regional clients,” Lextal Partner and Co-Founder Urmas Ustav said. “Our firm’s collaboration with Andersen Global expands our global footprint and enhances our capabilities.”

“The firm’s impressive growth over the years and competitive platform is closely aligned with their dedication to their clients and providing best-in-class service,” Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO Mark Vorsatz added. “With the addition of Lextal Legal, as well as our other recent additions in the region, we have built a formidable platform that provides strong coverage and positions our organization for further growth as we continue to expand our global platform.”

Established in 2013 by US member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals in 196 locations around the world. As previously reported by CEE Legal Matters, the association’s CEE footprint has been growing in recent years, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina (with the Sajic law firm), Slovenia (with Senica & Partners), Croatia (with Kallay & Partners), Moldova (with Turcan Cazac), Serbia (with JSP), Romania (with Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii), Turkey (with MGC Legal), Hungary (with Szabo Kelemen & Partners), and Ukraine (with Sayenko Kharenko).

Following the recent addition of Roxana Dudau in Romania (reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 6, 2022), Wolf Theis has announced it hired Tomasz Siembida in Poland as a Partner, and the further promotion of Austria-based Nikolaus Loudon and Venus Valentina Wong, Poland-based Konrad Kosicki, and Slovenia-based Teja Balazic Jerovsek to Partners.

Specializing in corporate/M&A, Siembida has been serving as the CEO of UniApek SA since 2019. Before moving in-house, he was a Partner with Czabanski Galuszynski and Partners between 2017 and 2019. Earlier still, he worked for Weil Gotshal and Manges between 2000 and 2017.

Specializing in employment, litigation, and corporate/M&A, Balazic Jerovsek has been with the team since 2011, Prior to that, she worked as an Attorney Candidate with Janezic & Jarkovic between 2010 and 2011, as a Judicial Trainee with the Higher Court in Ljubljana between 2008 and 2009 and as an Attorney Trainee with Becelj & Partners between 2007 and 2008.

Specializing in energy, environmental, construction, and infrastructure law, Kosicki has been with the team since 2019, when he joined from Gide Loyrette Nouel. He was a Counsel at Gide between 2015 and 2019. Before that, he worked for Norton Rose Fulbright, first as an Associate between 2008 and 2014 and as a Senior Associate between 2014 and 2015. Earlier still, he was a Lawyer with Squire Sanders between 2007 and 2008.

Specializing in litigation and white collar crime, Loudon joined the team in 2012 as a Legal Trainee. In 2013 he was promoted to Associate within the Dispute Resolution team and in 2017 he was appointed to Senior Associate. In 2020, he was elevated to Counsel. 

Specializing in arbitration and litigation, Wong first joined the team in 2016. Before that, she was an Attorney at Law with the Torggler law firm between 2012 and 2016 and with Andreas Reiner & Partners between 2004 and 2012.

Deloitte Legal has promoted Serbia-based Stefan Antonic and Poland-based Patrycja Bolimowska and Jacek Korzeniewski to Local Partners.

Antonic has been with the firm since 2017, first joining it as an Attorney at Law. Prior to that, he was an Associate with Karanovic & Nikolic (now Karanovic & Partners) between 2011 and 2017.

Bolimowska joined Deloitte Legal in 2014 as a Senior Managing Associate. Before that, she was an Associate with Dentons between 2009 and 2014.

Like Antonic, Korzeniewski first joined the team in 2017. He started as a Managing Associate and was appointed to Partner Associate in 2020. Before that, he was an Associate with Baker McKenzie between 2007 and 2017.

The appointments are part of the same promotion round that saw Diana Fejer make Partner at the Romanian Deloitte-affiliated firm Reff & Associates (reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 29, 2022).

Ilyashev & Partners has announced it has started a cooperation with Glimstedt to expand the firm’s capabilities in EU countries.

According to Ilyashev & Partners, “meeting the new challenges facing Ukraine and foreign businesses in connection with the war in Ukraine, Ilyashev & Partners and Glimstedt, which has 13 offices in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, have joined efforts to provide the widest range of services to their clients.”

“The new partnership significantly widens the range of opportunities for Ilyashev & Partners in terms of provision of legal services to its current clients in the Baltic Region, where the firm has had a presence since 2016,” the firm stated. “At the same time, the offices of Ilyashev & Partners in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa will be able to ensure coordinated joint consulting on projects of the clients of Glimstedt in Ukraine.”

“Close cooperation with Glimstedt will allow us to provide additional services to our clients and assist Baltic and Scandinavian companies in coming to Ukraine for its post-war reconstruction,” Ilyashev & Partners Managing Partner Mikhail Ilyashev commented. “Our teams, as well as our clients, believe in the prospect of Ukraine’s EU membership and see the opportunities opening before them.”

“We are willing to ensure our presence in the countries that seem most promising to our clients,” Glimstedt Partner Randu Riiberg added. “Partnership with the largest legal network and the leader of Ukrainian court dispute resolution practice opens opportunities for complex support of the projects in our jurisdictions, providing our clients with a clear competitive advantage.”

Dentons has recently announced its practice and sector group leadership appointments for the European Region, for the term ending December 2024. Partners Gulistan Baltaci, Piotr Dulewicz, Rob Irving, Arkadiusz Krasnodebski, Karol Laskowski, Evan Lazar, Tamsyn Mileham, Ewa Rutkowska-Subocz, and David Syed were among the appointees.

According to the firm, “the new leaders were appointed by Tomasz Dabrowski, CEO of Dentons Europe, in consultation with the Dentons Europe Board and the global practice and sector leadership. The appointments reflect the mandatory periodic review and rotation of key regional leadership roles, as set out in the Dentons Europe partnership agreement.”

Budapest-based Partner Rob Irving, alongside Amsterdam-based Partner Kuif Klein Wassink, will be the new Europe Co-Head of Corporate and M&A. Irving has been with Dentons since 2015. Before joining the firm, Irving spent almost 25 years with White & Case.

Poland Managing Partner Arkadiusz Krasnodebski, alongside Amsterdam-based Partner Jan Jakob Peelen, will be the new Europe Co-Head of Dentons’ Energy Sector. Krasnodebski has been with the firm for almost 20 years, first joining Dentons’ legacy firm Salans in 2003.

Warsaw-based Partner Piotr Dulewicz will be the new Europe Co-Head of Private Equity and Venture Capital, alongside Paris-based Partner Olivia Gueguen. Dulewicz joined Dentons in 2010, after spending almost 14 years with Clifford Chance.

Ewa Rutkowska-Subocz, also based in Warsaw, will be the new Europe Head of Public Law and Regulatory at Dentons. She has been with the firm ever since first joining Salans, the Dentons legacy firm, in 2011. Before that, she spent five years with WKB Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr. Earlier, Rutkowska-Subocz spent six years with Dewey & LeBoeuf and four years with Hunton & Williams.

Warsaw-based Partner Karol Laskowski will become the new Europe Co-Head of Technology, Media, and Telecommunications, alongside Amsterdam-based Partner Marc Elshof. Laskowski has been with Dentons since 2011.

Prague-based Global Vice-Chair Evan Lazar will be the new Dentons Europe Head of Real Estate. Lazar, too, had first joined Salans, in 2004, and has been with the firm ever since. Before that, he spent eight years with Weil Gotshal & Manges and, earlier, two years with Squire Sanders & Dempsey. Earlier, Lazar spent six years with Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen.

David Syed, based in Prague, will be the new Europe Co-Head of the Sovereign Sector, along with Paris-based Partner Yun-Ma. Syed joined Dentons in 2017, after spending 15 years with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Before that, he spent 11 years with Watson Farley & Williams and, earlier still, four years in-house with Renault.

Gulistan Baltaci, Partner at Dentons’ Turkish affiliate Balcioglu Selcuk Ardiyok Keki Attorney Partnership, will be the new Europe Co-Head of Transport and Infrastructure, alongside Amsterdam-based Partner Jacqueline Bell. Baltaci has been with BASEAK since 2014. Before that, she spent over 15 years with Ersoy Bilgehan.

Tamsyn Mileham, also a BASEAK Partner, will be the new Dentons Europe Co-Head of the Financial Institutions Sector, together with Amsterdam-based Partner Marcel Janssen. Before joining BASEAK in 2015, Mileham spent almost 17 years with DLA Piper.

The entire appointment round saw a total of 37 Dentons partners moving to a new leadership position. “I am thrilled to congratulate these 37 talented partners – all of whom are recognized as leaders in their fields – on their European leadership appointments,” commented Tomasz Dabrowski. “In their new roles, they will be responsible for driving the strategic development of their respective practice and sector groups in order to enhance our service offering, deepen key client relationships, develop and attract talent, and build our market profile.”

Former Arzinger Law Office Partner Anna Zorya has joined Rymarz Zdort as Partner. She is joined by former Arzinger Associate Viktoriia Dobrynska.

Specializing in corporate and M&A, prior to her move, Zorya was a Partner at Arzinger Law Office, where he spent over eight years from 2013 to 2022. Previously, she also was a Partner at Ulysses between 2010 and 2013. Between 2005 and 2010, she was a Senior Lawyer at Magisters.

“Anna has led several M&A/Corporate projects in various jurisdictions in the CEE region,” Rymarz Zdort Managing Partner Pawel Rymarz commented. “We are convinced that thanks to the unique combination of her specialization and experience, we will be able to provide our clients in Poland with the highest quality of services in more and more complex projects.”

Former Arzinger Partner Markiyan Malskyy has joined Kochanski & Partners as a Partner and Head of the firm’s Ukrainian Desk.

Specializing in disputes and arbitration, Malskyy previously spent 14 years with Arzinger. He first joined the firm in 2008, leaving in 2019 for an eight-month stint as Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 16, 2019). He rejoined Arzinger in 2020 as a Partner and Head of its West Ukrainian Branch (as reported on January 23, 2020). As a Lawyer, Malskyy also worked with J&L Consulting for a year, from 2007 to 2008, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, in Paris, in 2006.

“At this dramatic time, we are supporting Ukrainian business, acting with the hope that Ukraine will rebuild quickly now, and continue after the war is over,” Kochanski & Partners Managing Partner Piotr Kochanski commented. “Markiyan’s professional experience, versatility, a network of global contacts, professional and social activity in Ukraine, personal qualities, including extraordinary intelligence, never-ending good humor, courage, and determination to achieve his goals make him a role model for us and a foundation for our goals and our Ukrainian mission.”

“I am delighted to join Kochanski & Partners, one of the leading Polish law firms, as in such way I may combine my personal Ukrainian dreams and ambitions with my professional missions. I hope I will be able to contribute widely and effectively to the further rebuilding and stimulating the re-development of my beloved Ukraine,” Malskyy added.