Category: On the Move

Lithuanian lawyer Asta Augutyte-Rapkeviciene and Estonian lawyer Norman Aas have been promoted to partner at at Sorainen.

Asta Augutyte-Rapkeviciene specializes in real estate, construction, and environmental matters. Before joining Sorainen in 2013, she spent three years with Raidla, Lejins & Norcous (now Cobalt). She obtained her master’s degree at the University in Vilnius in 2011.

According to Tomas Kontautas, Sorainen’s Country Managing Partner in Lithuania, “Asta is one of the nation’s leading experts in her fields, and she has in recent years worked on the largest transactions carried out in Lithuania, such as the sale of SBA Group logistic centre to EfTEN, the IPO of Ignitis, and the acquisition of Quadrum offices by Deka Immobilien.”

“My aim is to focus on creating the strongest Real Estate practice group in the market,” Augutyte-Rapkeviciene commented, “with an eye on new areas such as renewable energy development projects and growing interest in the logistics, warehousing and industrial sector.” 

Norman Aas began his career in law in 2005 with the Prosecutor’s Office of Estonia. In 2014 he moved to the Ministry of Justice, before joining Sorainen in 2017. He received his master’s degree from the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald in 2001. According to Sorainen, “Aas has helped numerous large international companies conduct internal investigations, identify crimes involving dishonest management, and help restore normal business.”

“Norman did not take long to prove that dedicated work in the public sector is a great foundation to build on in a law firm, to take our corporate crime investigations and defense practice to the top of the country,” stated Toomas Prangli, Sorainen’s Country Managing Partner in Estonia.

My main goal is to help businesses become transparent and fraud-free,” stated Aas, “and I can do that by helping clients address these topics as well as by personally keeping them in the spotlight.”

Sorainen has formed a Private Client Services team, led by Tallinn-based Counsel Kart Anna Maire Kelder.

According to Sorainen, the team will “assist high-net-worth individuals and families in areas such as wealth structuring, succession planning, philanthropic giving and art investments.”

According to Sorainen, the firm has “formed a multidisciplinary team of Baltic-Belarus tax, migration, copyright, insurance, dispute resolution, data protection, and real estate experts, dedicated to finding the best solutions for [client] issues so [they] can devote [their] time to your work, life and passions.”

The Czech Republic’s Masek, Koci, Aujezdsky has joined forces with the Slovak Republic’s Nosko & Partners to form MKA Nosko, serving clients in both countries. 

According to its partners, MKA Nosko will “specialize in the provision of legal services in the field of IT law, including e-commerce, legal services for financial institutions, real property transactions and litigation.”

“In the past more-than-17 years we have built trust among the owners of Czech and foreign companies who we assist with their business, and together with whom we have grown,” stated MKA Partner Josef Aujezdsky, from Prague. “From the very beginning, our focus has been on providing highly professional legal services by modern means whilst maintaining a personal approach. Our colleagues in Slovakia have a similar approach.”

“Bringing two strong legal teams on the markets of the former Czechoslovakia together is an important and natural step in the development of our law firm,” added Partner Milena Noskova, from Bratislava. “More than 25 lawyers in Prague and Bratislava will be able offer their professional services to business and other subjects in the whole of Central Europe.”

Former Senior Associate Andrius Lukasonokas has been promoted to Associate Partner at Primus in Lithuania.

Primus Derling describes Lukasonokas as “an outstanding litigation professional with extensive experience in construction disputes, bankruptcy proceedings.” According to the firm, “Andrius represents both Lithuanian and foreign entities in various types of litigation, in national courts and arbitration.”

Lukasonokas has a Master’s degree from Vilnius University. He joined Primus in 2016.

“Andrius is extremely good at combining the highest level of professional knowledge, determination to achieve goals, and particular attention to details,” added Primus Derling Partner Marius Devyzis.

Kinstellar has re-launched its Restructuring and Insolvency practice, with the new iteration to be co-led by Csilla Andreko, Head of Kinstellar’s Banking & Finance practice, and Denise Hamer, Kinstellar Head of C/SEE Asset Solutions.

Kinstellar described its Restructuring & Insolvency practice as a “multi-discipline and multi-jurisdiction team advising on non-contentious and contentious restructuring and insolvency matters, from strategic financial and operational restructuring to judicial insolvency.” According to the firm, “the team includes former Big 4 consultants and licensed bankruptcy administrators, as well as lawyers with expertise in Dispute Resolution, Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, Real Estate, Competition & State Aid, Labor & Employment, and IP/IT.

Csilla Andreko explained that, “Kinstellar initially launched its Restructuring & Insolvency Practice in 2008 to address the aftermath of the financial crisis.” According to the firm, “although very active, the practice was recently somewhat dormant due to the global bull market. Under current economic circumstances and in response to our client’s requirements, we feel that this is a critical time to revive the Restructuring & Insolvency Practice to support debtors, creditors, and investors in all sectors,” she said.

“Kinstellar’s Restructuring & Insolvency Practice nicely dovetails with the C/SEE Asset Solutions Sector, as a component of the firm’s unique fully integrated support for non-performing and non-core assets of all classes,” Denise Hamer noted.

Romania’s Mares & Mares law firm and Moldova’s Dolea & Co have entered into a strategic alliance aimed at, according to Mares & Mares, “providing integrated legal services in Romania and the Republic of Moldova in the field of white-collar crime, investigations, international disputes, as well as commercial and investment arbitration.”

“In these areas, clients need assistance on the legal systems in two or more jurisdictions and our partnership distinguishes on the market through swifter and more flexible solutions, at the same quality standard on both Romanian and Moldavian legal matters,” said Mihai Mares, Founding Partner of Mares & Mares. “Moreover, we have the resources and capabilities to adapt to any request, so that anyone, whether they are local entrepreneurs, multinational companies, or individuals, can benefit from the most appropriate defense strategies and a fair balance between two essential elements: cost and added value.”

Sorin Dolea, Founding Partner of Dolea & Co, agreed. “Considering Mihai’s involvement in some of the most sophisticated local and cross-border cases and our experience in arbitration,” he said, “including with a Magic Circle firm, this collaboration offers us considerable strengths: international exposure, integrated teams, qualitatively and functionally specialized exclusively in white-collar crime, litigation, and arbitration, access to best practices and cooperation with some of the best and most respected global alliances in the field.”

Former Karanovic & Partners Partner Patricia Gannon has announced the establishment of Gannon Advisory, which she describes as “a holistic strategic advisory business.”

Gannon was one of the Founding Partners of Karanovic Nikolic, now Karanovic & Partners, which, in the intervening 25 years — and now with over 200 people — has become the largest regional firm in the former Yugoslavia. In September, Karanovic & Partners announced that she and fellow Founding Partner Dejan Nikolic had left the firm (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 21, 2020).

According to a Gannon Advisory press release, “leveraging off her 20-year plus experience in leadership, management, business development, strategy, and the expansion of the practice in new markets and new areas of law, many of her clients are in the legal sector where she advises on law firm management and a particular focus on women in law leadership skills.” In addition, according to the press release, “having worked at the European Commission in Brussels, a German law firm in Munich and at a top law firm in Dublin, she brings a level of internationalism and professionalism to this practice.”

Gannon is a founding member of the Serbian Private Equity Association and served as Chair of the European Forum of the International Bar Association, where she is now a member of the Advisory Board. She is also founder of the WE Angels network of women entrepreneurs supporting women-led businesses in the Balkans and the initiator of Here 4 Her, a movement designed to empower women through development of skills and networks. 

According to the Gannon Advisory press release, “this new move will focus on broader advisory work in addition to legal advisory.”

Walless of Lithuania, Derling Primus of Estonia, and Primus Derling of Latvia have signed an agreement to form a pan-Baltic firm operating under the Walless brand.

According to a Walless press release, “a united Walless Baltic law firm will continue to provide top level legal service and seek to become the first choice for regional and international clients working in the Baltic states.”

The new Walless will consist, the firm reports, “of 100 lawyers in Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, and Tartu.”

Walless Lithuania was established by a group of partners who, in at the end of 2018, separated from Ellex Valiunas in Lithuania (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on December 13, 2018). The former Primus Derling (and now Walless Latvia) was launched in 2009, after a split of the then-largest Latvian law firm Loze, Grunte & Cers. First operating as Primus, since 2018 the firm has partnered with Estonia’s Derling (as reported on October 1, 2018). Walless Estonia was founded as Derling in 2016, after separating from TGS Baltic (as reported on May 26, 2016).

A report on Walless’s creation and first year in existence was included in the March, 2020 issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine.

Sofia-based Georgi Kanev has been appointed to lead Peterka & Partners’ newly-established Turkish desk.

Kanev, a Senior Associate who serves as the Deputy Director for Bulgaria at the firm, joined Peterka & Partners in 2017. Before that, he spent two years with Wolf Theiss.

Peterka & Partners reports that the desk already caters to several clients, including the Sarten Group, Turkish Airlines, the Yasar Group, and Zorlu Holding.

Ondrej Peterka, Founder and Managing Partner of Peterka & Partners, declared that “the creation of the Turkish Desk is the right response to the increasing importance of the Turkish economy and the natural interest of Turkish players in the CEE region to whom – as one firm – we provide integrated regional support.”

Kanev added: “I’m confident in the meaningful benefits for our clients and partners arising from this project. We are focused both on Turkish businesses currently operating in the CEE region or new market entrants, as well as on CEE companies expanding to Turkey. I’m convinced that, inter alia, our experience of working with Turkish clients and our well-established contacts with top tier Turkish law firms will allow us to develop strong and trustful relations with clients and partners interested in the services provided by our Turkish Desk.”

Karanovic & Partners has announced the withdrawal of Founding Partners Patricia Gannon and Dejan Nikolic, after a prolonged process.

Gannon and Nikolic were two of then-Karanovic & Nikolic’s founding partners, back in Belgrade, in 1995, and have been with the firm since.

In a short statement released to the media, Karanovic & Partners explained that “both Dejan and Patricia have played a vital role in contributing to the immense success of the firm over the past 25 years. Dejan led the firm’s expansion strategy throughout the former Yugoslavia to what it has become today – the leading regional legal practice. Patricia brought to the firm the internationalism it needed, and we acknowledge her vision, integrity, and business strategy, which led us to where we are today. Recent years have seen Dejan focusing on disciplinary role and activities in the Belgrade Bar Association and Patricia focusing on matters related to her International Bar Association role and activities, developing startups and scale ups, and impact consulting and VC development, in addition to supporting and advising more women in business support networks.”

“We applaud our founding partners for their lifelong contributions,” the firm concluded, “and wish them both the very best in their future careers.”