Category: News

The most recent promotion round at CMS saw 54 lawyers promoted to the firm’s partnership ranks, including Austria-based Daniela Kroemer, David Kohl, Florian Mayer, Kai Ruckelshausen, Lukas Peissl, Marlene Wimmer-Nistelberger, and Sonja Otenhajmer, Bulgaria-based Jenia Dimitrova, Hungary-based Agnes Solyom, Eszter Torok, and Katalin Horvath, and Poland-based Tomasz Sancewicz.

Kroemer is also the firm’s Co-Head of the Employment and Pensions practice area group. She’s been with CMS since 2013 when she joined as an Associate.

Kohl, who focuses on corporate/M&A and insolvency and restructuring, has been with the firm since 2018. Before that, he spent two years with Scherbaum Seebacher, a year with the Graz Court of Appeal, and a year with KPMG.

Mayer, a corporate/M&A expert, has been with the firm since 2019. Before that, he spent almost four years with Dorda as an Associate.

A banking & finance expert, Ruckelshausen has been a part of CMS since 2013 when he joined as an Associate. He became an Attorney at Law in 2019, before becoming a Partner.

Peissl focuses on dispute resolution and corporate/M&A. He joined CMS in 2018, after almost two years at Wolf Theiss. Before that, he spent a year with Baker & McKenzie.

Marlene Wimmer-Nistelberger is an expert in public law, competition, and EU law, as well as ESG. She joined CMS in 2010 as an Assistant and became a Trainee Lawyer in 2014, Lawyer in 2017, Attorney at Law in 2019, and Partner in 2023.

Otenhajmer, a dispute resolution specialist, joined CMS in 2016. After four years as an Associate, she became an Attorney at Law, before becoming a Partner.

Bulgaria’s Dimitrova joined CMS in 2019. She is the firm’s Head of Real Estate in Sofia.

Torok, a former Senior Counsel, initially spent nine years with CMS between 1995 and 2004, before moving in-house and taking over as General Counsel of Teva Pharmaceuticals for Hungary, between 2004 and 2014. She re-joined CMS in 2015, as a Senior Counsel. Her primary areas of focus are finance and corporate/M&A.

Horvath, a former Senior Counsel as well, has been with the firm since 2018. Before that, she spent over 14 years with Sar and Partners. She is a commercial, IP, and TMT expert.

Another Senior Counsel, Solyom first joined CMS as a Trainee in 2005, before becoming an Associate in 2009. She was promoted to Senior Associate in 2017 and a Senior Counsel in 2021, and her areas of focus are commercial, IP, and TMT.

Poland’s Sancewicz, a labor law specialist, has been with the CMS Poland office since 2005. He was promoted to Senior Associate in 2012 and to Counsel in 2017, before the partnership move.

“We’re delighted to welcome this exceptional group of lawyers to the partnership,” Senior Partner Elect for CMS UK Charles Currier commented. “Our new partners embody the collaborative, innovative, and supportive values that define CMS and have shown a real commitment to our clients and sectors.”

“Congratulations to our new partners,” CMS Chairman Pierre-Sebastien Thill added. “In addition to their legal expertise and cutting-edge sector knowledge, they demonstrate deep curiosity about future business challenges and opportunities as well as help foster a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability within our organization.”

Estonian law firm Lextal, Latvian law firm RER Lextal, and Lithuanian law firm ILAW Lextal have unveiled their new name and identity: Widen, “a Baltic law firm that sees itself as the Legal Jazz Company.”

Widen is a full-service Baltic law firm with more than 100 legal professionals and offices in all Baltic capitals. Since their initial merger in 2021 under the Lextal name, the three local law firms report expanding by over 60%. The firm boasts an above 50% female partner ratio, while its operations place “equal emphasis on professionalism and creative thinking.”

According to Widen, “the Legal Jazz Company has the meaning of focusing on two values. First, mastery in the craft of law – forward-thinking expertise. Second, mastery in the arts of teamwork and listening to the client – to give the client the best possible client experience.”

Walless and Fort have announced their agreement to merge their Estonian operations under the Walless brand, while Walless will also strengthen its operational capacities in Latvia with the addition of the Fort Latvia litigation team.

“The merger of two experienced and ambitious teams is a significant step towards providing even better legal service to our clients,” Walless Estonia Managing Partner Piret Kergandberg said.

The Fort Latvia litigation team joining the Walless Latvia operation has been and will continue to be led by Partner Sandis Bertaitis. “We are pleased to announce the expansion of our team with the addition of highly recognized dispute resolution expert Sandis Bertaitis and his team,” Walless Latvia Managing Partner Kristine Gaigule-Saveja commented. “He will provide Walless’ clients with a service that is truly exceptional, characterized by a deep commitment to addressing their needs and concerns.”

According to Walless, “the changes regarding the Fort brand in Estonia and Latvia will not include Fort Lithuania. The firms in Estonia and Latvia will now embark on a period of active integration planning, working together toward the final closing of the transaction.”

“We welcome this merger as Walless continuously seeks to become the top choice for both local and international clients for projects in the Baltics,” Walless Board Chairperson and Lithuania Managing Partner Dovile Burgiene added.

Noerr has announced it is taking “a new direction in its business in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe,” with its Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, and Slovak offices to be transferred to Kinstellar.

“Noerr and Kinstellar have agreed to transfer these practices after the details of the integration are fully worked out,” Kinstellar reported, with the firm adding: “Several important operational and technical aspects, including investments in IT systems, leasehold premises are being worked out and the deal will complete after all necessary regulatory consents and internal approvals have been obtained.” Noerr and Kinstellar will also cooperate on a non-exclusive basis to serve their clients across these jurisdictions following the closing of the transaction.

“As part of our regular review of the firm’s positioning, we have concluded that forming a strategic partnership in the Central and Eastern European markets is the best approach for enhancing the quality of our advisory services moving forward,” Noerr Co-Managing Partner Alexander Ritvay commented, adding: “We have been pursuing a strategy of qualitative growth for many years. While this strategy is working very well in Germany, we have to recognize that the CEE markets have not developed in a comparable way.” Noerr’s release also stated that “all of Noerr’s staff will be offered the opportunity to work for Kinstellar in [the] future.”

“This is an exciting chapter in Kinstellar’s journey,” Kinstellar Senior Partner Jason Mogg commented. “We will be welcoming the Noerr teams in Budapest, Bratislava, Bucharest, and Prague and this enhances Kinstellar’s strength and capabilities and diversifies our expertise and clientele. Kinstellar and Noerr share similar values and culture, which will make the integration very smooth. Both firms are highly regarded for their commitment, teamwork approach, strong work ethic, and their excellent service to clients. We are confident that this project will benefit the Noerr team in these cities, all our people, and, most importantly, our clients.”

“We see the deal and future cooperation with Kinstellar as very positive and a win-win for our clients, people, and firms,” Ritvay added. “It will give Noerr both the possibility to concentrate on achieving its goals in Germany and other Western markets and a reliable and committed first-class partner firm in the region.”

While the Polish office was not included in the announcements, when asked if the office there is staying with the firm, a Noerr spokesperson told CEE Legal Matters: “We are exploring other options for our Warsaw office.”

This is the latest in a series of expansions of Kinstellar in CEE, after the addition of the former DLA Piper office in Ukraine (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 14, 2021), the integration of the Zuric i Partneri (ZiP) law firm in Croatia (as reported on January 26, 2022), and its strategic partnership in Serbia with the local SOG Law Firm (as reported on July 4, 2023). A recent March 2024 interview on the Serbian move is available here.