CEE Legal Matters

Category: News

  • Schoenherr Appoints Seven New Partners in Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia

    Poland’s Weronika Kapica and Daria Rutecka, Romania’s Adina Damaschin and Mara Moga-Paler, Serbia’s Zoran Soljaga, Slovakia’s Michal Lucivjansky, and Slovenia’s Peter Gorse have all been appointed to Partner positions with Schoenherr.

    Kapica is a specialist in the banking and financial services regulatory, finance, and corporate finance areas. She has been with the firm since 2016, when she joined as an Associate.

    Rutecka focuses on intellectual property and technology, corporate and M&A, data protection, and unfair competition. She has been with the firm since 2015, starting off as an Intern.

    Damaschin primarily deals with finance. A former Counsel, she joined Schoenherr in 2014. Before that, she spent three and a half years with Noerr, a year in-house with OMV Petrom, three years with Wolf Theiss, and two years in-house with HVB Bank Romania.

    Employment expert Moga-Paler has been with Schoenherr since 2018. Head of Employment at the Bucharest office, she previously spent over five years in private practice as well as over eight years with Clifford Chance.

    Soljaga focuses his expertise on EU and competition areas of law. He has been with the firm since 2016, having previously spent seven and a half years with Serbia’s Commission for the Protection of Competition.

    Lucivjansky specializes in regulatory, competition, and EU & foreign trade. He has been with Schoenherr since 2009 when he joined as a Paralegal.

    Gorse is a corporate and M&A expert. He has been with the firm since 2019. Before that, he spent four years with Ulcar & Partners.

    “These appointments stand as a testimony to our strong ability to develop and grow exceptional talent,” Managing Partner Alexander Popp commented.

  • Kinstellar Announces New Firm-Wide Practice and Sector Leadership Appointments

    Kinstellar has announced several appointments to firm-wide practice and sector leadership positions, including Partner Csilla Andreko in Budapest, Partner Iustinian Captariu and Special Counsel Magda Raducanu in Bucharest, Managing Partner Milos Velimirovic in Belgrade, Managing Partner Lukas Sevcik and Counsel Jan Lehky in Prague, and Managing Associate Lukas Mrazik in Bratislava.

    Andreko and Raducanu have been appointed Co-Heads of the firm-wide Banking & Finance service line. Andreko has been with Kinstellar for over 15 years, after spending nine years with Linklaters, and over five years with Clifford Chance. Raducanu has been with Kinstellar since 2021, after spending almost 22 years with Dentons.

    Captariu will be the new firm-wide Head of the Energy & Natural Resources sector. He made Partner at Kinstellar in 2017 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 23, 2017), back when he was already leading the firm’s local Competition and Energy practices.

    Velimirovic has been appointed the Co-Head of the firm-wide Financial Institutions sector, alongside Sofia-based Managing Partner Diana Dimova. Velimirovic has been with Kinstellar since its merger with SOG in 2023. Earlier, he spent almost eight years with SOG and over eight years in-house with the Hypo Alpe-Adria Bank.

    Sevcik will be the new firm-wide Head of the Defense & Security sector and has been appointed to lead the firm’s German desk. Sevcik has been with Kinstellar since 2008. Before that, he spent six years with Linklaters and, earlier, six years with Noerr.

    Lehky has been appointed the Co-Head of the firm-wide Environmental, Social, and Governance service line, alongside Kyiv-based Managing Partner Olena Kuchynska. Lehky has been with the firm since 2014. Earlier, he spent over two years with Hogan Lovells and three and a half years with Glatzova & Co.

    Mrazik has been appointed the Co-Head of the firm-wide Data & Cybersecurity service line and will also Co-Head the TMT sector, alongside Partner Viliam Mysicka. Mrazik has been with the firm since 2015. Earlier, he spent two and a half years in-house with eGoc Systems.

  • Wolf Theiss and Cobalt Advise on ACP Credit EUR 10 Million Loan to Mogo IFN

    Wolf Theiss and Cobalt have advised Accession Capital Partners Credit on a EUR 10 million credit facility granted to Mogo IFN.

    ACP Credit is a group of investment funds based in Luxembourg.

    Mogo IFN is a subsidiary of the Eleving Group, a Latvian-based non-bank lender. In Romania, Mogo offers car purchase financing plans with effective annual interest rates starting at 55%.

    According to Wolf Theiss, the credit facility will serve to finance Eleving Group’s expansion in Romania. “The transaction also involved coordination with the Eleving Group’s Latvian-based office with regard to the guarantees offered by the group Mogo IFN is a part of.”

    The Wolf Theiss team included Partner Claudia Chiper, Senior Associate Smaranda Vacaru, and Associate Ana Florea.

    The Cobalt team included Specialist Counsel Andrejs Lielkalns and Senior Associate Inga Tenisa.

  • Drakopoulos Joins South East Legal Alliance

    Drakopoulos has become a part of the South East Legal Alliance, thus expanding the network’s reach to Athens, Bucharest, and Nicosia.

    Drakopoulos has been providing consulting and legal advice to businesses since 1992.

    SELA is a regional network of independent law firms advising clients on their operations across South East Europe. Its members are located across eleven jurisdictions including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.

    According to SELA, “the inclusion of Drakopoulos further enhances the diversity and depth of expertise within SELA. With a proven track record in providing legal services in three jurisdictions, Drakopoulos brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to the highest professional standards, aligning seamlessly with the network’s values.”

  • Wolf Theiss, BCGL, and D&B David and Baias Advise on Symfonia Acquisition of Romania’s Softeh Plus

    Wolf Theiss and Balicki Czekanski Gryglewski Lewczuk have advised MidEuropa Partners and Accel-KKR portfolio company Symfonia on its acquisition of Softeh Plus. PwC Legal Romanian affiliate D&B David and Baias advised the shareholders of the Romanian software company.

    The transaction closed on December 31, 2023.

    According to Wolf Theiss, Softeh Plus is a company specializing in ERP software solutions for healthcare businesses, as well as the major technology enabler for many Romanian private medical services providers and the largest pharmacy networks.

    Symfonia is a provider of ERP software to accounting offices and small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland, including financial management, payroll, HCM solutions, as well dedicated industry solutions. Backed by MidEuropa Partners and Accel-KKR, it plans to become a regional leader.

    According to BCGL, “the acquisition of Softeh marks the first international and sixth in total acquisition carried out by Symfonia in the last few years. Through this acquisition, Symfonia has entered the Romanian market which is the second largest in this part of Europe, right after Poland, and is rapidly digitalizing. This transaction is yet another milestone in Symfonia’s development towards becoming a leading ERP software provider for SMEs in the CEE region.”

    The Wolf Theiss team was led by Partner Ileana Glodeanu and Counsel Mihai Coada and included Partner Anca Jurcovan, Counsels Flavius Florea and Dana Toma, Senior Associate Andreea Tudorache, and Associates Nina Lazar, Ioana Iacob, Madalina Paladi, Vlad Catana, and Maria Popescu.

    The BCGL team was led by Partner Jacek Balicki.

    The D&B David and Baias team included Partner Anda Rojanschi and Senior Lawyer Mihaela Papandreia.

  • Crido and DLA Piper Advise Duna Aszfalt on Acquisition of Mota Engil Central Europe

    Crido has advised Duna Aszfalt on its acquisition of Mota Engil Central Europe. DLA Piper advised the sellers. Cerha Hempel reportedly advised Duna Aszfalt as well.

    Duna Aszfalt and Mota Engil Central Europe are road construction companies.

    According to Crido, the transaction stands to be finalized in the second quarter of 2024, “after obtaining the relevant approvals of local authorities and financial institutions. The transaction will also include Mota-Engil Real Estate, an entity operating in the property development segment. The acquired company will continue to perform existing contracts, such as production at the Gorka Sobocka mine, and will be actively securing further contracts, developing the Bitumen Mixing Plant and the machine park, and implementing investment and modernization plans.”

    The Crido team included Partners Przemyslaw Furmaga, Jakub Ziolek, and Edyta Defanska-Czujko, Senior Associates Andrzej Dunikowski, Tomasz Artaszewicz-Zawisza, and Karolina Kalinowska, Associates Michal Tokarz, Filip Sobocinski, Magdalena Augustyniak, Adrian Lakowski, and Kacper Krolikowski, and Junior Associates Iga Klukowska, Julia Dziubinska, Katarzyna Przysucha, and Ewa Malinowska.

    The DLA Piper team included Partners Jakub Marcinkowski and Katarzyna Waclawek, Counsels Izabela Gebal and Michal Orzechowski, Senior Associates Rafal Dostatni, Agnieszka Staszek, and Wojciech Sulimierski, Associates Arkadiusz Karwala and Alicja Ciebiera, Junior Associates Weronika Kulpa and Aleksander Stanek, and Legal Intern Aleksandra Wojcik.

  • Closing: Sale of Cargo-Partner Subsidiaries to Nippon Express Now Closed

    On January 4, 2024, Boyanov & Co announced that the EUR 1.4 billion sale of Cargo-Partner subsidiaries to Nippon Express (reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 17, 2023) had closed.

    According to Boyanov & Co, “this acquisition strengthens Nippon Express’s global logistics network, which spans over 739 locations. Cargo-Partner, headquartered in Austria, has a significant presence in Central and Eastern Europe and offers diverse logistics services, including air and ocean freight forwarding.”

    The transaction involved the EUR 1.4 billion sale of Cargo-Partner GmbH and 60 other Cargo-Partner subsidiaries to Nippon Express Holdings.

    As previously reported, Schoenherr, working with Luther and Hogan Lovells, advised the Cargo-Partner Group Holding. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen, the Polenak Law Firm, Selih & Partnerji, and Boyanov & Co advised Nippon Express.

    Founded in 1983, Cargo-Partner is an Austria-headquartered privately owned info-logistics provider offering a portfolio of air, sea, land transport, and warehousing services, with a special focus on information technology and supply chain optimization.

    Nippon Express is a Japan-based logistics services provider, with a network of offices in 33 countries. The company offers air freight, marine transportation, heavy haulage, warehousing and distribution processing, logistics design, information technology services, chartered truck services, and moving services.

    The Schoenherr team was led by Austria-based Partner Markus Piuk and Attorney-at-Law Alfred Amann and included Partners Constantin Benes and Marco Thorbauer, Attorneys-at-Law Franziska Oczlon, Anna Visontai, Nina Zafoschnig, and Alexander Pabst, and Associates Alexandra Jelinek and Irina Hanin; Hungary-based Partner Kinga Hetenyi and Associate Zsofia Rideg; Czech Republic-based Partner Vladimir Cizek and Attorney-at-Law Michal Jendzelovsky; Poland-based Senior Attorney-at-Law Krzysztof Lesniak; Romania-based Senior Attorney-at-Law Mihaela Popescu; Slovakia-based Attorney-at-Law Jan Farbiak; Turkey-based Attorney-at-Law Didem Kara; and Slovenia-based Attorney-at-Law Jan Primozic.

    The Freshfields team was led by Vienna-based Partner Konrad Groeller and included Partners Florian Klimscha, Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger, and Catherine Kubik, Counsel Gernot Fritz, Principal Associates Stephan Roedler, Leonhard Prasser, Matthias Hofer, and Anna Binder-Gutwinski, Associates Martin Zankl, Patrick Wagender, Anastasiia Nadtochii, Willibald Salomon, Sophie Pretscher, Iris Amschl, and Can-Michael Nural, as well as lawyers from the firm’s Tokyo and Hong Kong offices.

    The NNDKP team included Partner Razvan Vlad, Senior Associates Vlad Anghel, Roxana Iordache, Madalina Vasile, and Daniel Stancescu, and Associate Catalina Dan.

    The Polenak team included Managing Partner Kristijan Polenak and Partner Tatjana Shishkovska.

    The Selih & Partnerji team included Partner Natasa Pipan Nahtigal, Attorneys-at-Law Nino Bostic Sluga and Ema Patricija Koncan, Senior Associates Lenart Kmetic and Miha Hocevar, and Associates Tim Music Kralj and Marusa Juhant.

    The Boyanov & Co team included Partner Nikolay Zisov and Associate Deyvid Iliev.

  • Kinstellar Advises on EUR 800 Million Financing for AmRest

    Kinstellar, working with Linklaters’ Madrid office, has advised a consortium of lenders on their EUR 800 million financing for AmRest. Uria Menendez reportedly advised AmRest.

    AmRest is a fast-food operator. The company operates restaurants under franchise brands such as KFC, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Burger King, as well as under private labels such as La Tagliatella, Sushi Shop, Bacoa, and Blue Frog.

    The banking consortium included agent Banco Santander and lenders Bank Polska Kasa Opieki, Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Polski, Ceska Sporitelna, ING Bank Slaski, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Banco Santander, Banco Santander Poland, BNP Paribas Poland, and Rabobank.

    The Kinstellar team included Bucharest-based Special Counsel Magdalena Raducanu, Managing Associate Razvan Constantinescu, and Associates Adelina Seserman and Cosmin Mitrica; Prague-based Counsel Martina Brezinova and Junior Associate Dominik Ctvrtnicek; and Budapest-based Partner Levente Hegedus and Junior Associates Veronika Heiszer and Kinga Farkas.

  • Cobalt and TGS Baltic Advise on Warmeston Acquisition of Enefit Green’s Broceni Cogeneration Plant and Pellet Factory

    Cobalt has advised Warmeston on its EUR 32 million acquisition of the Broceni cogeneration plant and pellet factory in Latvia from Enefit Green. TGS Baltic advised Enefit Green.

    Warmeston is an Estonian wood pellet producer.

    According to Cobalt, as part of the EUR 32 million transaction, Warmeston will acquire a biomass cogeneration plant and a production facility that produces approximately 155 tons of wood pellets per year. “These two plants employ 39 people. The electricity produced is sold in the Latvian market, and the heat is used for the pellet plant. The wood pellets are sold to energy companies, wholesalers, and other consumers.”

    The Cobalt team included Estonia-based Partners Aivar Taro and Marina Kotkas, Specialist Counsels Madis Reppo and Mart Blondal, and Senior Associate Christine Magi as well as Latvia-based Partners Gatis Flinters and Sandija Novicka and Senior Associates Diana Zepa and Martins Tarlaps.

    The TGS Baltic team included Partners Kadri Kallas, Triin Kaurov, Andra Rubene, and Agnese Hartpenga, Associate Partner Triinu Jarviste, Senior Associates Mirko Kikkamagi, Vitali Sipilov, Mari Anne Rohtla, Anna Vaivade, Mara Stabulniece, and Dita Busa, and Associates Elina Lesnicenoka, Evija Abele, and Toms Tidemanis.

  • Wolf Theiss and DLA Piper Advise on DRIM Daniel FMCG Sale to Zabka Polska

    Wolf Theiss has advised the shareholders of Romania’s DRIM Daniel FMCG on the sale of their majority stake in the company to Polish retail company Zabka, part of CVC Capital Partners. DLA Piper advised buyer Zabka Polska.

    The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

    DRIM Daniel FMCG is a Romanian distribution sector family business established in 1994. It employs over 500 people and uses a fleet of approximately 380 cars and trucks to supply goods to 10,000 stores every month via 24-hour delivery.

    Zabka is a retailer operating small to medium-sized convenience stores in Poland.

    The Wolf Theiss team included Partner Ileana Glodeanu and Senior Associate Andreea Carare.

    The DLA Piper team included Warsaw-based Partner Jakub Marcinkowski and Senior Associate Michal Sowinski and Bucharest-based Partners Oana Dutu-Buzura and Alina Lacatus, Counsel Razvan Pele, and Managing Associate Denisa Achim-Postea.