CEE Legal Matters

Category: News

  • Stepan Starha Makes Equity Partner, Jiri Kunasek Makes Partner at Havel & Partners

    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.

  • Luka Popovic and Bogdan Ivanisevic Make Senior Partner at BDK

    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!”

  • Korotaj and ODI Advise Gaveia on Acquisition of Avtokampi

    Law Office Korotaj and ODI Law have advised Croatian travel agency Gaveia on the acquisition of Slovenia’s Avtokampi.

    Avtokampi is a Slovenian camping company with its headquarters in Ljubljana. Gaveia is a Croatian online travel agency founded in 2015.

    The Korotaj team included Founding Partner Ronald Korotaj, Attorney at Law Tena Lovric, and Trainee Simon Radovcic.

    ODI’s team was led by Partner Branko Ilic and Senior Associate Primoz Mikolic and included Associate Eva Hafnar.

  • Vukmir & Associates and Fatur Menard Advise Deimos Group on Acquisition of Palco and Nutrifit

    Vukmir & Associates and Fatur Menard have advised the Deimos Group on the acquisition of Croatian companies Nutrifit and Palco and their Palco and Nutrifit joint venture in Slovenia. Brescia Miccoli e Associati reportedly advised the Deimos Group as well.

    Financial details were not disclosed.

    The Deimos Group is an Italian distributor of food ingredients and chemical specialties for industries that operate in the life sciences market.

    According to Vukmir & Associates, the “target companies in Croatia and Slovenia operate in the same sector, i.e., the distribution of commodities and specialties for the food, feed, and life sciences sector. By this acquisition, the Deimos Group has established a foothold in Southeastern Europe, which is a first step towards the expansion of its activities outside the Apennine Peninsula.”

    The Vukmir & Associates team included Partners Tomislav Pedisic and Sanja Tkalec Kovac, Senior Associates Tea Cerinski and Andrea Kozul Pedisic, Associates Lidija Gepert and Karlo Brekalo, and Trainees Petra Prkacin and Dominik Ljubic.

    The Fatur Menard team included Partner Maja Menard, Senior Associates Lea Vatovec Miklavcic, Martin Carni, and Rok Reja, and Junior Associate Klara Jerman.

  • BDK Advokati, Binder Groesswang, and LKT Advise Turkish Investors on Acquisition of Veritas Group

    BDK Advokati, Binder Groesswang, and Lakatos Koves & Partners, working with SZA Schilling Zutt & Anschuetz, have advised Turkish investors Baran Celik and Nuvit Gundemir and their families on the sale and purchase agreement with insolvency administrator Jan Markus Plathner to acquire Veritas Group’s subsidiaries in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Turkey, and Hungary and three production plants in Germany. 

    The signing of the asset-deal purchase agreement occurred on December 1, 2022, with insolvency administrator Jan Markus Plathner of Brinkmann & Partner acting as the seller. “The acquisition includes the Austrian subsidiary of the Veritas Group, three German plants in Gelnhausen, Polenz, and Neustadt, as well as all subsidiaries located in Bosnia, China, Turkey, and Hungary,” Binder Groesswang informed. 

    The Veritas Group is a Germany-based insolvent automotive and industrial supplier.

    The BDK Advokati team was led by senior Partner Vladimir Dasic and included Senior Associate Dijana Pejic Sinik and Associates Nikolina Bajic and Sanja Dedovic.

    The Binder Groesswang team included Partner Philipp Kapl, Senior Associates Mona Holzgruber and Regina Kroell, and Associate Florian Hoellebauer.

    The LKT team was led by Partner Adam Mattyus and included Senior Lawyer Kornel Dirner and Lawyer Viktoria Tamas.

  • BDK Advokati and Lakatos Koves & Partners Advise on Integrator Acquisition of Manpower in Hungary

    BDK Advokati and Lakatos Koves & Partners have advised Integrator on its acquisition of Manpower’s human resources and workforce business in Hungary from the Manpower Group. PwC Legal Hungarian affiliate Reti Varszegi & Partners and Italy’s PwC TLS reportedly advised the seller.

    “This transaction makes Integrator one of the major human resources consulting and recruiting firms in the region, operating in six countries,” BDK Advokati informed.

    Integrator is a human resources company and the franchisee of Manpower in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Bulgaria. Manpower provides recruitment workforce solutions.

    The BDK Advokati team was led by Senior Partner Vladimir Dasic and included Partner Dragoljub Sretenovic and Junior Associate Milan Popovic.

    The Lakatos Koves & Partners team was led by Partner Ivan Solyom and included Senior Lawyer Gyorgy Toth and Junior Lawyers Soma Schober and Anna Handlery.

  • Schoenherr Advises Harps Global on Acquisition of Semperit Medical Division

    Schoenherr has advised Singapore-based Harps Global on its acquisition of the medical business division Sempermed from the Austrian Semperit Group for an enterprise value of EUR 115 million.

    The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

    Sempermed manufactures, distributes, and sells medical examination and surgical gloves. The seller, Semperit Technische Produkte GmbH, is a subsidiary of the Vienna Stock Exchange-listed Semperit AG Holding.

    Harps Global is the holding company of Malaysian glove manufacturer Harps Holdings Berhad. Founded in 2015 by Malaysian entrepreneur Haziq Bin Zairel Oh, Harps Holdings is a manufacturer and distributor of nitrile examination gloves based in Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia. Harps set up Harps Global as its headquarters in Singapore to act as the holding company and regional hub for the Harps group.

    Schoenherr’s team included Partners Christian Herbst, Maximilian Lang, Volker Weiss, Kinga Hetenyi, and Constantin Benes, Counsels Teresa Waidmann, Evelin Hlina, and Iliyana Sirakova, Attorneys at Law Zurab Simonishvili and Nina Zafoschnig, and Associate Markus Fasching.

    Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Binder Groesswang announced it had advised Semperit on the sale. The firm’s team included Partners Florian Khol, Clemens Willvonseder, Johannes Barbist, Regina Kroell, Ivo Rungg, and Christine Dietz, Counsel Hellmut Buchroithner, Attorneys at Law Simona Shpilsky, Philipp Tagwerker, and Christoph Raab, Senior Associate Christoph Schober, and Associates Manuela Wenger and Michael Mittermair.

  • BDK Advokati Advises Sandberg Capital on Investment in Quantox

    BDK Advokati has advised Sandberg Capital on its EUR 20 million investment in Quantox. Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen and Polenak reportedly advised Sandberg as well.

    “One of the leading companies on the Balkan technology market – Quantox Technology – becomes part of the portfolio of the Slovak private equity firm, Sandberg Capital,” Sandberg Capital’s press release informed. “This is the fund’s first direct investment in Serbia. The aim of the newly formed partnership is to strengthen the position of the company, which employs over 500 people in the Balkans, and accelerate its expansion abroad.”

    Established in 2014, Sandberg Capital is a Slovak private equity firm that focuses on investing in smaller and mid-sized companies in Slovakia and the CEE region in the IT, telecommunications, agriculture, education, and retail sectors.

    Quantox Technology is a Serbian IT company with 13 offices in seven different European countries and more than 500 employees.

    “Given Sandberg’s multiple investments in the IT sector, we see an increasingly strong push for digitalization across the economy,” Sandberg Capital Partner Michal Rybovic commented. “At the same time, we perceive a severe shortage of IT professionals that may be preventing companies from growing and achieving their strategic goals. The investment in Quantox reflects our long-term strategy of partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs in sectors that directly or indirectly help with the digital transformation of the economy.”

    The BDK Advokati team included Senior Partner Vladimir Dasic and Associate Sanja Dedovic.

    Editor’s Note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters learned that Four Legal advised Quantox. The firm’s team included Partner Milovan Zvijer and Associate Nikola Markovic.

  • Closing: KKCG and Aricoma Group International Acquisition of Musala Soft Now Closed

    On December 20, 2022, PPG Lawyers announced that KKCG’s and Aricoma Group International’s acquisition of Musala Soft (reported by CEE Legal Matters on August 22, 2022) had closed.

    PPG Lawyers and Nedelka Kubac Advokati advised Aricoma Group International on the merger control and regulatory approval process for its acquisition of Bulgarian software company Musala Soft and its subsidiaries. The Bulgarian Commission for the Protection of Competition issued its approval decision on November 1, 2022.

    As previously reported, Schoenherr advised the KKCG Group and its portfolio company Aricoma Group International on the acquisition of Musala Soft and subsidiaries. CMS reportedly advised the sellers.

    The Aricoma Group is a Central European IT services provider with a presence in Scandinavia. Musala Soft is a software engineering services provider.

    The PPG Lawyers team was led by Partner Mariya Papazova.

    The Nedelka Kubac Advokati team was led by Partner Radovan Kubac and Junior Associate Ondrej Cizek.

    Schoenherr’s team included Bulgaria-based Partners Ilko Stoyanov and Stefana Tsekova, Attorneys at Law Katerina Kaloyanova-Toshkova, Ivelina Vasileva, and Ventsislav Tomov, and Associate Gergana Roussinova-Ivanova as well as North Macedonia-based Partner Andrea Radonjanin, Attorney at Law Andrea Lazarevska, and Associates Magdalena Petreska, Martin Ivanov, and Sofijana Markovska.

  • Deloitte Legal Advises on Sizeer Expansion in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Deloitte Legal has advised Marketing Investment Group on the acquisition of a chain of 22 stores in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Marketing Investment Group is part of the JD Sports Fashion Plc group.

    According to Deloitte Legal, “Marketing Investment Group is a company operating for over 30 years on the markets of Central and Eastern Europe in the retail fashion industry, mainly in the footwear and clothing segment. Its portfolio includes such chains of salons as Sizeer, JD Sports, 50 styles, and Symbiosis. The chain of purchased 22 stores has become part of the international chain of Sizeer stores present on the market for several years.”

    Deloitte Legal’s team was led by Warsaw-based Partner Jacek Korzeniewski and included Partner Ryszard Manteuffel and Managing Associate Zuzanna Sapocinska, with further team members in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Deloitte Legal did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

    Editor’s Note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters learned that Sibincic Krizanec advised the sellers. The firm’s team included Senior Partner Matic Novak and Senior Associate Dinar Rahmatullin.

    Deloitte Legal subsequently announced its expanded team composition, including Serbia-based Local Legal Partner Stefan Antonic and Attorney at Law Igor Dencic, Croatia-based Partner Tarja Krehic and Associate Dino Kozul, Slovenia-based Legal Practice Leader Uroz Rozic and Lawyer Nika Logar, and Bosnia and Herzegovina-based Senior Manager Haris Jasarevic and Attorney at Law Aida Hamur.