CEE Legal Matters

Category: News

  • ICC International Court of Arbitration Appoints Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka as Vice-President

    CMS’ Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka has been appointed as Vice-President of the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Aside from Surdek-Janicka, 33 lawyers from CEE were appointed as members and alternate members of the court.

    According to CMS the appointment, effective July 1, 2021, represents the first time a lawyer from Poland will serve as Vice-President of the ICC Court.

    “This nomination is a distinction not only for me personally but above all for the Polish National Committee of the ICC and – more broadly – the entire arbitration community in Poland,” said Surdek-Janicka. “What’s important for the business community is the expeditious and cost-effective conduct of arbitration by independent and impartial arbitrators – specialists in various areas, as well as the prompt delivery and the enforceability of arbitral awards, which, in respect of international arbitration, is safeguarded by the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, of which Poland is also a signatory.”

    The following are the CEE members (alternate members are marked with an asterisk):

    • Austria:
      • Gerold Zeiler of Zeiler Floyd Zadkovich
      • Anne-Karin Grill of AKG Advisory*
    • Belarus:
      • Alexandre Khrapoutski of Lex Torre Law Office
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina:
      • Zinka Grbo of the Faculty of Law of the University of Sarajevo
    • Bulgaria:
      • Ina Popova of Debevoise & Plimpton
    • Croatia:
      • Hrvoje Markovinovic of the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb
    • Czech Republic:
      • Karolina Horakova of Skils
      • Michelle Sindler (independent)*
    • Estonia:
      • Paul Keres of Levin
      • Triinu Hiob of Njord Law Firm*
    • Greece:
      • Marily Paralika of Fieldfisher
      • Georgios Panopoulos of Lambadarios Law Firm*
    • Hungary:
      • Peter Nagy of Nagy es Trocsanyi
      • Marianne Kecsmar of Pellerin Kecsmar Mirza*
    • Latvia:
      • Galina Zukova of Zukova Legal
      • Eva Kalnina of Levy Kaufmann-Kohler*
    • Lithuania:
      • Renata Berzanskiene of Orlen Lietuva
    • Montenegro:
      • Tanja Planinic of Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law
    • North Macedonia:
      • Danela Arsovska of the Macedonian Chambers of Commerce
    • Poland:
      • Maciej Jamka of DWF
      • Bartosz Kruzewski of Clifford Chance
    • Romania:
      • Cristiana-Irinel Stoica of Stoica & Asociatii
      • Luminita Popa of Suciu Popa*
    • Russia:
      • Julia Zagonek of White & Case
      • Dmitry Dyakin of Rybalkin, Gortsunyan & Partners*
    • Serbia:
      • Milena Djordjevic of the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade
    • Slovakia:
      • Tomas Borec of Borec & Bohunsky
      • Roman Prekop of Barger Prekop*
    • Slovenia:
      • Maja Menard of Fatur & Menard
    • Turkey:
      • Ercument Erdem of Erdem & Erdem
      • Bennar Aydogdu of BennArb Law Firm*
    • Ukraine:
      • Maria Kostytska of Winston & Strawn
      • Olena Perepelynska of Integrites*

    Members of the Court are appointed for three-year terms by the World Council.

  • Havel & Partners, Sparring, and Sorainen Advise on PriceHubble Acquisition of Realtify

    Havel & Partners and Sorainen have advised PriceHubble on its acquisition of Realtify. Sparring advised Realtify on the transaction.

    Financial details were not disclosed.

    PriceHubble is a Swiss business-to-business property technology company providing data-driven digital solutions for the residential real estate and finance value chain. It was founded in Zurich in 2016 and is now active in nine countries in Europe and Asia.

    Realtify is a Czech property technology company that provides analytical and research tools for residential real estate. It was founded in Prague in 2019 and will be operating as PriceHubble Czechia.

    The Havel & Partners team included Partner Vaclav Audes, Senior Associates Tomas Navratil, Radek Riedl, and Vojtech Katzer, Associates Josef Bouchal and Klara Sleglova, Junior Associate Martina Mullerova, and Tax Adviser Martin Bures. 

    Sorainen’s team included Partner Mantas Petkevicius, Senior Associates Mindaugas Dominykas Baniulis, Aurelija Daubaraite, and Gerda Skirbutiene, and Associates Sidas Sokolovas and Povilas Uzkuraitis. 

    Sparring’s team included Senior Adviser Katarina Martisova and Attorney Ondrej Zemek.

  • DLA Piper Advises Gazprom Export on Acquisition of Centrex Europe & Energy Gas

    DLA Piper has advised Gazprom Export on the acquisition of Centrex Europe & Energy Gas AG from Gazprombank.

    According to DLA Piper, Centrex Europe & Energy Gas AG is the holding company of the Austrian Centrex Group, which includes businesses in natural gas trading, storage and transportation on the markets of Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Serbia.

    DLA Piper’s team included Vienna-based Partner Christoph Mager, Counsel Johanna Holtl, and Senior Associates Ekaterina Larens, Sarah Plasser, and Martina Peric, St. Petersburg-based Partner Denis Sosedkin, Budapest-based Counsel Gabor Simon, Cologne-based Partner Jan Dreyer, Senior Associate Gregor Schroll, and Associate Andre Kohler, and Rome-based Senior Associate Gianmarco Scialpi.

    DLA Piper could not provide any further information on the deal.

  • Havel & Partners Advises Compass Europe on Joint Venture with Fipol

    Havel & Partners has advised Compass Europe on forming a joint venture with Fipol Deniz Araclari ve Turizm Plastik Sanayi Ticaret AS. Ozderin Law Firm has reportedly advised Fipol on the deal.

    Compass Europe is a Slovakia-based swimming pool contractor.

    Fipol is a Turkey-based swimming pool producer.

    According to Havel & Partners, the joint venture will serve as a production company for the ceramic swimming pools manufactured based on Compass Europe’s technology.

    Havel & Partners’ team included Partner Stepan Starha, Associate Ivana Gajdosova, and Junior Associate Kristina Saktorova.

  • Havel & Partners Advises Panara on Investment from Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner

    Havel & Partners has advised Panara a.s. on an unspecified investment from Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co KG. CMS reportedly advised Alpla on the deal.

    Panara’s core business is R&D activities focused on multicomponent biobased and biodegradable blends based on PHA and PLA polymers production and commercialization. 

    Alpla is an Austrian plastics manufacturer headquartered in Hard, specializing in blow-molded bottles and caps, injection-molded parts, preforms, and tubes.

    Havel & Partners’ team included Partner Ondrej Majer, Associates Ivana Gajdosova and Robert Gasparovic, and Junior Associate Patricia Jamriskova.

    Editor’s note: After this article was published, CMS contacted CEE Legal Matters and confirmed its involvement. The firm’s team included Vienna-based Partners Alexander Rakosi and Dieter Zandler and Senior Associate Georg Gutfleisch as well as Bratislava-based Managing Partner Oliver Werner, Partner Sona Hankova, Senior Associate Barbora Korenecova, Associate Natalia Janoskova, Junior Associates Terezia Rusnakova and Pavel Straka, and Attorney Lenka Litvakova.

  • DLA Piper Advises Cloudflight on Financing Round for TeamEcho

    DLA Piper has advised existing investor Cloudflight in a financing round totaling EUR 1.3 million for Linz-based HR tech startup TeamEcho. 

    According to DLA Piper, software developer and AI solution provider Cloudflight “helps companies drive their digital transformation and delivers scalable, flexible custom software that can be implemented quickly and seamlessly.” TeamEcho develops an anonymous employee feedback tool.

    DLA Piper’s team was led by Munich-based Partner Simon Vogel.

  • TGS Baltic Advises BaltCap on Eesti Keskkonnateenused Exit

    TGS Baltic has advised Baltic private equity fund manager BaltCap on its exit from Estonian waste management company AS Eesti Keskkonnateenused. Eversheds Sutherland reportedly advised Eesti Keskkonnateenused on the deal.

    Financial details were not disclosed.

    TGS Baltic’s team included Partner Kadri Kallas and Junior Counsel Mirko Kikkamagi.

    Editor’s note: After this article was published, Eversheds Sutherland announced that it had advised the management of AS Eesti Keskkonnateenused on the management buyout. The firm’s team included Managing Partner Maivi Ots, Partner Risto Ruutel, Senior Associate Dmitri Zdobnoh, and Associate Siim Olev.

     

  • Ellex Advises Baltic Classifieds Group on IPO and Listing on London Stock Exchange

    Ellex and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have advised the Baltic Classifieds Group on its IPO and listing on the London Stock Exchange. Clifford Chance advised sponsor and global coordinator and joint bookrunner BofA Securities and joint bookrunner BNP Paribas.

    According to Ellex, “Baltic Classifieds Group has offered 200,000,000 shares at an offer price of GBP 1.65 per share and has been admitted to the premium listing segment of the official list and to trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange – the first Baltic business to debut in this premium category.”

    The firm further informed that “Baltic Classifieds Group, with its roots and main hub in Lithuania, is the leading online classifieds group in the Baltics (based on the number of visits and listings), which owns and operates twelve leading vertical and generalist online classifieds portals in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Those include such market leaders as autoplius.lt and aruodas.lt in Lithuania, auto24.ee and KV.ee in Estonia, and city24.lv in Latvia.”

    Ellex’s team was led by Lithuania-based Associate Partner Ruta Armone and included Lithuania-based Partner Marius Juonys, Associate Partner Mantas Rimkevicius, Experts Gintaras Balcius and Ingrida Kemeziene, Senior Associate Aleksandr Asovskij, Gintare Skroliene, Kristupas Spirgys, and Nerijus Patlabys, Associates Augustinas Macionis and Arvydas Gruseckas, Junior Associates Ainis Augustas Petrulis and Vilius Norvaisas, Lawyer Simona Luimiene, and Legal Assistant Dominykas Kirsis; Latvia-based Partner Raimonds Slaidins, Senior Associates Reinis Sokolovs and Anna Misneva, and Associates Mikijs Zimecs, Ints Skaldis, and Eduards Dzintars; and Estonia-based Partners Sven Papp and Martin Maesalu, Counsels Mari Must, Dmitri Rozenblat, Jaanus Ikla, and Toomas Kasesalu, Senior associate Gerda Liik, Associates Kairi Kilgi and Kevin Gerretz, and Lawyer Regina Getter Maajarv.

  • Cosmin Cojocaru Promoted to Partner at Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners

    Dispute resolution lawyer Cosmin Cojocaru has been promoted to Partner at Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners.

    Cojocaru has been with the firm since 2010 when he joined as an Associate. In 2013, he was promoted to Senior Associate to later be appointed to Managing Associate in 2017. Before he joined ZRVP, Cojocaru has spent over five years as a Legal Advisor with the Romanian Authority for State Assets Recovery.

    According to ZRVP, “Cojocaru will have an active role in expanding the mandate portfolio in construction disputes, being specialized in disputes entailing from works contracts, including construction projects (FIDIC), national and international commercial arbitrations.” According to the firm, he has, over the past ten years, been “contributing valuably to the consolidation of the litigation practice in constructions, both in front of common law courts and in front of arbitral tribunals.”

    “My promotion to a partner stands for a natural confirmation of my activity with the law firm and of my level of experience, materialized in the results obtained,” said Cojocaru. “Certainly, such a position comes with a series of challenges generated by its related responsibilities, but, when one practices law with passion, such challenges do nothing else but naturally spice one’s professional evolution.”

  • Wolf Theiss and Freshfields Advise on Raiffeisen Bank’s RON 1.2 Billion Issuance

    Wolf Theiss has advised Romanian Raiffeisen Bank S.A. on its RON 1.2 billion issuance of senior non-preferred eligible green notes with a fixed annual coupon of 3.793%. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Raiffeisen Bank on German law matters.

    Raiffeisen Bank International AG and Raiffeisen Bank S.A. were responsible for the placement of the notes as joint lead managers.

    According to Wolf Thiess, “the notes issue was addressed to institutional investors and has a tenor of 7 years. With a demand of approximately RON 1.35 billion, the placement was oversubscribed almost 1.35 times. The notes are intended to be eligible for MREL (Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities) purposes, based on the confirmation of the National Bank of Romania.”

    Wolf Theiss’s team included Partners Alexander Haas and Claudia Chiper, Senior Associates Nevena Skocic and Nikolaus Dinhof, and Associates Andreea Tudorache and Sebastian Prakljacic.

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s team included Partners Stephan Pachinger and Christoph Gleske, Principal Associates Christian Joellinger and Birgit Schulz, and Associate Benedikt Graf.