CEE Legal Matters

Category: News

  • Sorainen, DLA Piper, and Aleinikov & Partners Advise on 2GIS’s Acquisition of Stake in Data Delivery

    Sorainen has advised Data Delivery LLC, the Belarusian developer of a platform for managing the online status and business reputation of RocketData.io, in connection with share acquisitions and further investment in the company by mapping service 2GIS, which is part of the Sber group. DLA Piper Moscow and Aleinikov & Partners in Minsk advised 2GIS on the deal.

    2GIS plans to increase its stake in Rocketdata to 88% in the second half of 2021, once the necessary regulatory approvals are received. The founders of Data Delivery – Darya Danilova, Fedor Zubrytski, Alexey Kudelka and Evgeni Ozhehkovski – will continue to develop the RocketData.io platform and upon completion of all stages of the deal will retain 12% of the company.

    Data Delivery was established in 2017 and is currently a resident of Belarus’s Hi-Tech Park. In 2018 the company attracted investments from RBF Ventures, as well as from six business angels and the TUT.by media portal.

    According to the company, the new round of investments received from 2GIS will be put into launching new products – in particular, in creating a unified personal account for launching advertising campaigns via geo-services and social networks using geo-targeting, analyses of local searches and other services.

    Sorainen’s team was led by Senior Associate Viktoryia Mikhnevich and included Partner Maksim Salahub and Associate Aliaksei Vashkevich.

    DLA Piper’s team was led by Partner Leo Batalov and included Legal Directors Andrei Sheetkin and Alexei Kolesnikov and Associates Alexandra Braterskaya, Konstantin Savryga, and Nino Galdav. 

  • Norton Rose Fulbright, Asters, and Clifford Chance Advise on Cersanit Financing

    Norton Rose Fulbright and Asters have advised a syndicate of banks on its provision of a PLN 1.5 billon loan to Polish, Russian, Romanian, Ukrainian, and German members of the Cersanit Group. Romania’s Ionescu si Sava reportedly also advised the syndicate. Clifford Chance advised Cersanit on the deal.

    The banking syndicate consisted of Bank Polska Kasa Opieki S.A. as the agent, the security agent, and original lender, as well as mBank S.A., ING Bank Slaski S.A., Santander Bank Polska S.A., BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A., and Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Polski S.A. as original lenders.

    Cersanit is a producer and distributor of goods used in finishing and fitting out bathrooms, such as ceramic tiles, sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture, bathtubs, wall-mounting fixing frames, and fittings. The company operates in Poland and across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa.

    Norton Rose Fulbright’s team consisted of Warsaw-based Partner Grzegorz Dyczkowski, Counsel Jacek Smardzewski, Associate Karolina Majcher, and Paralegal Michal Rutkowski, as well as Frankfurt-based Partner Bernhard Fiedler and Associate Julia Tschickardt. 

    Asters’ team included Partner Iryna Pokanay, Counsel Gabriel Aslanian, and Associates Inna Bondarenko and Viktoria Zagreba.

    Clifford Chance’s team consisted of Warsaw-based Partner Andrzej Stosio, Senior Associate Kacper Bardan, and Associate Artur Gladysz, as well as Moscow-based Managing Partner Victoria Bortkevicha and Associate Veronika Orlova.

  • Cobalt and Allen & Overy Advise on Establishment of Drivitty/Eurowag Strategic Partnership

    Cobalt has advised the unidentified founders of Drivitty on its entrance into a strategic partnership with Eurowag. Allen & Overy’s Prague office advised Eurowag on the deal.

    Eurowag is a provider of integrated mobility services, such as fuel cards, VAT refunds, and toll and tunnel payment options, among other things. The company employs over 1,000 people and operates 18 offices across Europe and the Middle East.

    Drivitty is a Lithuanian provider of contactless payment services for fuel to fuel stations and their customers.

    According to Cobalt, “the partnership between Eurowag and Drivitty will contribute significantly to the shift towards a digital future in the mobility and transportation industry in Europe.”

    Cobalt’s team included Partner Elijus Burgis and Managing Associate Deimante Pagiriene.

    Allen & Overy’s team consisted of Partner Prokop Verner and Senior Associate Jakub Cech.

  • Svetlana Todorova and Eldar Mansurov To Co-Lead Peterka & Partners Turkish Desk

    Senior Attorney-at-Law Svetlana Todorova in Sofia and Managing Associate Eldar Mansurov in Moscow have been appointed co-leaders of Peterka & Partners’ Turkish Desk.

    The firm announced the establishment of the Turkish Desk last fall (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 22, 2020), under the helm of Sofia-based Senior Associate Georgi Kanev, who has since left the firm.

    Todorova, who is Peterka & Partners’ Deputy Director for Bulgaria, has been with the firm since moving over from Tokushev and Partners in 2013.

    Mansurov joined Peterka & Partners’ Moscow office in 2013, after spending a year with VTB and three years at Qiwi. 

  • Hogan Lovells and White & Case Advise on Takeover Offer for Globalworth Real Estate Investments Share Capital

    Hogan Lovells is advising CPI Property Group S.A. and White & Case is advising Aroundtown SA on their joint takeover offer for the entire issued share capital of Globalworth Real Estate Investments Limited.

    The offer announcement was published on April 14, 2021, and completion is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021 subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals.

    CPIPG, which is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, owns and operates a diversified real estate portfolio valued at an estimated EUR 10.3 billion. Aroundtown is a Frankfurt-listed real estate company with a focus on central locations primarily in Germany and the Netherlands.

    Globalworth is an AIM-listed, Guernsey incorporated real estate company, with a primary focus on Poland and Romania and a real estate portfolio valued at approximately EUR 3 billion. 

    According to Hogan Lovells, “the offer is structured as an all-cash offer by CPIPG and Aroundtown with an equity value of EUR 1.57 billion. Zakiono Enterprises Limited, a Cypriot company currently owned by CPIPG, is the bid vehicle for the offer on behalf of CPIPG and Aroundtown. CPIPG and Aroundtown have been building their stakes in Globalworth over time, together owning approximately 51.50 percent of Globalworth at the point of announcement. CPIPG and Aroundtown believe that now is the right time to consolidate their expertise in order to develop and grow Globalworth’s business further, which can, in their view, be best executed under their joint ownership of Globalworth.”

    The Hogan Lovells’ team was led by London-based Corporate Partners Daniel Simons and Sarah Shaw and Counsel John Holme.

    White & Case’s team in London advising on the transaction was led by Partners Margot Lindsay and Dominic Ross and included Partners Marc Israel, Will Smith, and Nicholas Greenacre, and Associates Sonica Tolani, Samirah Haujee, and Kate Kelliher.

  • Lextal and Triniti Advise on Management Buyouts of Columbus’s Estonian and Lithuanian Subsidiaries

    Lextal has advised Columbus A/S on the sale of Columbus Eesti AS to its General Manager Ivo Suursoo and Columbus Lietuva UAB to its CEO Dovydas Zinkevicius. Triniti advised the buyers on both deals.

    Columbus is a Danish provider of IT and consulting services. The company, which designs, develops, implements, upgrades, and maintains digital business applications, was founded in 1989 and currently employs over 2,200 people worldwide.

    Lextal’s team consisted of Estonia-based Partner Ants Karu, Attorney-at-Law Diana Minumets, and Lawyer Martin Nikolaev, and Lithuania-based Partner Arunas Sidlauskas.

  • Ellex and Vilgerts Advise on Vilvi Group’s Acquisition of Baltic Dairy Board

    Ellex has advised the Vilvi Group on the acquisition by its subsidiary AB Vilkyskiu Pienine of 70% of the qualifying holding of the SIA Baltic Dairy Board. Vilgerts advised the seller on the deal.

    The SIA Baltic Dairy Board is a Latvian manufacturer and retailer of dairy products. The Vilvi Group operates four food-processing factories in Lithuania, which produce cheese, kefir, yogurt, and cream, among other dairy products.

    According to Ellex, “investing into SIA Baltic Dairy Board, AB Vilkyskiu Pienine aims to strengthen and develop the assortment of the group’s high value-added dairy ingredients.” In addition, according to the firm, “the Vilvi Group will make use of the newly forged synergy among the current group members and the SIA Baltic Dairy Board in the processes of whey separation and raw material procurement.”

    Ellex’s team consisted of Latvia-based Partner Inita Jurka, Senior Associate Zane Miglane, and Associates Eduards Dzintars, Ineta Kanepe, Marats Golovkins, and Kristers Losans, as well as Lithuania-based Partner Paulius Gruodis, Senior Associate Mantas Juska, and Associate Ieva Krivickaite.

    Vilgerts’ team included Partner Gints Vilgerts, Senior Associate Janis Kubilis, and Associate Kaline Ozola.

  • Deloitte Legal’s Legal Partners and Krehic & Partners Advise on Brillant3221.’s Acquisition of Dolomit in Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Legal Partners and Krehic & Partners, both members of the Deloitte Legal Network, advised a group of German investors led by Brillant3221. GmbH on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Dolomit d.o.o. Kupres, which exploits and processes minerals in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    According to Deloitte Legal, Dolomit d.o.o. holds a concession over the Grguljaca mine in Kupres. The Share and Purchase Agreement was signed in November 2019 and closed on March 29, 2021, in part due to delays caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

    According to Deloitte Legal, the acquisition process included conversations with the Government of Canton 10 and the Kupres Municipality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

    The Sarajevo-based Legal Partners team working on the deal was led by Partner Alma Hota, working alongside Manager Haris Jasarevic and Senior Associate Aida Hamur of Deloitte Advisory and independent attorney Enver Hodzic. The Zagreb-based Krehic & Partners team included Managing Partner Tarja Krehic and Attorney at Law Matea Gospic-Plazina.

  • Lucia Raimanova and Adam Fadian in Allen & Overy’s Global Partnership Round

    Counsels Lucia Raimanova in Bratislava and Adam Fadian in Istanbul are among the 30 lawyers promoted to partner by Allen & Overy as part of the firm’s global round, effective on May 1, 2021.

    Raimanova is a solicitor-advocate of England & Wales and a Partner in Allen & Overy’s International Arbitration Group. Before relocating to Bratislava in 2016 to lead the firm’s Arbitration practice within Central and Eastern Europe, she practiced with the firm for ten years in London and was also seconded to the firm’s Hong Kong and Moscow offices. Prior to joining Allen & Overy, Lucia was engaged by the World Bank as an advisor to the Slovak Government.

    Adam Fadian advises on debt restructurings, structured trade and commodity finance, project and infrastructure finance, leveraged acquisition finance, real estate finance and margin lending. According to Allen & Overy, “he has particular experience in developing markets and regularly advises clients on debt restructurings and financing transactions in Turkey, the Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, the CIS, and CEE.” Before joining A&O in 2018 he spent twelve years with Clifford Chance in London and Moscow and one year with Gilbert + Tobin in Sydney, Australia. 

    “Congratulations to all of our new partners,” commented A&O Global Managing Partner Gareth Price. “We are committed to bringing through new generations of diverse leaders that cover a broad geographic spread, as well as practice and product specialisms. This is an incredibly talented group who we know will add to the future success of our firm.”

  • Nikolai Kurmashev and Patryk Figiel Promoted to Partner at Linklaters

    Counsels Nikolai Kurmashev in Moscow and Patryk Figiel in Warsaw have been promoted to Partner as part of Linklaters global round, which included a total of 35 new partners worldwide. 

    All 35 promotions take effect on May 1, 2021. 

    “We are confident that our newly elected partners will live the firm’s culture and values and continue to provide legal certainty in a changing world to our clients,” said Charlie Jacobs, Senior Partner and Chairman at Linklaters. “These promotions acknowledge hard work, excellent legal skills, and service to our clients [and] I congratulate all those who have been promoted and wish them every success as they continue their career with us.”

    Nikolai Kurmashev, who heads the Moscow office’s Banking practice, specializes in cross-border syndicated lending, structured financing and restructuring in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and the CEE region. He joined the firm in 2005 and was promoted to Counsel in 2016.

    Patryk Figiel helms Linklaters Warsaw’s Energy and Infrastructure practice. His areas of expertise are investments and transactions in energy, infrastructure, natural resources, and environmental protection sectors in Poland and Central Europe. He also joined Linklaters in 2005.

    “Patryk is an extremely professional lawyer, with great competence and many years of experience,” commented Artur Kulawski, Managing Partner at Linklaters Warsaw. “He is also extremely engaged in the projects he runs, thanks to which he successfully achieves his clients’ goals.”