CEE Legal Matters

Category: News

  • Vladimir Barbolin and Milosz Golab in Clifford Chance’s Global Promotion Round

    Vladimir Barbolin and Milosz Golab in Clifford Chance’s Global Promotion Round

    Clifford Chance has announced the promotion of 26 lawyers to the firm’s global partnership, including Vladimir Barbolin in Moscow and Milosz Golab in Warsaw.

    Barbolin, who joined Clifford Chance’s Moscow office in 2001, specializes in cross border-finance, insolvency, and work-outs. He represents clients in pre-export finance, syndicated lending, secured and unsecured facilities, real estate finance and structured finance, insolvency and work-outs.

    Golab advises on refinancing and restructuring of existing financial debt of capital groups, involving various groups of creditors. He also has experience in financing corporate takeovers, asset, and investment project acquisitions. Before joining Clifford Chance in 2008, he worked with Norton Rose and Miller Canfield. He received his law degree at the University of Warsaw in 2005 and was admitted as a Legal Adviser in Poland in 2010.

    Matthew Layton, Clifford Chance Global Managing Partner commented on the 26 new partners: “I am delighted to welcome to the partnership a group of particularly talented senior lawyers. Each of them has established their credentials as a go-to advisor for clients by virtue of their well-recognized expertise and excellent client service skills. They share a strong international mindset – 80% of the group has already worked in more than one of our offices globally. The make-up of this group also demonstrates the breadth and diversity that will underpin our future success. I look forward to working with them over the coming years as they help drive our progress in a fast-shifting legal landscape.”

     

  • CMS Advises ING on USD 30 million loan to Astarta

    CMS Advises ING on USD 30 million loan to Astarta

    CMS has advised ING in connection with a USD 30 million loan to the Astarta Group, a sugar and agricultural production and an industrial milk producer company in Ukraine, for its export operations. 

    ING provided two loans to Astarta: a USD 25 million pre-export revolving loan, and a USD 5 million multi-currency uncommitted guarantee/letter of credit issuances revolving credit facility, both extended for a three year term.

    The CMS team included Warsaw-based Partner Mark Segall and Sofia-based Partner Elitsa Ivanova, Kyiv-based Senior Associate Kateryna Chechulina and Khrystyna Korpan, and Sofia-based Senior Associate Plamena Kostadinova, with support from CMS lawyers Amsterdam and Zurich.

    CMS did not reply to an inquiry about counsel for Astarta.

     

  • Interlegal Opens New Office in London

    Interlegal Opens New Office in London

    Interlegal has opened a representative office in London, led by Alberto Batini.

    According to Interlegal, “the London office will facilitate more prompt and efficient Interlegal legal support both to Ukrainian clients in English courts and arbitrations and to British law firms with the clients in the Black and Caspian Sea basin.”

    Interlegal’s Partner Arthur Nitsevych said: “In fact, Albero Batini not only represents Interlegal in London, but he is a voice of all the company’s clients making business in Transport, Shipping, and International Trade governed by the English law system. Both GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA arbitration rules, and British court rules allow Interlegal experts to protect clients’ interests online. In some unique cases, our lawyers also participated directly in litigation and arbitration proceedings. However, when we found the opportunity to develop a partnership with Alberto Batini and strengthen our arbitration practice, we did not hesitate to take advantage of this step.”

    Alberto Batini’s key competencies include maritime law, P&I and H&M insurance, ship arrest, international arbitration, transport and logistics, and maritime cyber security. 

    Alberto Batini added: “I am happy to start the new wave of business cooperation with Interlegal. We have known each other since 2005. We have assisted both each other and our clients for many times. Now we are moving towards our partnership development. I moved to London while we launched the next step of our relationship. I am pleased to become Interlegal representative in London. We will create additional value for Ukrainian and European customers due to the benefits of our British-Ukrainian synergy.”

     

  • Sayenko Kharenko Advises AB InBev and SUN InBev Ukraine on Joint Venture

    Sayenko Kharenko Advises AB InBev and SUN InBev Ukraine on Joint Venture

    Sayenko Kharenko has acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A./N.V., and SUN InBev Ukraine in relation to the combination of the Russian and Ukrainian businesses and assets of AB InBev and Anadolu Efes Biracilik ve Malt Sanayii AS and the creation of a joint venture. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton acted as AB InBev’s Global Counsel, while Efes was represented by Norton Rose Fulbright.

    As a result of the combination of the Russian and Ukrainian businesses, the joint venture company AB InBev Efes BV will operate 14 brewing factories and two malting plants through its subsidiaries. The approximate value of the combined businesses and assets is EUR 1.69 billion.  

    According to Sayenko Kharenko, “the deal appears to be the biggest joint venture in the beer industry and one of the most significant Ukrainian M&A transactions over the last few years.”

    AB InBev is a transnational beverage and brewing corporation. Its brand portfolio includes, among others, Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Leffe, Hoegarden, Franziskaner Weissbier and Lowenbrau. Ukrainian brands include Chernihivske, Rohan, Taller, and Yantar.

    Efes is an international brewing company. Its brand portfolio comprises such trademarks as Velcopopovicky Kozel, Miller, Beck’s, and Efes.

    The Sayenko Kharenko team was supervised by Partners Vladimir Sayenko and Oleksandr Nikolaichyk and included Counsels Dmytro Korbut, Oleg Klymchuk, and Maksym Nazarenko, Senior Associate Julia Kuyda, and Associates Ilhar Hakhramanov, Mykola Lykhoglyad, and Igor Pomaz.

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Norton Rose Fulbright did not reply to an inquiry about the deal. 

    Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Asters announced that it worked alongside Norton Rose Fulbright in advising Anadolu Efes and Efes Ukraine PrJSC. The firm’s team was led by Partner Vadym Samoilenko, with Counsel Oles Kyvat advising on corporate, commercial and regulatory law, Partner Julia Semeniy advisng on intellectual property law, Partner Roman Kostenko advising on real estate matters, and Partner Igor Svechkar and Counsel Sergiy Glushcenko advising on antitrust matters.

     

  • JSK, Majernik & Mihalikova, Graf Patsch Taucher, and Misik Advise on ARBES Acquisition of FINAMIS

    JSK, Majernik & Mihalikova, Graf Patsch Taucher, and Misik Advise on ARBES Acquisition of FINAMIS

    The Czech JSK law firm, the Slovak Majernik & Mihalikova law firm, and Austria’s Graf Patsch Taucher have advised ARBES Technologies, a member of the Expandia Group, on its cross-border acquisition of the Slovak software company FINAMIS. The sellers were advised by the Misik law firm.

    Founded in 1991, ARBES Technologies is a Czech B2B supplier of information systems for banking, leasing, capital markets, and consumer finance.

    Based in Bratislava, FINAMIS deals with the programming and development of financial software, offering services to financial institutions from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria.

    The JSK team was led by Partner Tomas Dolezil and included Senior Associate Michal Jendzelovsky and Junior Associate Michaela Krajickova.

    The Majernik & Mihalikova team consisted of Partner Andrej Majernik and Senior Attorney Ivan Kormanik.

    The Graf Patsch Taucher Vienna office included Partner Wolfgang Graf and Associate Teresa Bernhard.

    The Misik law firm was led by Olga Karaskova. 

     

  • Schoenherr Advises Alpiq on Sale of Industrial Business to Bouygues Construction

    Schoenherr Advises Alpiq on Sale of Industrial Business to Bouygues Construction

    Schoenherr has advised Alpiq Group, a Swiss energy services provider and electricity producer, on the CHF 850 million sale of its industrial business to French building company Bouygues Construction.

    Schoenherr assisted Alpiq in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Romania. The transaction is subject to customary conditions including the approval by the relevant antitrust authorities in the EU and Switzerland. Closing is expected in the second half of 2018.

    Lausanne-based Alpiq is listed on the Swiss SIX exchange and employs around 8,500 staff. Bouygues Construction is a France-based global construction company which designs, builds, and operates projects in the sectors of building, infrastructure, and industry. According to Schoenherr, “owing to the transaction, Bouygues Construction stands to become a benchmark player in energy and services in Europe.”

    The Schoenherr team advising Alpiq was led by Partner Florian Kusznier, who was supported by Austrian Attorney Julia Wasserburger, Counsel Johannes Stalzer, and Associates Teresa Waidmann and Christopher Junger, by Czech Partner Vladimir Cizek, Attorneys Jitka Kadlcikova, Helena Hangler, and Christoph Durr, and by Romanias Partner Madalina Neagu and Attorneys George Ivan, Alexandra Munteanu, and Adriana Stanculescu. 

    The Alpiq international legal team was led by Switzerland’s Homburger firm, with Gleiss Lutz providing advice on aspects of German law.

     

  • Five CEE Partners in Dentons Global Round

    Five CEE Partners in Dentons Global Round

    Five CEE lawyers — Eleanor Johnson, Tomas Osicka, Piotr Staniszewski, Konstantin Tretyakov, and Marketa Tvrda — are part of Dentons worldwide partnership round, which included 36 lawyers overall. 

    In Prague, Eleanor Johnson and Marketa Tvrda became partners in Dentons’ Real Estate group, while Tomas Osicka became a partner on the Banking and Finance team. Piotr Staniszewski is now a partner in the Real Estate team in Warsaw, while Konstantin Tretyakov is a partner and the Head of Dentons’ White Collar Crime practice in Moscow.

    “We are extremely proud to elevate these very deserving lawyers to the next level of their careers at the firm,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global Chief Executive Officer, speaking of all 36 promotions. “They represent Dentons’ rich diversity, our global collegiality, and the excellence embodied in our work.”

     

  • Bird & Bird and White & Case Advise on Lithuanian Acquisition of Polish Solar Projects Portfolio Acquisition

    Bird & Bird and White & Case Advise on Lithuanian Acquisition of Polish Solar Projects Portfolio Acquisition

    Bird & Bird’s Warsaw office has advised a joint venture of two private Lithuanian energy groups, E-Energija and Sun Investment Group, on the acquisition of a 42 MWp portfolio of solar projects with a contract for difference secured under Poland’s current support system for renewable energy (in the form of renewable auctions). The seller, Polish solar developer R.Power Renewables, was represented by White & Case.

    A “contract for difference” is a contract in which the seller stipulates that it will pay the buyer the difference between the current value of an asset and its value at contract time (if the difference is negative, then the buyer pays instead to the seller).”

    Bird & Bird advised the purchaser on the due diligence of the portfolio and drafted and negotiated the entire transaction documentation with the seller. The process lasted from November 2017 until March 2018, when it successfully closed. The firm’s lawyers included Counsels Andrzej Nentwig and Katarzyna Piechocka, Senior Associate Bartlomiej Sikora, former Senior Associate Andrzej Walkiewicz, Associates Lukasz Petelski, Edyta Deszczka, and Cyprian Szeretucha, and Junior Associate Adam Lukaszewski.

    White & Case’s team included Partners Marcin Studniarek and Marek Sawicki.

     

  • TZA and Turcan Cazac Advise Eurotransgaz on Acquisition of Privatized Vestmoldtransgaz

    TZA and Turcan Cazac Advise Eurotransgaz on Acquisition of Privatized Vestmoldtransgaz

    Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii and Turcan Cazac have advised Eurotransgaz SRL, a company established by Transgaz in Chisinau, on the full acquisition of S.E. Vestmoldtransgaz, a company that manages the Moldovan side of the Iasi-Ungheni gas transmission pipeline, from the Public Property Agency of the Republic of Moldova.

    According to Transgaz, “the event marks the end of a stage in the privatization process of S.E. Vestmoldtransgaz through an investment contest and outlines one of the most significant transactions recently made by the Government of the Republic of Moldova, for a purchase price of 180,200,000 Moldovan leu and an investment plan of up to EUR 93 million over the next two years.”

    S.E. Vestmoldtransgaz’s privatization contract was signed on March 28, 2018 in Chisinau in the presence of Romanian Economy Minister Danut Andrusca and his counterpart in Moldova, Chiril Gaburici.

    The Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii team in Romania consisted of Partner Sorin Vladescu and Senior Associate Nisa Jecu.

    The Turcan Cazac team in Moldova was led by Partner Octavian Cazac and included Associates Vadim Taigorba and Ana Galus.

     

  • TGS Baltic Partners with Association of Lithuanian Banks

    TGS Baltic Partners with Association of Lithuanian Banks

    TGS Baltic and the Association of Lithuanian Banks signed a cooperation agreement on March 22, 2018.

    According to TGS Baltic, it is the first partnership for the Association of Lithuanian Banks (ALB) that is expected to involve experience sharing, as well as entitling TGS Baltic to advise the ALB.

    With 25 years in the market, the ALB includes Citadele, Danske Bank, Luminor, Medicinos Bankas, OP Corporate Bank, SEB, Swedbank, Siauliu Bankas, and the Lithuanian Central Credit Union.

    “We hope that our mutual cooperation will help to even more promote the significant aim of the ALB, which is to ensure good environment of the banking sector, to have a close dialogue with the public and supervisory authorities and legislators,” said Mantas Zalatorius, the President of the Association of Lithuanian Banks. “Assistance and competence in solving legal issues in banking and finance and other areas of law are indispensable for this purpose.”