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Asters has announced that it acted as pro bono advisor in connection with the donation of the private collection of Igor Dychenko (a famous Ukrainian art critic, artist, and collector) to the state-owned Mystetskyi Arsenal (“Art Arsenal”) museum complex.

The donation ceremony, which involved Valeria Virsca, Mr. Dychenko’s widow and sole heir, and Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, was held on October 12, 2015. The resulting exhibition — titled “Open collection. Igor Dychenko and Valeria Virska – to the Ukrainian people” — will be opened to the public on October 29, 2015, free of charge until November 5.

According to the firm, “owing to the noble decision of Valeria Virsca, who had fulfilled the will of her husband, the priceless artistic heritage of the world class, consisting of 509 pieces of painting, graphic and applied arts, became a part of the Museum Fund of Ukraine.”

Asters advised on the preparation of documentation meant to “ensure the integrity and inviolability of the collection in public ownership.” According to the firm, by means of the donation agreement, “the Ukrainian state guarantees the full preservation of the art collection, its entirety and prevention from pledge, denationalization or privatization.”

An Asters release described the mission of the Art Arsenal as being “to envision a united concept encompassing the breadth of Ukrainian cultural achievement and initiative, and to promote that concept embodied in Ukrainian art, culture, and history, ensuring its place in the broader heritage of the world culture. In four years over two million visitors have crossed Arsenal’s thresholds for 45 major, and scores of small-scale projects, organized by the team of the Mystetskyi Arsenal.”  

Image Source: kyivcity.travel

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partner has successfully advised atms Telefon-und Marketing Services GmbH on the acquisition of “sms.at” mobile Internet services gmbh from Up to Eleven Digital Solutions GmbH. According to FWP, “this acquisition further strengthens atms’ competence in mobile dialogue solutions for business customers.”

Competition matters having been successfully concluded, the transaction closed on October 8, 2015.

FWP reports that sms.at has been operating in Austria for about 15 years and is one of the leading Internet service providers for text message communications. Among other things, its service offer includes two- factor authentication for web services. With this procedure, users will, in addition to using a password during login, also receive a security code via text message that is valid only for a short period of time — for instance, for banking purposes. 

FWP’s team was led by Partners Paul Luiki and Lukas Flener, and also included Attorney at Law Christoph Postl and Associate Kenneth Hasenohrl. 

Yesterday we reported that Cleary Gottlieb’s global promotion round included only one CEE lawyer — Russian Corporate/M&A lawyer Maxim Izvekov, who was promoted to Counsel in Cleary’s Moscow office. This was incorrect. As Cleary has pointed out to us, the firm also promoted Russian corporate/M&A lawyer Mikhail Suvorov to Partner, also in Moscow.

Suvorov specializes in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, securities offerings, corporate restructurings, and Russian regulatory matters. He has significant experience in oil and gas matters, having advised Gazprom and other clients on a number of complicated transactions, including Gazprom’s recent USD 2 billion swap transaction with Wintershall involving an exchange of interests in Russian gas fields for interests in European gas distribution and storage and in North Sea oil and gas fields (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on September 17, 2015). Mikhail has advised on the restructuring of the ownership of Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow, Russia’s largest airport, and related joint venture arrangements between the Russian government and private interests, and advised Sovcomflot, Russia’s largest shipping company, in establishing a joint venture with CGG, the world’s leading Geoscience company, to provide maritime geophysical exploration services. He also advised Rosneft Oil Co. in its USD 55 billion acquisition of TNK-BP. He graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, and subsequently earned an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2008. He joined Cleary as an Associate in 2004.

Following yesterday’s announcement that Ukraine’s Avellum Partners law firm had advised Bayer AG on Ukrainian aspects of the carve-out of Bayer Material Science into a separate subsidiary (called “Covestro), comes Kinstellar’s announcement that it provided similar service for Bayer in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Turkey.

According to Kinstellar, “our assistance included advice on transfer of assets, transfer of employees, competition issues and tax implications.” The firm also explained that “this was a complex reorganisation in 59 countries around the globe over the last 12 months.” Covestro became operative on September 1, 2015.

Image Source: covestro.com

Gessel has advised Lux Med on its purchase of a property at ul. Elblaska in Warsaw — the planned site of the next Lux Med hospital. The property consists of over 13,000 square meters, and contains several buildings. The property will house a luxury clinic offering specialised medical services.

Lux Med operates a network of medical centers and hospitals in Poland. It was founded in 1992 and is based in Warsaw.

Gessel performed due diligence of the property on ul. Elblaska and of the legal entities owning and managing it, worked on the transaction documentation, and advised on various issues through closing. The firm’s team consisted of Partner Marcin Macieszczak, Managing Associate Michal Boryczka, and Attorney Maciej Boryczko.

Dvorak Hager & Partners has joined the Cathay Associates network of law firms, which claims to have “a special focus on China and cross-border matters.”

Cathay Associates, which was initiated in September of this year by the Kejie Law Office, a leading Chinese boutique law firm, boasts members in Barcelona, Beijing, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Chisinau, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Paris, Podgorica, Prague, Pristina, Shanghai, Sofia, Tirana, Birkirkara, Vienna, Warsaw, and Zagreb. Cathay plans to expand the number of member firms to 40 by the end of 2016.  He Jie, the managing partner of the Kejie Law Office, serves as Global Chairman of Cathay Associates as well as on the global management committee. Rupert Varnai and Pascal Demko, two European co-founders of the network who are also the foreign legal counsels of Kejie Law Office, serve as Global Chief Executive Officer and Global Managing Partner, respectively.

According to the DH&P website, “with the launch of Cathay Associates we are now able to provide global assistance from our Prague and Bratislava offices.” 

The Yegin Ciftci Attorney Partnership and Clifford Chance have advised the International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in connection with their equity investment in Fibabanka A.S. through subscription for a 19.9% stake.

Both the EBRD and the IFC will subscribe for a 9.95% stake after obtaining the required administrative approvals in connection with the transaction.

Fibabanka is a private bank established in Turkey through the 2010 acquisition of the Turkish arm of Millennium Banco Comercial Portugues (known as Millennium Bank A.S.), by the Turkish businessman Husnu Ozyegin.

The Turkish Yegin Cifti team was led by Partner Itir Sevim-Ciftci, with assistance from Associate Deniz Gocuk. English law advice was provided by Clifford Chance Partner Catherine McCarthy and Associate Hana Bae. 

Editorial Note: Linklaters has confirmed that it advised Fibabanka on the deal. The firm’s team was led by Corporate Partner Daniel Cousens.

Olena Manuilenko, the Head of IP at Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic, has been appointed to the INTA Copyright Committee in Croatia.

The INTA Copyright Committee develops and advocates the Association’s policy regarding the impact of copyright law and enforcement on trademark rights. The committee will monitor copyright cases, legislation and regulation in various jurisdictions, complete analyses, and make policy recommendations to the Board. Work includes report and submission writing, interaction with copyright organisations, and advocacy in conjunction with relevant INTA committees and staff.

Cobalt has advised Libera Exosculatio in obtaining a licence as an electronic money institution. The licence granted to the company by the Board of the Bank of Lithuania entitles it to engage in activities related to the issuing of electronic money and the provision of payment services. This is the 4th such licence issued in Lithuania.

The licence will make it possible for the company to render services enabling electronic money placement on, and withdrawal from, a payment account, as well as all of the operations required for operating a payment account.

The electronic system will operate the payment card processing system and E-wallet. Libera will offer its customers the ability to create their own accounts and make payments for any online purchases of goods or services using payment cards. The customers will likewise be able to keep their money in an e-wallet, a full-fledged payment system corresponding to the basic banking structure with various functions.

The Cobalt team advised Libera on all issues related to obtaining the licence, drafting of the licence documents and provided assistance in negotiations. The team was led by Managing Associate Akvile Bosaite and Associate Aurelija Balciune.

Dvorak Hager & Partners (DHP) has announced that Radek Matous has joined the firm in Prague. Matous, who previously headed the labour law and personal data protection practice group at Balcar Polansky & Spol. (the former Balcar Polansky Eversheds), will lead DHP’s Data Protection department.

Matous specializes in individual and collective labor law, and he is a founding member of the Czech Employment Lawyers Association. According to Dvorak Hager & Partner, “he has extensive experience in the fields of personal data protection, corporate law and competition law.” He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague in 1999, and he studied international trade law at the University of Economics in Prague. He joined Balcar Polansky & Spol. in June 2001.

“Radek is a leading specialist on labor law,” Said Managing Partner Stanislav Dvorak. “We are very pleased that an expert of this calibre will be strengthening our already highly rated employment practice.”