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Glimstedt has advised Civitta Eesti AS, a leading independent management consultancy in Estonia, in its acquisition of 100% of CPD OU, a company organising the Ajujaht entrepreneurship competition, from its owners (five unnamed private individuals). CPD will be merged with Civitta Eesti, and the CPD team will continue working in different positions at Civitta.

Civitta Eesti AS is part of a leading independent management consultancy group with offices in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, that developed out of the Innopolis consultancy, which was established in 2000 in Tartu (where it remains based). Civitta has 9 offices and more than 150 employees in Central and Eastern Europe. The company forecasts a total revenue in 2015 of EUR 6.5 million.

According to Glimstedt, with this acquisition, Civitta Eesti “ensures its leading position in Estonian consultancy sector by complementing services provided for starting enterprises and strengthening competencies in providing evaluation consultancy services.”

“Our goal has always been to develop consultancy company as entrepreneurs and due to that reason, acquiring companies with strong competencies is interesting for us in Estonia and also in other Central and Eastern Europe countries,” said Riivo Anton, member of the Civitta Eesti management board. “We believe that from this transaction new business opportunities will arise in Estonia and even further and we will develop natural synergy between the two teams. For instance, in Romania and Moldova we can already join forces with CPD.“  

The Glimstedt team was led by Associated Partner Leho Pihkva, supported by Senior Associate Imbi Jurgen and Associate Ulla Helm.

Goltsblat BLP — the Russian practice of Berwin Leighton Paisner — has successfully persuaded the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region of Russia to satisfy the claim of clients Universal Music Russia and Warner Music UK against the VKontakte social network. As a result, VKontakte was required to employ software on its vk.com website to prevent “phonograms” from being posted on the site without permission from the right holders.

The case was initially filed in April 2014 by Universal Music Russia, Warner Music UK and Sony Music Entertainment filed claims against OOO V Kontakte with the Arbitration Court of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region for infringement of neighbouring rights to their phonograms to be halted (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on August 20, 2014). Sony Music Entertainment settled its claim with V Kontakte on July 27, 2015 (reported on July 31, 2015).

According to Goltsblat BLP, “this means that the social network must introduce audio-fingerprinting software to exclude the possibility of pirated audio-content being uploaded on to it.” The firm describes this as the first ever such ruling by Russian courts, as previously “only European courts have required introduction of fingerprinting software.”  

The Goltsblat BLP team was headed by Partner Elena Trusova, who commented: “We are pleased that the case on which we have acted for the claimants for two years has culminated in such an important and novel decision for court practice.” Trusova’s team included Senior Associates Evgeny Oreshin, Anton Nefedyev, and Yana Pylaeva.   

Popovici Nitu & Asociatii has announced that Corporate/M&A lawyer Bogdan Stoica was promoted to named Partner, and that the firm will change its name to Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii.

Stoica will continue to head the Corporate/M&A practice group within the firm and will also serve as the Deputy Managing Partner. 

Senior Partner Ernest Virgil Popovici commented on the promotion: “During the past 15 years Bogdan contributed significantly to the Firm’s expansion. His promotion to named Partner reaffirms one of our foundation principles guaranteeing each lawyer access to virtually any position in the firm, if true achievement is there.”

Stoica commented that: “I am happy and obliged by my partners’ initiative and their unanimous decision. I thank and reassure them of my full support in the new role.”

Grata International continues to reach into Central and Eastern Europe, as the Central Asian firm has announced that on September 3, 2015, it entered into a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with the Arzinger & Partners firm in Prague.

The association with Arzinger & Partners in the Czech capital is the 4th such tie-up announced by Grata in 2015, following its May 2015 association with a different Arzinger & Partners office in Belarus (reported on May 13, 2015), and its opening of associated offices in August with the Isikal Law Office in Turkey (reported on August 18, 2015), and the Alliks un Partneri office in Latvia (reported on September 18, 2015). In combination with Grata International’s existing office in Moscow, this gives the firm — which a year ago had only 1 office in the region — a total of 5.

An in-depth summary of Grata’s expansion and plans for the region can be found in the upcoming October 2015 issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine, available for subscribers only.

Sorainen’s Minsk office has advised the famous Papa John’s pizza take-out and delivery chain on the opening of its first store in Minsk, and thus its first in Belarus, which the firm describes as “one of the most notable international restaurant chain arrivals in Belarus in 2015.”

Sorainen assisted with adjusting the client’s franchise and subfranchise agreement to local law requirements, designing the overall legal scheme of local operations, and registering the agreements with the local patent authority. The firm’s team was led by Partner Maksim Salahub, supported by Associate Nadezhda Fomenok. 

Image Source: papajohns.com

Borenius, which last week announced that it would be concluding its operations in the Baltics (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on September 21, 2015), has announced the appointment of Counsel Anton Poddubny to the Head of its Transactions and Corporate Law practice in Russia, effective as of September 1, 2015.

Poddubny specializes in Corporate/M&A, contract law, and labor law. He joined Borenius in February 2013 from Mannheimer Swartling, where he had worked the previous 5 years. Before that he also spent one year as an Associate at Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners in St. Petersburg. He received his law degree from Herzen State University in 2000.

Tuca Zbarcea and Asociatii has obtained an “irrevocable judgement” from the Bucharest Court of Appeal, rejecting the challenge filed by a consortium of bidders against the awarding of a contract worth over EUR 10 million to Teamnet Project Management Solution (“Teamnet”) for the expansion of the 112 emergency call number system in Romania.  

Following a favourable court ruling, Teamnet, a well-known Romanian IT&C company, will implement the contract for the expansion of the 112 emergency system to include the mobile resources of the intervention agencies – Ambulance Service/Ambulan?a and SMURD/the Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication — as well as other Emergency Units.  

Acting for Teamnet, Tuca obtained a definitive judgement allowing for the supply of IT&C and software equipment required for the development of the infrastructure of the 112 emergency system in Romania. According to a statement released by Tuca, “the project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund/Operational Programme — Increase of Economic Competitiveness, is expected to generate a notable social impact, as it will enable easier access to specialized medical assistance services.”  

Tuca’s defense team was led by Partner Ioana Gelepu, who commented that: “This ruling is a confirmation that our client’s position is correct, which results both from a rigorous interpretation of the applicable regulations and from the meticulous disproof of the counterarguments that were brought against us.” Gelepu was supported by Senior Associate Gabriela Costescu.   

Image Source: teamnet.ro

Tark Grunte Sutkiene has advised the Communicorp Group Limited, an Irish private media group, on its sale of the Latvian radio group AS Radio SWH Latvia to Cinamon Holding OÜ, an Estonian-based entertainment company with a network of cinemas across the Baltic countries. Cinamon Holding was advised by Raidla Ellex in Estonia and Klavins Ellex in Latvia. The transaction was completed on September 24, 2015.

AS Radio SWH — which began broadcasting in 1993 — was the first commercial radio station in Latvia. It was acquired by Communicorp in 2007 and has added four more stations since then. Cinamon Holding OÜ is a privately owned holding company which previously acquired a pan-Baltic chain of multiplex cinemas now operated under the Cinamon brand, among other things.

The Raidla Ellex team was led by Counsel Martin Kaerdi.

Image Source: communicorp.ie

Lithuanian transport and litigation expert Laura Cereskaite-Kinciuviene has left Sorainen to join Averus as a Partner in the firm’s Transport and Shipping Practice, beginning on October 1, 2015.

Cereskaite-Kinciuviene has been a Senior Associate in Sorainen’s Vilnius office for the past 7 years, and headed the firm’s Transport sector group. She is experienced in advising aviation sector clients on aircraft acquisition, lease, maintenance, and related disputes, and she has also advised airports on infrastructure and route development projects. She also has more than 10 years of experience representing clients before courts and in arbitration. 

Cereskaite-Kinciuviene graduated from the Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, and began her professional career with Roedl & Partner in 2005. In July 2007 she joined the AGP law firm, and a year later jumped to Sorainen, where she stayed until this recent move.

Averus Partner Povilas Karlonas explained that, “we feel strong demand from the transport and aviation sector clients for specialised advice. Laura Cereskaite-Kinciuviene is a great professional and recognised expert in the market, so we are truly happy that she decided to join our team. Transport sector is very specific and Laura’ advice is really necessary for our clients acting in Vilnius and Klaipeda.”

According to Cereskaite-Kinciuviene, the move represents a special opportunity for everyone involved. “I would dare to say that with Averus’ leading positions in maritime law and my input from aviation and road transport we will achieve a unique synergy in the legal market,” she said. “Averus — with its offices in Vilnius and Klaipeda and its solid team of experienced lawyers — will be able to serve clients of all transport modes and offer a wide range of services. We feel that the market was lacking such consolidated expertise. I am glad to be joining a firm with which I share views and values in terms of client-care, service quality, and team spirit.”

Wierzbowski Eversheds has announced that Polish lawyer Pawel Kuskowski is joining the firm as Of Counsel, effective October 1, 2015, to head the firm’s newly established Regulatory Risk and Compliance practice.

Kuskowski is a compliance specialist with many years of practice conducting global projects for Polish and international financial institutions, and has extensive experience working with supervisory authorities.

During his professional career, he has worked at RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), where he headed international efforts to combat money laundering, and at the Polish branch of UBS as head of Compliance and Operational Risk. He also worked at a leading Irish law firm, Matheson Ormsby Prentice, where he advised clients on regulatory risk and compliance. At AIG Investment in Ireland he was responsible for implementation of MiFID (the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) and MAD/MAR (the Market Abuse Directive and Market Abuse Regulation). 

Kuskowski got his Master of Laws in 2002 from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland, and an MBA in 2003 from the New Europe Master in Banking and Entrepreneurship, in Italy.

According to a statement released by Wierzbowski Eversheds, Kuskowski “has advised many financial institutions on implementing procedures to combat money laundering, creating compliance structures, and adapting the organization’s operations to comply with regulatory requirements. For the past four years he has served as president of the board of Compliance Association Poland, with members from a hundred firms and institutions, cooperating with the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, the General Inspector of Financial Information, the Polish Chamber of Brokerages, and the Warsaw Stock Exchange. He is also a member of the advisory committee of the International Compliance Association.”

“Establishment of a compliance practice is a step that suits the Eversheds growth strategy and also meets clients’ growing need for services in this area,” said Krzysztof Wierzbowski, Managing Partner at Wierzbowski Eversheds. “It’s important to us to bring a new standard to compliance services, which are only now developing on the Polish market. Thanks to cooperation with a specialist with unique experience in an international environment, the multidisciplinary team of lawyers, and the support of Eversheds International, we will be positioned to implement compliance projects comprehensively on a national and global scale.”

Kuskowski is also, obviously, enthusiastic. “I’m happy to be entering into cooperation with a law firm with such a well-established market position and global reach,” he said. “I am confident that our combined experience will allow us to offer clients unmatched advice on the biggest projects while setting the highest standards for compliance services in Poland. Businesses increasingly realize how much value a well-run compliance system generates for them, in the context of both minimizing business risks and the increasing demands of regulators. One of the challenges ahead will be the need for listed companies to comply with the amendments to corporate governance principles planned by the Warsaw Stock Exchange.”