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Squire Patton Boggs has appointed Tatiana Prokopova Office Managing Partner in Bratislava, replacing outgoing Managing Partner Julian Juhasz.  

Prokopova specializes in real estate and corporate/M&A law, as well as litigation. She initially joined legacy Squire Sanders & Dempsey in 1999, leaving in 2006 to become Chief Legal Officer at the SL Group Slovakia, before opening her own practice (Prokopova & Partners) for a year. She re-joined SSD in 2011 as a Partner. (On June 1, 2014, Squire Sanders merged with Patton Boggs to form Squire Patton Boggs). According to a SPB statement, Prokopova “is currently heading a major retail property acquisition team, is part of the firm’s legal team involved in an ICSID arbitration dispute regarding talc mining and … has been appointed by a sovereign embassy in Bratislava on a large-scale real estate relocation project.”

The firm reports that Prokopova is “a member of the Slovak Bar Association, serving also as a deputy member of Disciplinary Committee. She is also a member of Institute for Urban Development, the Central European Corporate Governance Association and the Telecom Working Group of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic, amongst others. In 2013, she accepted a nomination to the prestigious Legislative Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic, where she is regularly invited to attend discussions of the Legislative Council to represent the American Chamber of Commerce and its Slovak members.”

Former Managing Partner Julian Jusasz said, of the change, that, “Tatiana has been an invaluable member of the Bratislava team and will be an asset to the firm as Office Managing Partner. Our office has gone from strength to strength over the past number of years. In 2011, the firm celebrated twenty years of service in Slovakia and I am proud to have played a part in the office’s establishment and growth.” Squire Patton Boggs reports that Juhasz is staying with the firm,  “and will remain to play a key role in Bratislava office management and client service delivery.”

Peter Crossley, European and Middle East Managing Partner, said, “I would like to thank Julian for his dedication to the firm as Office Managing Partner in Bratislava. He has made a substantial contribution to the firm over the course of his tenure. We welcome Tatiana to her new role and look forward to further expanding our presence in the Slovak Republic and throughout the region.”  

The Verdi Law Firm has announced that, as of January 1, long-time Associate Devrim Ergun has been promoted to Partner.

Ergun started his career at Verdi in April 2004 after spending 1 year at the Acar Law Firm and 6 months at Pekin & Bayar, and has worked there since.

Ergun is experienced in structured finance, capital markets, project finance, derivatives and treasury transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and banking law. He Ergun is a graduate of the Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 2002) and the Middle East Technical University (B.S. History, 1999). He obtained an equivalency LL.B. from the Istanbul University School of Law in 2007. He is a member of the Istanbul Bar.

Ilyashev & Partners, representing Bradwin Trading Limited, has declared itself “completely satisfied” withe decision by the Economic Court of Kyiv to grant in full the company’s claim in a case regarding disputed ownership in Lira-2000 LLC and an office building on Kyiv’s Slavy Square that is leased by the World Bank.

According to the Ilyashev & Partners, the court’s decision reinstates Bradwin Trading’s ownership right to a 75.2701% stake in the authorized capital of Lira-2000 LLC — and the ownership right of Lira-2000 LLC to the office building located at 1 Dniprovsky Spusk in the Ukrainian capital.

According to an Ilyashev & Partners statement, “the court thoroughly considered the circumstances of the case and ‘Disclosed’ a multilevel scheme of misappropriation of property of Bradwin Trading Limited. Now we hope that the law enforcement authorities will sort out the situation and bring those involved in the misappropriation of property to criminal responsibility.”

Lawin has advised on the BPT Optima real estate foundation on the sale of a real estate portfolio to the Swiss-based Partners Group private equity fund. Sorainen advised the Partners Group and its new investment vehicle together with its operating partner Northern Horizon Capital on the acquisition.

The value of the transaction is EUR 163  million, making it — according to both firms — the biggest in the Baltic countries since the previous financial crisis.  

The real estate portfolio sold by BPT Optima includes 7 well-known office and retail properties in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Riga, Tallin, totaling approx 112,000 square meters of lettable space, as well as the large Young City urban regeneration site on the Gdansk waterfront, including the historic former shipyards. 

According to Fabian Neuenschwander, Vice President at the Partners Group, “the portfolio acquired combines high-quality cash flow generating assets with significant further value enhancement potential and we look forward to working together with Northern Horizon to extract that value. This acquisition follows our investment strategy of buying the tail of maturing quality real estate portfolios in markets with strong fundamentals.”

Sorainen Partner Kestutis Adamonis said: “Sorainen is happy to assist Partners Group in the largest real estate transaction in the Baltic States for a while.” Kestutis describes the transaction as especially complex since teams of legal counsel for both buyer and seller in four jurisdictions had to function “as accurately as a Swiss watch” to complete the transaction in time and assure the interests of all parties to the transaction.

The Sorainen team was led by Adamonis and fellow Partner Sergej Butov, with assistance from Specialist Counsel Urmas Volens, Senior Associates Augustas Klezys, Viktorija Smirnova-Cerkasa, and Jane Eespold, and Associates Arturas Asakavicius, Laura Ryzgelyte, Edvins Draba, and Kaija Riismaa.

The Lawin team was led by Partner Tomas Milasauskas, and included Senior Associates Indre Jonaityte-Grice and Agne Jonaityte, and Junior Associate Donata Montvydaite.

Turkey’s Esin Attorney Partnership, a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International has advised Ideal Standard Sanitaryware Holding in connection with its joint venture with Ece Banyo Gerecleri Sanayi ve Ticaret, a manufacturer of Turkish sanitary ware. Dentons’ Turkish arm, Balcioglu Selcuk Akman Keki (BASEAK), advised Ece Banyo.

The JV company, Ideal Standard Yapi Malzemeleri Anonim Sirketi, will focus on selling and distributing sanitary ware in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The deal was signed and closed on February 2, 2015.

Ideal Standard is a multinational company headquartered in Belgium and operating in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It specializes in bathroom and wellness solutions, producing bathroom furnishings and fixtures for both residential and commercial buildings. In addition to its well-known international brands, Ideal Standard, Jado and American Standard, Ideal Standard also sells under leading local brands such as Armitage Shanks, Ceramica Dolomite, Porcher and Vidima.

Established in 1992 in Corum, Turkey, Ece Banyo is the leading company of Ece Group, a Turkish industrial group founded by the Cenesiz family in 1965. Ece Banyo manufactures ceramic sanitary ware and other bathroom furnishings and fixtures which are exported to over 40 countries. The Ece Group has seven production centers in two countries and employs over 900 people. 

Partner Muhsin Keskin advised on the deal with support from Esin lawyers Caner Elmas, Deniz Erden, and Ozgecan Korkmaz.

The BASEAK team was led by Partner Galip Selcuk, and included Associates Dilara Heravi and Naz Hocaoglu. 

Sorainen has advised PZU, the largest Polish life and non-life insurer, on the sale of 99.88% of its shares in PZU Lietuva to Gjensidige Forskiring, a leading Nordic general insurance company, for EUR 54 million. Raidla Lejins & Norcous advised Gjensidige Forskiring on the deal.

Transaction closing is subject to fulfillment of several conditions precedent, including the transfer of PZU Lietuva operations in Latvia and Estonia to the PZU Group and obtaining necessary approvals from the regulatory authorities. It is expected to take place in the second half of 2015, and integration of the two entities is expected to begin immediately thereafter to ensure that synergies can be realized as soon as possible. 

The transaction was concluded following commitments made to the Lithuanian Competition Council by PZU to sell part of its business in Lithuania after acquiring Lietuvos draudimas from the RSA Insurance Group. “The sale of PZU Lietuva is not an ordinary transaction since PZU had to carry it out based on commitments to the Lithuanian Competition Council,” said Przemyslaw Dabrowski, the Vice President for Finance at the PZU Group. “I am happy that we managed to enter into this transaction within three months. We are also happy about the agreed price. The smooth acquisition of businesses from RSA Group and the sale of PZU Lietuva evidences our competence in the new field – for us – of mergers & acquisitions.”

Sorainen Partner Sergej Butov said of the deal that: “This divestment by PZU is a good example of a highly specific and complex transaction in a regulated sector. We are delighted that our fully-integrated team across the Baltics added considerably to the successful flow of processes in all three Baltic States.”

Sorainen’s legal support during the process included the preparation of Lithuanian operations and assistance  for legal due diligence, preparation for separating the PZU Group’s operations in Latvia and Estonia, assisting in drafting transaction documents, and providing support on other transactional issues in all three countries. The firm continues to work on the transaction. The firm’s team was led by Partners Sergej Butov and Tomas Kontautas, and included Senior Associates Piret Lappert and Santa Rubina, Associates Vaidotas Melynavicius, Agne Sovaite, Juulika Aavik, and others. 

Raidla Lejins & Norcous assisted Gjensidige Forsikring in drafting the transaction documents, represented the company in the negotiation process, performed legal due diligence of PZU Lietuva, and advised on other transaction related matters. The RLN team was led by Managing Partner Irmantas Norkus and Juozas Rimas, Head of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group, assisted by Senior Associate Mindaugas Rimkus. 

In 2014, Sorainen advised PZU in its aquisition of the RSA Insurance Group companies in the Baltics (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on April 18, 2014). 

Editorial Note: Both Cobalt (which, in Lithuania and Latvia, has replaced the Raidla Lejins & Norcous offices in those markets since this deal was originally reported) and Sorainen have announced that the deal has now closed, and that the acquisition price had been adjusted on closing from the previously announced EUR 54 million to EUR 66 million, according to Sorainen, “due to a corresponding increase in net asset value in PZU Lietuva.”

Vilau | Associates has announced that the Romanian Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation has dismissed the claim of Carpatair against the Timisoara International Airport “Traian Vuia” — the firm’s client.

Carpatair was contesting the right of the airport to set and charge “CIAS” and “PMR” tariffs. The case dates back to 2012 when Carpatair was claiming that the charging of this airport tariff had the sole purpose of offering airline Wizz Air an unfair advantage. 

Carpatair, which has since entered voluntary insolvency, also contested several commercial contracts between the airport and other airline operators, including a marketing one with Wizz Air, which the company claimed amounted to state support. Vilau | Associates reported that the Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected this particular claim as well on January 12, 2014. 

The team representing the airport was coordinated by Partner Dragos Vilau, and included Senior Litigation Lawyer Teodor Hnatec and Senior Competition Lawyer Catalina Ana. The Vilau | Associates team originally started working on this matter while a part of Vilau & Mitel, a firm that saw the split of its two founding Partners, Dragos Vilau and Sorin Mitel in September 2014.

Allen & Overy and RTPR (the associate office of Allen & Overy in Bucharest) have reported that the sale of CA Immobilien Anlagen’s 467,000 square meter logistics portfolio in Romania and Poland to the PointPark Properties fund has closed, after meeting all conditions precedent. RTPR Allen & Overy advised CA Immo on the deal, and Dentons advised PointPark Properties.

In Romania, the RTPR team was led by Senior Associate Adrian Cazan in matters of real estate law and by Partner Mihai Ristici in matters of company law. The legal team also included Associate Tudor Naftica and lawyer Alexandra Ivancia, along with A&O lawyers in Poland and England.

“We are glad we have been able to assist CA Immo, who we would like to thank for having put their trust in us to assist them in what so far has been one of the largest transactions in Romania on the industrial-logistical segment,” said Cazan. “The deal was closed in late January, and the parties have completed the process of meeting the conditions agreed for the purpose of implementing the transfer. I believe that completing this acquisition will send a positive message and will encourage investments in the real estate sector. By completing such a significant deal, investment funds will take a closer look at the Romanian market.”

Asters has provided legal advice in connection with the exit of the minority shareholders of the Ardis Group, a Ukrainian importer and distributor of food products.

Ardis’s clients include hundreds of supermarkets, retail chains in Ukraine, and wholesalers.

The firm’s role included deal structuring, preparation of the transaction documents, and providing assistance at closing.

The Asters team consisted of Partner Oleksiy Demyanenko, Associate Yuriy Radko, and Junior Associates Kateryna Bezarova and Aida Karagezian.

Russia’s Monastyrsky Zyuba Stepanov & Partners Law Firm has announced that the Moscow Commercial Court has awarded RUB 143 million (EUR 1.9 million as of February 3, 2015) to client IKEA MOS (Retail and Property), as compensation for legal costs incurred in a dispute with suppliers of energy for IKEA shopping centers.

According to an MZS report, the court’s award is a record for legal fee recovery in Russia, and thus: “this ruling sets a precedent and may encourage large companies to seek assistance of external counsels in Russian courts rather than in-house lawyers since legal costs can be collected in full.”

MZS Partners Yury Monastyrsky and Alexander Zyuba and lawyer Semyon Shevchenko represented IKEA MOS.

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