Category: Uncategorized

SDM Partners has successfully challenged the demands of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine levied against firm client Synevo Ukraine LLC.

According to SDM Partners, after considering arguments made by the firm, the court cancelled all of the Fiscal Service’s tax demands on Synevo Ukraine. In an item on the SDM website, the firm congratulated its client on its success in court and wished it “further successful commercial activities,” as well as declaring its hope that “authorities” will cooperate with business “on the basis of mutual respect of laws.” According to SDM, failure to do so will mean that “investing into Ukraine and consequently the economic development of Ukraine may be questionable.”

The SDM Partners’ team was led by Partners Serhiy Dzis and Mykola Melnyk.

On March 3, 2016, the general assembly of the Estonian Bar Association elected Hannes Vallikivi, the Managing Partner of Tark Grunte Sutkiene’s Tallinn office, as its new Chairman.

In addition to Vallikivi, the Bar Association elected a new management board, consisting of Estonian lawyer Indrek Sirk, Tehver & Partners Managing Partner Jaanus Tehver, Glimstedt Senior Associate Imbi Jurgen, Lillo & Lohmus Partner Karina Lohmus-Ein, Lextal Attorney Katrin Orav, Eversheds Estonia Managing Partner Maivi Ots, Raidla Ellex Partner Toomas Vaher, and Luberg & Pats Partner Madis Pats, with Fort Partner Kirsti Pent elected as an alternate.

The Estonian Bar Association was established on June 14, 1919 as “a self-governing professional association of lawyers providing legal services organization of private and public interests and professional rights protection.” 

According to an announcement on the Bar Association’s website, a key task for Vallikivi will be to increase legal aid available to the poor and underprivileged. In addition, in his acceptance address, Vallikivi spoke about the changing technology available to lawyers in the country. “Legal services are affected by rapid technological change and are increasing the efficiency of customers’ expectations,” he said. “These developments have implications for the competitiveness of our members, legal services relating to the regulation and supervision of lawyers. The Bar Association has to develop its own vision and to realize it.”

BSWW Legal and Tax has announced it is advising Ideal Idea Formad Sp. z o.o. sp. k. on the development of Ideal Idea Park IV in Warsaw, Poland.

The latest of the developer’s investments, the Ideal Idea Park IV is located between the streets of Dzialkowa nad Modularna in the Polish capital, with the total area of the complex, comprising four buildings, reaching 18,000 square meters. 

The BSWW team working on the project is led by Managing Partner Michal Wielhorski, who also led the projects related to Ideal Idea Park III investments (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on December 19, 2014 and on July 24, 2015). The same firm advised on the earlier two complexes as well.

Romanian firm PeliFilip has announced today that Cristina Filip has been appointed as the new firm Managing Partner. The appointment is the result of former Managing Partner, Francisc Peli, concluding his 3-year mandate and a Partner-level election.

Just like the former Managing Partner, Filip left NNDKP in 2008 to co-found PeliFilip. At the time of her departure from NNDKP she was a Partner, having joined the firm in 1998 as an Associate. 

Commenting on the appointment, Filip said: “PeliFilip has had a healthy and sustainable growth and has reached its objective of ranking among the top law firms in Romania.” She added: “We continue to have a very high development potential, and the strategic plans, projects and initiatives of our clients are constantly offering us complex challenges and opportunities. Thus, we aim, for the following period, to build on the strengths that differentiate us in the market – a culture of excellence, collaboration and results, proactive implication in projects and client relations of all the firm’s resources, including at partner level”

According to the firm’s statement, Peli will take on business development responsibilities within the firm. He stated: “…With the decision announced today, PeliFilip proves once again its uniqueness on the Romanian law market. We show that we promote our values and strengthen our capabilities to deliver long term performance at the top of the Romanian law market.”

A practice heads reshuffling took place within the firm following the appointment. According to the new structure, the corporate/M&A practice will be coordinated by Alexandru Birsan, the dispute practice will be headed by Catalin Alexandru, recently appointed Partner Oana Badarau will coordinate the real estate team, Carmen Peli will lead the banking/finance team and will continue to lead the competition practice, the energy practice will be coordinated by Alina Stancu Birsan, and the commercial law department will be led by Ioan Dumitrascu. 

Gessel has represented SESCOM SA in an acquisition of stake in the company CUBE.ITG, which was advised by the RKKW Law Firm.

Established in 2008, SESCOM delivers building maintenance and technical service solutions to clients across Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Montenegro.

Established in Wroclaw in 1990, CUBE.ITG provides IT solutions for various sectors: banking and finance, health, retail and media, as well as public administration, telecommunications, and energy. It employs more than 400 professionals from different fields of computer science. In 2014 the company debuted on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

The Gessel team was led by Managing Associate Maciej Kozuchowski and included Managing Associate Monika Zulinska, Attorney Inard Bielinska, and Trainee Advocates Bartlomiej Wozniak, Carolina Turko, and Carolina Kraal.

Partner and Vice-Chairman of the Management Board Krzysztof Wrobel and Legal Counsel Marcin Jasinski were the lawyers from RKKW advising CUBE.ITG.

Dentons has announced the appointment of Partner Mathieu Fabre-Magnan as the head of its Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions practice group in Russia.

In Moscow since 1993, Fabre-Magnan joined legacy firm Salans in 1996. Before joining the Dentons team, he was the Head of the Moscow office of Gide Loyrette Nouel between 1993 and 1996. Earlier still he was a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. 

A graduate of the University of Paris I – Pantheon Sorbonne and of King’s College London, Fabre-Magnan has experience in advising clients on various issues from market entry to expansion, restructuring and disposal and has advised on numerous acquisitions, joint ventures, and corporate finance transactions in the Russian market. 

BASEAK — the Turkish arm of Dentons — has advised Crescent Capital on its acquisition of Akocak HEPP from Akenerji, which was assisted by Aksu Savas Caliskan Attorney Partnership on the transaction.

Akocak HEPP is a power plant located in Trazbon, Turkey

Crescent Capital is a private equity firm specializing in investments in straight equity and quasi-equity structures including mezzanine, debt financing, convertibles, and growth capital for companies producing goods and services. The company seeks to invest in energy and infrastructure sectors with a focus on renewable and energy projects with portfolios ranging from 5 MW to 250 MW, including wind farms with capacity factors above 30%. The seller, Akenerji, is a Turkey-based company engaged in the power and steam generation while the target of the transaction, Akocak HEPP, is a power plant located in Trazbon, Turkey.

The BASEAK team was led by Managing Partner Barlas Balcioglu, Partners Dogan Eymirlioglu and Gunhan Yalcin, and also included Counsel Ceren Su and Associates Ceyda Aydin, Cemre Demirkaya, and Emre Ozkan.

Aksu Savas Caliskan Attorney Partnership did not respond to repeated CEELM request for confirmation and details. 

On March 1, Squire Patton Boggs has announced the hire of Silvia Belovicova as a new Partner in the firm’s Restructuring & Insolvency Practice in Bratislava.

Belovicova joins Squire after spending 13 years with White & Case where she was also a Partner at the time of her departure. Prior to that she was an Associate with Hogan & Hartson between 1997 and 2002.

Tatiana Prokopova, Office Managing Partner in Bratislava, commented on the move: “We are delighted that Silvia is joining our team. She is very well respected as an international lawyer in the Slovak market. Her expertise and experience in working on complex cross-border transactions will be a valuable asset to our clients and strengthen our banking and restructuring capabilities. Silvia’s knowledge of competition law issues arising from cartel investigations will also add considerably to our client services here in Bratislava.” 

Susan Kelly, co-chair of the firm’s Cross Border Restructuring Practice, added: “Cross-border restructuring and insolvency cases require a diverse set of skills. Silvia has deep finance law expertise coupled with a diverse legal background which will undoubtedly enrich our international practice in Central Europe. We look forward to having Silvia on the team.” 

Kinstellar has announced the opening of a new office in Kyiv, Ukraine as part of its “ambitious strategy to provide full-service coverage across Emerging Europe and Central Asia.”

The new office will be headed by Kostiantyn Likarchuk who the firm described as a “perfect match with [its] culture.” One of the co-founders of Avellum, Likarchuk left the firm he helped set up in May, 2015, when he was appointed Deputy Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, responsible for customs-related issues. Having left the State Fiscal Service in September of last year, between October 2015 and today, he has worked as the Director of LBL – Legal Bureau of Likarchuk.

Commenting on the opening, Jason Mogg, Firm Managing Partner, commented: “Our new office in Kyiv is a strong, strategic fit with our existing offices and strengthens our firm as a whole. Kinstellar Kyiv will be a fully integrated Kinstellar office, fully aligned, fully committed to the same quality and consistent service you expect from Kinstellar. We are confident that with our new Kyiv team in place, Kinstellar will rapidly achieve a top-tier position in Ukraine.”

The office opening follows the launch of Kinstellar in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2014 (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on November 4, 2014) and seems to go against the trend with Clifford Chance’s recent departure from Ukraine (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on December 7, 2015) representing the third international firm in recent years to withdraw from the country, following Schoenherr’s decision to do so earlier that year (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on February 2, 2015), Chadbourne’s departure in 2014 (reported on August 11, 2014), complimented by Gide Loyrette Nouel’s Kyiv office jumping to new CEE entrant Jeantet (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 3, 2015).

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen announced that, “in the context of the firm’s organic growth,” it has promoted Adina Vizoli, Lucian Barbu, and Silviu Badescu to its partnership ranks within the tax advisory team.

Vizoli first joined NNDKP in 2009. Prior to that she was a VAT Assistant Manager with PwC with earlier experience including a 3 year tenure with EY. Barbu first joined the team in 2008 and previously worked for EY between 2003 and 2008. The last of the three new Partners, Badescu, also joined from EY in 2008, where he worked between 2006 and 2008. Before that he worked for over 4 years for the TMF Group as a Senior Accountant.

The promotion round included 4 promotions to Managing Associate: Corina Dumitru, Razvan Vlad, Lavinia Ionita-Rasmussen, and Mirela Preda; 7 appointments to Senior Associate: Alexandra Patrascu, Iurie Cojocaru, Laura Grigore, Maria Hoaghia, Roxana Vornicu, Sandor Gal, and Stefan Ionescu; and 3 new seniority positions appointments for managers in the tax advisory team: Denisa Maciolcu and Laura Avram, now both Senior Manager Tax Advisory, and Ancuta Stroescu, now Tax Manager.