Austria’s real estate business currently faces multifaceted challenges following the unexpected rise of interest rates and inflation in 2022, according to Knoetzl Partner Bettina Knoetzl, with “the SIGNA Holdings insolvency sending shockwaves throughout the industry and the country.”

Emphasizing the urgency of healthcare reforms in the Czech Republic – given acute supply issues and the need to address systemic challenges effectively – Baker McKenzie Partner Milena Hoffmanova underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between stakeholders to ensure sustainable and equitable healthcare delivery in the country.

In Albania, renewable energy, start-ups, and gaming all present significant market opportunities according to Partner Anisa Rrumbullaku of CR Partners in cooperation with Karanovic & Partners, with significant changes being implemented that stand to not only revitalize the economy but also create a hotbed for legal expertise.

North Macedonia faces a temporary slowdown in economic activity as it gears up for presidential and parliamentary elections set for late April and early May, according to Law Office Serdjuk Managing Partner Petar Serdjuk, while the post-election period holds promise of revitalizing key sectors such as construction and infrastructure through long-awaited public procurement projects.

Impactful legal updates are on the ticket in Croatia according to NLaw Managing Partner Martin Hren, and the stage is set for changes that could significantly bolster the Adriatic country's start-up ecosystem and IT sector, with more work needed to support renewable energy projects and new technologies.

The back-and-forth on the statute of limitations between Romania’s Constitutional Court and the CJEU, with the country’s judiciary stuck in the middle, is at the top of the agenda for Popescu & Asociatii Partner Adrian Chirvase.

Jalsovszky's Dispute Resolution practice in Hungary is going from strength to strength according to Partner Tamas Feher, who points to long cases, significant wins, fiscal changes, budgetary pressures, and the economy's slowdown as the ultimate reasons behind their litigators staying busy.

Over the past year, Act Legal Hungary’s labor practice has been fueled by recent whistleblowing legislation, according to Partner Peter Weidinger, with ESG likely bringing forth additional work in the future.

Dolea & Co Partner Sorin Dolea talks about the evolution of energy projects and their role in Moldova's legal landscape over the last 10 years.

Jadek & Pensa Senior Partner and Head of the Transaction Unit Ozbej Merc talks about the evolution of the banking sector and their role as legal advisors in Slovenia over the last 10 years.

On July 4, 2023, CEE Legal Matters reported that Kinstellar and SOG were teaming up in Serbia through a strategic partnership. Recently appointed Kinstellar Belgrade Managing Partner – and co-head of the firm-wide Financial Institutions sector – Milos Velimirovic shares an insider’s perspective on the move.

CMS Poland Managing Partner Andrzej Posniak and CMS Croatia Partner Tamara Jelic Kazic discuss the complexities and opportunities inherent to the region’s tax landscape.

On November 21, 2023, corporate/M&A and private equity experts from Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkiye, and Ukraine sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss the key developments in the field over the past decade.

On November 10, four Banking & Finance experts from Croatia, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss banking consolidation, financing availability, the effects of high interest rates, bank capitalization, green financing, the specter of loan restructuring, and the other challenges the sector is facing.

Hosted by Penkov, Markov & Partners, nine lawyers from Bulgaria – six working in-house and three in private practice – sat down for a round table conversation to discuss the EU Whistleblowing Directive and how it will impact companies in the country.

On July 7, four leading lawyers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Ukraine sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss the increasing prominence of ESG issues and their impact on M&A transactions, due diligence procedures, and the role of the lawyers themselves.

On July 12, four leading lawyers from Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss the latest in ESG developments with a focus on green financing, its regional and local drivers and roadblocks, its impact on non-financial reporting, and what it all means for the legal profession.

On March 9, 2022, four leading Estonian lawyers sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss the current state of the startup environment in Estonia and analyze its main drivers, the local startup ecosystem, and the regulatory environment shaping it.

With a private practice background spanning over 20 years, John James McVeigh is the CEO and Head Trainer at Nixedonia – a business development company he established in 2015. He shares some of his insights on business development in the CEE legal world.

ChatGPT, an AI that claimed to be able to write an answer or even a brief article on any topic, became the talk of the year 2022. Copywriters, PR professionals, and marketing experts will all benefit from it greatly. But should we be scared?

In Part 1, I talked about the dilemma facing most lawyers when asked to involve themselves with business development. If you want to be good at BD, it helps a lot to be an optimist. But, since most lawyers are uber-pessimists, we struggle with BD and find ourselves with practically zero persistence.

Lawyers know that business development requires a handful of sales skills, a pinch of luck, and a boatload of persistence. Freaking BD persistence… it’s a serious problem for all of us. We didn’t go to law school to do sales.

When you get up to present at a conference, what is your goal? Since lawyers are addicted to billable hours, you are probably gambling some non-billable time with the hope of landing some legal work. To accomplish this, you want to sell yourself to potential clients as a competent, trustworthy, and mildly entertaining lawyer.

Although in most respects the law firm business in Central Europe is on par with other sophisticated practices in the rest of the world, coaching is one thing that has not been as widely adopted as elsewhere. This article addresses the questions of what coaching is, what it offers lawyers and law firms, and whether it should be more widely embraced by the legal profession in Central Europe.

Jalsovszky's Dispute Resolution practice in Hungary is going from strength to strength according to Partner Tamas Feher, who points to long cases, significant wins, fiscal changes, budgetary pressures, and the economy's slowdown as the ultimate reasons behind their litigators staying busy.

On the occasion of this year’s recent Deal of the Year Awards Banquet and GC Summit in Warsaw, did you know that, according to the Activity Rankings feature of the CEELMDirect website, partners of pan-Baltic law firms dominated the list of the ten lawyers who worked on the most client matters reported by CEE Legal Matters in the first decade of its existence?

Over the past year, Act Legal Hungary’s labor practice has been fueled by recent whistleblowing legislation, according to Partner Peter Weidinger, with ESG likely bringing forth additional work in the future.

Dolea & Co Partner Sorin Dolea talks about the evolution of energy projects and their role in Moldova's legal landscape over the last 10 years.

Austria’s real estate business currently faces multifaceted challenges following the unexpected rise of interest rates and inflation in 2022, according to Knoetzl Partner Bettina Knoetzl, with “the SIGNA Holdings insolvency sending shockwaves throughout the industry and the country.”

Emphasizing the urgency of healthcare reforms in the Czech Republic – given acute supply issues and the need to address systemic challenges effectively – Baker McKenzie Partner Milena Hoffmanova underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between stakeholders to ensure sustainable and equitable healthcare delivery in the country.