Automated Lane Keeping Systems will be harmonised in more than 60 countries in 2021.

After operating under the brands Andersen Tax, Andersen Legal, and Andersen Tax & Legal, the member firms of Andersen Global in Europe, will now operate under a single brand: "Andersen".

Tatjana Katalan-Dworak and Ulrike Sehrschon will co-head the Public Commercial Law practice group at Eisenberger & Herzog.

Austrian lawyers Clara Gordon, Matthias Schimka, and Robert Wagner have been promoted to Partner at Wolf Theiss Vienna, and Croatian lawyers Dora Gazi Kovacevic and Sasa Jovicic made Partner at Wolf Theiss Zagreb.

Cerha Hempel, working alongside Deloitte Legal in Germany, has advised Germany's GBTEC Software + Consulting AG on the acquisition of all shares in Avedos, a Vienna-based GRC software specialist through direct and indirect share purchases and by means of a contribution by Samuel Brandstatter – the founder, managing director and shareholder of Avedos – who took equity in GBTEC as part payment for the sale of his stake in the company. 42law advised Brandstatter on the deal.

For our new “Checking In” feature, we reach out to partners and heads of practice across CEE to learn how specific practice areas are faring in their jurisdictions. For this inaugural piece, we asked firm Real Estate experts: "What effect do you think the COVID-19 crisis will have on the real estate market in your jurisdiction this year, and what do think will be the longer-term repercussions?"

Herbst Kinsky has advised Viennese start-up GoStudent GmbH on its EUR 8.3 million series A financing round, which was led by VC fund Left Lane Capital.

BPV Huegel has advised Raiffeisen Informatik on the sale of shares in SoftwareONE Holding by KKR, Raiffeisen Informatik, and the heirs of Patrick Winterin via an accelerated book-building process. Lenz & Staehelin acted as Swiss counsel for the sellers, KKR was advised by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and the heirs of Patrick Winter were advised by Switzerland's Kung Rechtsanwalte & Notare firm.

Schoenherr has advised Union Investment on the acquisition of a residential complex in Graz from the Immola Group. Scherbaum Seebacher advised the Immola Group on the deal.

Eisenberger & Herzog has helped OBB-Technische Services GmbH, LTE Logistik Transport-GmbH, and ELL Austria GmbH set up a joint venture to establish and operate a service base for locomotives.

Schoenherr has reportedly advised a club of lenders led by Erste Group and including Raiffeisen Bank International, UniCredit Bank Austria, BAWAG, and Oberbank on a EUR 300 million COFAG-guaranteed and secured financing for Austrian Airlines.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year Award winners – the most important, complicated, significant, and valuable deals across Central and Eastern Europe.

BPV Huegel has helped Austrian low-cost airline Level Europe GmbH initiate and implement judicial insolvency proceedings at the Regional Court of Korneuburg.

Dorda has advised Eastern Property Holdings on the acquisition of an office building in Vienna. Financial details were not disclosed, and closing remains subject to several conditions.

Cerha Hempel has advised MK Group Global Limited on the acquisition of a loan portfolio from Heta Asset Resolution AG and the acquisition of the direct and indirect shareholdings of HETA in three Slovenian wind-down entities that manage receivables from non-performing loans granted by the former Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank International AG and its subsidiaries to customers in Slovenia. Schoenherr advised the Republic of Austria as the owner of HETA. 

Weber & Co has advised OMV AG, the international integrated oil and gas company headquartered in Vienna, on the issuance of two tranches of corporate bonds. White & Case's Frankfurt office advised joint lead managers Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Erste Group Bank AG, Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg, Mizuho Securities Europe GmbH, and Raiffeisen Bank International AG.

Matthias Scholz has been re-elected Managing Partner for Baker McKenzie Germany and Austria for an additional three-year term.

Wolf Theiss has advised Euronext Amsterdam-listed Royal DSM on its acquisition of the Erber Group, an animal nutrition and health business. Closing is contingent on customary conditions.