CEE Legal Matters
In-depth coverage of the news and newsmakers that shape Europe's emerging markets
CMS has advised Turkey’s DenizBank and Ziraat Bank on a loan of approximately EUR 220 million to the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia for the design, construction, and/or reconstruction of the Novi Pazar-Tutin, Sremska Raca-Kuzmin, and Pozega-Kotroman sections of the motorway and a bridge over the River Sava.
MCL has advised MiddleCap Real Estate Ltd. on its acquisition, reconstruction, and development of the Gorkeho 4 office project and subsequently on the sale of the project to Kooperativa Insurance company, a member of the Vienna Insurance Group. Kooperativa Insurance was reportedly advised by CMS.
CMS has advised Encavis Infrastructure Fund III on its acquisition of the Furstkogel wind farm in Austria, consisting of five wind turbines with a total rated output of 17.25 MW. The sellers, wind energy specialist Ecowind Handels- & Wartungs-GmbH, were advised by Schoenherr.
KPMG Law has advised the shareholders of Barracuda Holding GmbH on the sale of 71% of the shares in the company to the CTS Eventim Group. The buyers were advised by CMS and Schoenherr.
Stefan Paulmayer has been promoted to Partner at CMS Vienna.
Kinstellar has advised Star Capital Investments on the acquisition of Lighthouse Towers in Prague´s Holesovice district from German real estate fund DEKA Immobilien. The sellers were advised by CMS Prague.
Why would anyone knowingly become a law firm marketing specialist – a role that is demanding, complicated, challenging, and stressful? To explore this mystery, we went to the source. Accordingly, this time around we asked the law firm marketing specialists of CEE to complete the following question: “I went into Law Firm Marketing/BD as a career because ____________.“
CMS has advised Britain’s Poseidon Group and Belgium’s Mitiska REIM on the divestment of Capitol Park Rakovica, the largest retail park in Belgrade, to Israel’s BIG CEE Group. Cvetkovic, Skoko & Jovicic advised BIG CEE on the transaction, which closed in December 2019.
CMS has advised UniCredit Bulbank on the sale of a mixed non-performing loan portfolio, secured mostly by real estate assets, to a consortium of APS Holding and Balbec.
Binder Groesswang and Schoenherr have advised Austria's Wiesenthal AG and Wiesenthal Holding on the sale of Wiesenthal & Co GmbH, including Wiesenthal Handel und Service GmbH, to Switzerland's Mercedes Benz Automobil AG. Switzerland's Frotz Riedl law firm and CMS Vienna advised the buyers on the transaction, which is expected to close in June 2020. Financial details were not disclosed.
CMS has advised Allianz Real Estate and Curzon Capital Partners III, L.P. on the sale of the Warsaw Financial Center in Warsaw’s financial district, to the Czech Republic's CPI Property Group.
CMS has advised Poland's Local Government Investment Fund on its acquisition of 45% shares in Tarnobrzeskie Wodociągi sp. z o.o., a water supply company in Tarnobrzeg, Poland. Tarnobrzeskie Wodociągi and the Municipality of Tarnobrzeg were advised by Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka.
CMS has advised AFI Europe on its EUR 300 million acquisition of four Class A office projects in Romania from NEPI Rockcastle. The sellers were advised on the transaction, which is reported by CMS to be "one of the biggest in CEE and the largest-ever for the Romanian real estate market," by Herbert Smith Freehills and Reff & Associates, the Romanian member firm of Deloitte Legal.
Boyanov & Co has advised Globalfoundries on its acquisition of the Process Design Kit‘s engineering team from Smartcom Bulgaria AD in Sofia. CMS Sofia advised the sellers.
CMS has advised Niederosterreichische Breitband-Holding on its EUR 300 million sale of a 74.9% stake in its Niederosterreichische Glasfaserinfrastrukturgesellschaft subsidiary to Allianz Capital Partners. Eisenberger & Herzog advised the buyers on the deal.
Sorainen Latvia and Herbert Smith Freehills have advised MM Capital Infrastructure Fund I, a Marubeni-backed fund, on the acquisition of a 29.06% interest in JSC Conexus Baltic Grid, a unified natural gas transmission and storage operator in Latvia, from Marguerite Gas I. Marguerite was advised by CMS London and Cobalt on the transaction, which remains subject to regulatory approval.
CMS has advised the Local Government Investment Fund, managed by the Polish Development Fund, on its approximately PLN 100 million acquisition of a 25% stake in the Wodociagi I Kanalizacja water utility company from the city of Opole in Poland. Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka advised the city of Opole.
CMS has advised Karimpol on the sale of Greenline, a 15,500 square meter office building in Prague to Wood & Company. Dentons advised the buyers on the deal.
Founded in 1999, CMS is a full-service top 10 international law firm, based on the number of lawyers (Am Law 2018 Global 100). With 70+ offices in 40+ countries across the world, employing over 4,800 lawyers, CMS has longstanding expertise both at advising in its local jurisdictions and across borders. CMS acts for a large number of Fortune 500 companies and the FT European 500 and for the majority of the DAX 30. Revenues totalled EUR 1.36bn in 2018.
In Russia, CMS has been supporting its clients since 1992. The Moscow office offers a full range of legal and tax services across 21 practice and sector groups. Over 50 lawyers qualified in Russian, English, French and German law advise international clients on all matters relating to doing business in Russia and CEE, and support Russian companies doing business in Europe and other countries.