CEE Legal Matters In-depth coverage of the news and newsmakers that shape Europe's emerging markets 
Clifford Chance has advised a club of lenders including Komercni Banka, Ceska Sporitelna, and Raiffeisenbank on a EUR 137.5 million loan to the Accolade group for the construction of an Amazon automated distribution center. Allen & Overy advised Accolade.
JSK has advised Sudop CIT on its acquisition of Czech information technology company Profiq. The Marek Hoskovec law office reportedly advised the sellers.
Kocian Solc Balastik has advised the VGP Group on leasing a 49,000 square-meter warehousing commercial space in VGP Park Olomouc to Hella Autotechnik Nova. Dentons reportedly advised Hella Autotechnik on the deal.
A good idea is the cornerstone of a successful start-up. In practical terms, however, it is often not enough. Here is an overview of legal mistakes founders of start-ups often make but that can be easily avoided on the way to the next step towards success.
Jan Kubicek has joined British American Tobacco in the Czech Republic as Senior Legal Counsel.
Havel & Partners, working with Cytowski & Partners, has advised Credo Ventures on its investment in the start-up EquiLibre Technologies.
Former Counsel Marek Bomba has become a Partner in the Prague office of Eversheds Sutherland.
Former White & Case Partner David Plch has left the firm's Prague office to establish his own solo practice – The Law Office of David Plch.
With the increasing EU emphasis on regulating digital financial services and a growing market for them in the Czech Republic, CEE Legal Matters spoke to Noerr Attorneys-at-Law Filip Murar and Ludek Chvosta about the local regulatory framework, the pace of its development, and the ways in which the market has responded.
Schoenherr’s busiest practice, according to Partner Vladimir Cizek, has been Corporate/M&A, with a lot of activity involving banking and financial services, technology targets, and healthcare and life sciences in the last 12-plus months. Cizek explains that technological advancement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasing demand for businesses to grow have contributed to increased activities in these sectors.
Former Havel & Partners Partner Ludvik Juricka has rejoined Deloitte Legal as a Partner and leader of the firm's commercial team as well as its offices in Brno and Ostrava.
In August 2021, the Czech Supreme Court issued a ruling in which it found a provider of a file-sharing service liable for infringement of Czech laws against unfair competition. The decision takes a somewhat unorthodox approach to unfair competition, as it recognizes that particular business models benefitting from “free riding” may in themselves constitute an unlawful practice. For a European audience, it may also be interesting to learn how the court disapplied the safe harbor liability exception for hosting services and how the CJEU’s case law influenced the judgment.
Petr Bratsky has joined Kinstellar’s Prague office as Head of the firm’s local TMT sector and service line.
DLA Piper has advised the Karlin Group on a joint residential investment in Prague with PPF Real Estate. Kocian Solc Balastik advised PPF.
Generally, in the Czech Republic investment incentives are provided by the state to support businesses in regions other than Prague. They are approved by the government in cooperation with the respective ministries and processed by the state agency CzechInvest.
Dentons has advised the CPI Property Group on the EUR 1.25 billion bridge loan facility to help finance its takeover offer for all outstanding shares for S IMMO.
In the past twelve months, energy prices seem to have taken a life of their own. Their continued and, at times, shocking growth has raised concerns across the region and prompted differing responses and policy changes in each country. To get a more accurate picture of recent developments, we reached out to experts in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, and Turkey and asked them about the current energy prices, their impact on local economies, the drivers behind their growth, and whether any plans were in place to address the issue.
DLA Piper has advised the Aareal Bank on providing EUR 360 million senior facility for Pradera European Retail Parks’ international retail property portfolio financing.
PRK Partners, one of the leading Central European law firms, has been helping clients achieve their business objectives almost 30 years. Our team of lawyers, based in our Prague, Ostrava, and Bratislava offices, has a unique knowledge of Czech and Slovak law and of the business environment. Our lawyers studied at top law schools in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and elsewhere. They also have experience working for leading international and domestic law firms in a number of jurisdictions. We speak your language, too. Our legal team is fluent in more than 15 languages, including all the key languages of the region.
PRK Partners has one of the most experienced legal teams on the market. We are consistently rated as one of the leading law firms in the region. We have received many significant honours and awards for our work. We represent the interests of international clients operating in the Czech Republic in an efficient way, combining local knowledge with an understanding of their global requirements in a business-friendly approach. We are one of the largest law firms in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our specialised teams of lawyers and tax advisors advise major global corporations as well as local companies. We provide comprehensive legal advice drawing on our profound knowledge of local law and markets.
Our legal advice delivers tangible results – as proven by our strong track record. We are the only Czech member firm of Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of independent law firms. As one of the leading law firms in the region, we have received many national and international awards, in some cases several years in a row. Honours include the Chambers Europe Award for Excellence, The Lawyer and Czech and Slovak Law Firm of the Year. Thanks to our close cooperation with leading international law firms and strong local players, we can serve clients in multiple jurisdictions around the globe. Our strong network means that we can meet your needs, wherever you do business.
PRK Partners has been repeatedly voted among the most socially responsible firms in the category of small and mid-sized firms and was awarded the bronze certificate at the annual TOP Responsible Firm of the Year Awards.
Our work is not only “business”: we have participated on a longstanding basis in a wide variety of pro bono projects and supported our partners from the non-profit sector (Kaplicky Centre Endowment Fund, Tereza Maxová Foundation, Czech Donors Forum, etc.).
Firm's website: www.prkpartners.com
