Turunc Managing Partner Kerem Turunc discusses the upcoming 2025 CEE Legal Matters Turkiye General Counsel Summit due to take place in Istanbul on November 4, 2025.

In our Looking In series, we talk to Partners from outside CEE who are keeping an eye on the region (and often pop up in our deal ticker) to learn how they perceive CEE markets and their evolution. For this issue, we sat down with Perkins Coie London-based Partner Jan Andrusko.

Driven largely by fresh blood in its leadership, North Macedonia’s Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) has been noticeably more active in the past month, according to ODI Law Partner Gjorgji Georgievski. The stage has been set for rigorous enforcement and heightened consumer protection, redefining how market players navigate compliance in the country.

An in-depth look at Emilija Apostolska of Apostolska Aleksandrovski & Partners covering her career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.

JPM & Partners’ energy practice has been busy with projects ranging from drafting Network Codes for transmission system operators, expanding Serbia's gas storage, advising on certification for and obtaining different energy licenses, and the developments of several renewable energy projects, their regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation, according to Senior Partner Jelena Gazivoda, with the current breadth and complexity of energy-related mandates stemming from a pronounced investment cycle in the energy sector of Serbia.

The intersection of law and emerging technologies has kept the TMT team at MGG Law Office exceptionally busy, with a sharp focus on AI, machine learning, and their commercial applications. Partner Dino Gliha says the practice has been driven by both the rapid pace of innovation and a fluid regulatory landscape that’s forcing businesses to proactively rethink compliance, governance, and strategic planning.

Redcliffe Partners’ competition practice is driven by increased enforcement and transactional activities, particularly in sectors like pharmaceuticals, retail, and agribusiness, according to Co-Head of Competition Yuriy Terentyev. Key factors include regulatory changes, strategic investments, and Ukraine's alignment with EU competition law, which have spurred demand for merger control assessments and compliance advice.

Georgia’s legal and business landscape remains heavily influenced by political turbulence, according to BLC Law Office Managing Partner Ketti Kvartskhava, who reports ongoing instability, controversial legislation, and heightened uncertainty surrounding the country’s EU integration prospects.

Slovenia’s dynamic political environment is keeping the legal market on its toes, with pressing developments in taxation, employment law, cybersecurity, capital markets, and infrastructure all demanding close attention, according to Peterka Partners Senior Associate and Head of Slovenian office Pia Florjancic Pozeg Vancas.

From a kitchen-table startup in the wake of Romania’s 1990 revolution to one of the nation’s first full-service firms, Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen marks its 35th anniversary this year. Founding Partner Ion Nestor together with newly-appointed Executive Partners Adina Chilim-Dumitriu and Emil Bivolaru talk about the firm's growth from two lawyers to more than 120.

According to Jalsovszky Partner Tamas Feher, white-collar crime and commercial litigation have been the key growth areas for the firm's Dispute Resolution Practice over the past year, driven by shifts in tax authority behavior, legislative changes, and a more cautious business climate.

Bulgaria’s energy sector has seen a wave of activity over the past year, spanning offshore oil and gas exploration, large-scale renewables, and battery storage projects, keeping CMS Sofia’s Energy, Projects, and Construction team at full speed, according to Partner Kostadin Sirleshtov. Backed by strong investor interest and a more stable regulatory environment, the sector’s upward trend looks set to continue into 2025.

Overseeing legal matters for a complex healthcare organization demands both technical prowess and pragmatic decision-making – something Simone Quantschnigg has grown quite familiar with. Stepping in as General Counsel of Vamed Care group following a carve-out last year, Quantschnigg talks about her path from private practice to in-house leadership, the biggest adjustments in adopting an internal counsel role, and the forward-looking strategies she envisions for her evolving legal department.

With nearly three decades of experience in the legal and technology sectors, Space Hellas General Counsel Konstantinos Argyropoulos reflects on his journey as an international lawyer, from studying law in Athens, Paris II, and Harvard to leading the legal team of a multinational tech company.

An in-depth look at John Kyriakides of Kyriakides Georgopoulos covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.

An in-depth look at Florian Klimscha of Freshfields covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.

On February 19, 2025, CEE Legal Matters reported that Gecic Law advised on Telekom Srbija's acquisition of NetTV Plus, Total TV operations in Serbia and North Macedonia, and Western Balkans Sport Klub rights licenses from United Group.​ The transaction with a combined enterprise value of EUR 1.5 billion is one of the largest telecom sector deals in Serbia and the broader Balkans region’s history. With the deal recently closed after securing merger clearances in four jurisdictions (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia), Gecic Law Partners Bogdan Gecic, Ognjen Colic, and Miodrag Jevtic take a closer look at the deal.

North Macedonia’s new government has sparked a wave of legal and regulatory changes, with renewed competition enforcement while updates in consumer protection, energy, construction, and copyright raise new questions, according to Law Office Pepeljugoski Partner Ana Pepeljugoska.