Lawyers from Deloitte Legal's Lithuanian and Estonian offices have advised Lonas UAB, a manufacturer of mattresses and beds, on its acquisition of Estonia's Dreamland Home OU, a retailer and wholesaler of bedroom products, from ITIS Holding OU. Kaevando & Partnerid advised the sellers on the deal.

Cobalt has advised the EBRD, Swedbank, and Citadele Bank on their provision of a EUR 86 million syndicated loan to UAB Vakaru Medienos Grupe in Lithuania.

Cobalt has helped Lithuania's UAB Kedainiai Free Economic Zone draft establishment and operation agreements for Kormotech.

TGS Baltic has advised Opera Limited, an Internet browser provider with more than 360 million users, on its acquisition of Fjord Bank.

SPC Legal has advised UAB Leteja on the sale of Hotel Conti, located in Vilnius' Old Town, to UAB NS Consulting.

Sorainen has advised the Bite Group on a EUR 700 million bond issuance and refinancing. Latham & Watkins and Ellex reportedly advised initial bond purchasers and mandated lead arrangers Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, ING Bank N.V., London Branch, and UniCredit Bank AG.

TGS Baltic has appointed Estonian Partners Kadri Kallas and Leonid Tolstov, Latvian Managing Partner Ivars Grunte and Partner Andra Rubene, and Lithuanian Executive Partner Marius Matonis to the firm's board and has elected Lithuania Managing Partner Vilius Bernatonis as Chair of the Board.

TGS Baltic has successfully represented Valstybiniu Misku Uredija —Lithuania's state-owned enterprise responsible for the supervision, administration, and inventory of state forests that is also engaged in logging activities, trading timber, and planting — before the Supreme Court of Lithuania.

Sorainen has advised Koinvesticinis Fondas on its investment in Nanoenergija, a Lithuanian startup that has developed vibration energy harvesting technology to power wireless IoT sensors.

Marius Inta, Head of the Commercial Disputes Practice Group at Cobalt, has been promoted from Associate Partner to Partner.

Sorainen has advised the Vienna Insurance Group on consolidating the businesses of its group non-life insurance companies Compensa and Seesam in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. 

Sorainen has advised the real estate development company Darnu Group on the sale of the 15,000 square meter East Hill building in Vilnius's Park Town business center to an investment company jointly owned by the Zenith Family Office and the Dao Family Office. Walless advised the buyers on the transaction.

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?"

Sorainen has advised Koinvesticinis Fondas on the investment, made along with three business angels, of EUR 100,000 in Lithuanian startup Cogastro, which has developed the world’s first computer program for insect farm monitoring and management. 

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.

Sorainen has assisted the Kino Pavasaris Vilnius International Film Festival with the removal of counterfeit copies of the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” from illegal torrent sites in Lithuania.

Cobalt has advised Western Union Processing Lithuania on its lease of more than 15,000 square meters of office space from Finland's Technopolis real estate investment and management company, which was advised by Sorainen.

Sorainen has advised electronic money institution Verse Payments Lithuania on its acquisition by Square, an electronic payment and financial services company headquartered in San Francisco and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Walless advised Square.