Schoenherr lawyers Pawel Halwa and Thomas Kulnigg have been promoted to Equity Partner as part of the firm's annual promotion round, and lawyers Constantin Benes, Leon Kopecky, Guenther Leissler, Laurenz Schwitzer, Manuela Zimmermann, Georgiana Badescu, Madalina Neagu, and Milos Lakovic have been promoted to Contract Partner.
Poland Managing Partner Pawel Halwa graduated from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. Before joining Schoenherr in 2011 he spent four years with EY Law, seven years with Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka, and a year and a half with Salans (now Dentons). According to Schoenherr, “he has longstanding experience as a cross-border transactional lawyer, specialized in corporate/M&A, regulatory, and banking and finance law. As office Managing Partner in Poland, he plays an important role in further strengthening Schoenherr's CEE footprint.”
Austrian lawyer Thomas Kulnigg joined Schoenherr in 2006, directly after graduating from the University of Vienna. He specializes in corporate/M&A and played a leading role in the establishment of Schoenherr Technology & Digitalization group. According to the firm, "he has made a name for himself within the technology & digitalization industry and the start-up/venture capital scene.”
Fellow Austrian lawyer Constantin Benes, who specializes in real estate and construction law, has been with Schoenherr for more than ten years. According to the firm, “he advises clients in connection with construction projects, urban developments, real estate transactions as well as construction litigation.” He graduated from the Karl-Franzens University in Graz and holds an LL.M. from the Columbia Law School.
Leon Kopecky, also in Austria, joined Schoenherr in 2015. He focuses on international arbitration, and according to the firm, “his vast experience helped the Schoenherr team gain international recognition and win among the largest investment and commercial arbitrations in the region.” He holds Master’s degrees from the Universities of Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Manchester, and Vienna. Prior to joining Schoenherr he spent three years with both Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
Guenther Leissler heads the Data Protection group at Schoenherr. According to the firm, “having joined the regulatory practice group in Vienna in 2006, he specializes in data protection, gaming and telecommunications law [and] he represents various clients in all kinds of privacy-related proceedings." He received both a Magister’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna.
Laurenz Schwitzer joined the banking, finance and capital markets practice group at Schoenherr in Vienna in 2013 after spending two and a half years with the Austrian Foreign Ministry and almost three years with Deloitte Financial Advisory. According to the firm, “he has vast experience in complex asset financing and financial restructuring with special focus on real estate finance, mezzanine financing, direct lending, and green finance.” He holds degrees from the University of Economics and Business in Vienna and the University of Vienna.
Manuela Zimmermann, who joined Schoenherr in 2010, is admitted to practice both in Austria and Germany. According to the firm, “she specializes in insurance contracts and insurance regulatory law, and primarily advises national and international insurance companies on their market entries and daily legal matters.” She obtained her law degree from the TU University in Dresden.
Georgiana Badescu, head of Schoenherr's EU & Competition practice group in the firm's Bucharest office, joined the firm in 2017 after almost 12 years with Voicu & Filipescu. She holds an LL.M. from the University of Pantheon Sorbonne and an LL.M. from the University of Bucharest.
Madalina Neagu joined Schoenherr's Corporate/M&A practice group in Bucharest in 2008 after five years with Bostina & Asociatii and a year with Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston & Petersen. According to the firm, she has “many years of experience in large M&A transactions and takeovers, competition matters, acquisition finance, and the privatization of state-owned companies.” She holds an LL.B. from the University of Bucharest.
Milos Lakovic joined Moravcevic Vojnovic and Partners in cooperation with Schoenherr in Serbia in 2007. According to the firm, “he specializes in regulatory matters with vast energy-law experience, leading the highly ranked energy department in the Belgrade office.” He graduated from the University of Novi Sad.
"I am delighted that we are recognizing such an exceptional and international group of partners and counsels this year,” commented Managing Partner Michael Lagler. “They will play an important role in delivering the advice our clients demand in an increasingly complex world, requiring expertise and experience across practice groups and industries."
In addition the firm reported that it's new Steering Committee took over on February 1, 2020, consisting of Partners Michael Lagler, Gudrun Stangl, Martin Ebner, Alexander Popp, and Slaven Moravcevic.
