In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2023 marching to an end, we looked ahead and asked about strategies for next year: As the budgeting period is around the corner, compared to 2023, what are the main budgeting lines you expect to increase for 2024 and why?

Slovakia-headquartered GHS Legal has announced it is changing its name to FairSquare.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Inter Cars on the extension, increase, and reorganization of its senior facilities in the aggregate amount of approximately PLN 2.54 billion (USD 642 million). Kinstellar, Magnusson, Kelemenis, and Glimstedt reportedly advised on the matter as well.

On November 21, 2023, corporate/M&A and private equity experts from Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkiye, and Ukraine sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss the key developments in the field over the past decade.

Ments Partner Peter Makys talks about the evolution of the practice and their role as legal advisors in Slovakia over the last 10 years.

Eversheds Sutherland Slovakia Managing Partner Bernhard Hager talks about the evolution of the energy sector and their role as legal advisors in Slovakia over the last 10 years.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. Shifting our focus to the financial aspects of legal work, we asked: What percentage of your issued bills end up being overdue, what percentage end up never paid, and what is your firm’s/office’s standard methodology to handle both cases?

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 lists) to learn how they perceive CEE markets and their evolution. For this issue, we sat down with Reed Smith Partner Kevin-Paul Deveau.

The Slovak Republic’s amendment to the Whistleblowers Protection Act widens the scope of protection, shortens deadlines, and increases fines for non-compliance. Most provisions took effect on July 1, 2023, with some coming in on September 1, 2023.

In January 2023, a new directive on measures to ensure a high common level of cybersecurity in the Union (the "NIS 2 Directive") entered into force, and is to be transposed by 17 October 2024.

The new law (Act No. 309/2023 Coll.) introduces a new comprehensive regulation of national and cross-border transformations of commercial companies and cooperatives in a special law. Most of the provisions will enter into force on 1 March 2024.

Kinstellar has advised Siemens Mobility on its acquisition of Slovak railway security solutions company HMH. Havel & Partners reportedly advised the seller.

Greenwashing is an umbrella term for misleading environmental claims. A claim is any promotional communication that can be communicated in advertisements, marketing materials, product manuals, prospectuses for investors, recruitments ads, annual reports, on packaging or brands themselves.

Kinstellar, working with Veil Jourde, has advised Jacquet Metals on its acquisition of several distribution companies from the Swiss Steel Group. Niederer Kraft Frey and Roedl & Partner reportedly advised the Swiss Steel Group.

Former HKV Partner Lukas Michalik has opened up a new law firm in Slovakia: Ments. Joining Michalik at Ments is Partner Peter Makys, another former HKV lawyer.

MCL has advised Reinoo and V6 on the sale of NordCity Postova building in Zilina, Slovakia to Erste Asset Management.

CMS has advised Naftogaz Slovakia – the local subsidiary of the national gas company of Ukraine – on securing a natural gas trading license in Bulgaria.

WKB Lawyers, working alongside Norway-based Advokatfirmaet Wiersholm, has advised Orkla on the sale of a 40% stake in Orkla Food Ingredients to Rhone. Norway's Thommessen reportedly advised Rhone.