On April 5, 2022, leading lawyers from across all of CEE will be coming together for the Dealer's Choice Conference and Deals of the Years Awards Banquet. Leading up to the event, we spoke with Vladimir Rangeloff of Kambourov & Partners to learn what they are looking forward to the most.
CEELM: To start, it's been quite a while since lawyers in the region have had a chance to get together in person for quite some time. What are you most excited about?
Rangeloff: While I appreciate all the digital tools that made it possible to stay connected through these challenging times, I believe we all long for some live interaction and a sense of how events were before these past two years. I am truly excited to meet fellow lawyers from the region in person and enjoy wholesome live networking, which in my view always creates so many business opportunities and gives such invaluable insight into each other’s work and markets. I am looking forward to all the formal and informal discussions with colleagues!
CEELM: Why did your firm find it important/useful to support this event?
Rangeloff: We were glad to support it because we believe it is very valuable for the legal industry in our region. It celebrates the work of CEE lawyers in a very singular way, and we are thrilled that CEE Legal Matters (the only publication focusing exclusively on the CEE region) is hosting it for yet another year. The CEELM DOTY Awards Gala is more than a recognition of CEE firms – it is a possibility for CEE lawyers to learn more about each other’s work and recent developments in all jurisdictions in the region. In this sense, this event is the best way to personalize this knowledge and turn it into professional relationships.
CEELM: Which of the sessions of the Dealer's Choice conference are you looking forward to the most? Why?
Rangeloff: All sessions are quite interesting, but the one that particularly caught my attention is "Improving the Pipeline: Creating and Expanding ILF-CEE Referral Relationships." I see it as the start of a productive discussion for the legal community in our region and one that would hopefully tackle the new context of such relationships – the increasing importance of ECG for law firms. I look forward to sharing thoughts about what law firms in the region are doing in terms of culture, inclusion, and innovation, and to what extent these efforts impact relationships with ILF.
CEELM: Would you like to place a bet on which one deal you believe will win the CEE (regional) DOTY award? Why would you bet on that one?
Rangeloff: All shortlisted deals this year are quite interesting and competitive. So much so that it is genuinely hard to foresee the winner. I wish the best of luck to everyone!
CEELM: On the lighter side, when was the last time you were in London, and what is one thing you'll make sure to tick off while in town?
Rangeloff: I believe the last time I was in London was in the summer of 2019 when the sale of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (Vivacom) was actively starting. This time around, I’d be sure to check in with colleagues, whom I haven’t seen since 2019 or before.
