Banking, Finance and Capital Markets
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on possible manners of transferring a direct exposure from Slovak and
Slovenian banks to Banca Intesa with the aim of preserving existing collateral
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on enforcement of a pledge of receivables governed by the Montenegrin law
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on providing cross-border financing to the State of Montenegro
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on collection of claims in Montenegro in the course of enforcement of the pledge and possibility
for settlement of mutual claims of Montenegrin debtor whose accounts are blocked
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on bankruptcy and enforcement procedures of Banca Intesa clients across Serbia
STANDARD BANK PLC on a complex refinancing transaction within a Government of Republic of Serbia-sponsored project
A CONSORTIUM OF INTERNATIONAL BANKS on a financing (in excess of €1 billion) for the potential acquisition of the majority stake in
Telekom Serbia by Apollo Global Management
MASTERCARD on the possibility of the introduction of specific card products and services in Serbia in light of the adoption of a new framework
regulating the provision of payment services envisaged as a step forward in harmonising Serbian law with the relevant EU framework in this field
NLB Group, the largest Slovenian bank and a leading bank in the ex-Yugoslavia region as the vining bidder for acquisition of Komercijalna banka a.d. Beograd, the third largest bank in Serbia, including full scope due diligence, transactional and regulatory approval advice
This is the largest bank privatization in Serbia to-date and our team also coordinated advice in five other jurisdictions in addition to Serbia
VTB BANKA A.D. BEOGRAD on the complex NPL purchase which Serbian bank has towards the company in restructuring, including also advising on plans for further NPL restructuring towards additional debtors of the Serbian bank
A PROMINENT GREEK BUSINESSMAN on potential acquisition of the Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd
Asset Solutions
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
MAJOR CEE COMPANY on the acquisition of NPL portfolios from two Serbian banks in order to acquire underlying real estate assets
B2 HOLDING KAPITAL in relation to the potential acquisition of various NPL portfolios
VTB BANKA A.D. BEOGRAD on a complex Serbian NPL portfolio acquisition, including restructuring and refinancing
ABANKA on the transfer of receivables arising in relation to an insolvent industrial borrower in Serbia
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on acquisition of Slovak and Slovenian bank credits with the aim of preserving collateral
HALKBANK on several dispute resolution matters regarding NPLs, including court and extra-judicial enforcement, bankruptcy and litigation, in Serbia and Turkey
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF SERBIA on valuation of its capital
Competition and State Aid
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
MASTERCARD in relation to ex officio proceeding considering the alleged capping of the multilateral interchange fees in Serbia
AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INDUSTRY CLIENT Serbian representative office in relation to a potential dawn raid by the
Serbian Competition Authority and other inspection bodies (preparation of the staff etc.)
STADA/WALMARK on various competition law issues related to an acquisition, including the merger filing in Serbia
VARIOUS APPLICANTS regarding the execution of IPARD-related funding of the agricultural projects
Dispute Resolution
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
ABANKA VIPA on various corporate, debt and collateral restructuring issues related to one of its large industrial debtors in Serbia
AN INTERNATIONAL CARD COMPANY in relation to a litigation for alleged damages arising from the implementation of interchange fees in Serbia
AN INTERNATIONAL STEEL TRADER on Serbian law aspects of a Swiss-based arbitration arising from a raw material supply agreement
AN INTERNATIONAL STEEL TRADER in relation to an arbitration procedure before the LCIA
BANCA INTESA, a Serbian bank as part of the Intesa Sanpaolo bank, on bankruptcy and enforcement procedures of its clients across Serbia
CHURCH ENTITY on a litigation regarding the ownership rights on a land plot with the value in excess of €5 million
SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH on a litigation in relation to 6 litigation procedures ongoing before the High Court of Justice in London for damage compensation
LEONI Wiring System, Prokuplje, Serbia brought the claim for damages before the Commercial Court in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia,
against the Serbian transport company M&B Trans, in relation to the damage incurred during the transport of goods,
produced by LEONI Wiring System Southeast, for LEONI Wiring Systems UK. The value of the claim is EUR 550.000
DIREKTNA BANKA in various labor law disputes
ERSTE BANK in litigation proceedings in relation to loan processing fees
FOUNDATION E.G. BUHRLE COLLECTION, a world-renowned art collection, on a litigation for damages in Serbia against perpetrators who stole certain paintings from the foundation’s museum in the combined value of CHF 180 million
GENOIL INC on a lawsuit related to the protection of shareholders’ rights filled with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
HALKBANK on several dispute resolution matters regarding NPLs. including court and extra-judicial enforcement, bankruptcy, and litigation
KUVERA s.p.a. (Carpisa), owner of an Italian worldwide fashion brand, in relation to debt recovery against several Serbian companies
STARA PLANINA, a Serbian public enterprise, on a litigation related to the bank guarantees received from certain contracting parties
TELEKOM SRBIJA, a leading telecommunication company in Serbia, in dispute with its employees regarding ownership of IP rights on certain innovations
UNIVERSAL LEAF TOBACCOS LIMITADA and UNIVERSAL LEAF NORTH AMERICA, international tobacco producers,
on the recognition and enforcement of two foreign arbitral awards in Serbia
FCA SERBIA in relation to a litigation regarding ownership rights on the electric grid system within Fiat factory complex in Kragujevac against Republic of Serbia, and in relation to the high value litigation regarding consumption fees against EPS
MESSER TEHNOGAS AD in high value litigation regarding damage compensation against EPS regarding misuse of the consumption fees
SOCIETE GENERALE BANK/OTP BANK in litigation proceedings in relation to the collateral
status, and damage compensation demands in front of competent courts including Supreme Court of Cassation
FABRIKA BAKARNIH CEVI MAJDANPEK in relation to the arbitration procedure before the PA in Belgrade
PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL COMPANY in an arbitration proceeding ongoing before the Permanent Arbitration at the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Serbia in relation to termination of an agreement for construction of the business and residental premises in Belgrade
SOKOJ-ORGANISATION OF MUSIC AUTHORS OF SERBIA in number of litigation proceedings initiated for infrigement of IP rights
Energy
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
LOCAL PROJECT COMPANY, on the acquisition of a significant stake in a 160 MW Serbian wind power park project,
including legal due diligence and regulatory advisory work, and (subsequently) on all aspects of the project development/implementation
ANGLO AMERICAN PLC. on various regulatory aspects of the Serbian mining law framework, as well as on other general issues relevant for the potential investors
PROMINENT DOMESTIC COMPANIES regarding the execution of the turnkey projects: Biogas plant for Nectar company in Bačka Palanka, Palić distillery,
Barry Callebaut chocolate factory in Novi Sad, LIDL logistic center in Lapovo, stables, and barns for Al Dahra Serbia, etc
Employment and Labour Law
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
LES LABORATOIRES SERVIER, a pharmaceutical company, on drafting of employment contracts and employment related policies,
dismissal of employees and various day-to-day employment and personal data protection issues in Serbia
SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH on various employment-related issues, including revising of existing employment contracts and various employment policies
DIREKTNA BANKA in various labor law disputes and on termination of employment of an employee
VAN DRUNEN FARMS, a U.S. company, on the employment issues concerning the management of its Serbian production subsidiary, including designing alternative scenarios for employment termination
VEOLIA VODA S.A. on the drafting of an employment contract for an executive at the client’s representative office in Serbia,
as well as the employment contract templates for lower-level hires
Infrastructure and Projects
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
SADE SERBIA, a branch office of SADE Compagnie Generale de Travaux d’Hydraulique (a division of Veolia Group), on the waste water treatment and sewage
collection project Veliki Backi Kanal in Kula and Vrbas municipalities resulting from an agreement between the Republic of Serbia and European Union
VEOLIA VODA S.A. (representative office in Serbia) in the qualification procedure for the PPP project for the City of Belgrade for the provision of services of treatment and disposal of residual MSW
A3 ARCHITECTS STUDIO regarding project management of the EPIC STUDIO project in Novi Sad, and NCR project in the Belgrade Republic of Serbia
PROMINENT DOMESTIC CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES regarding the execution of the agreed works on “Turkish stream” pipeline project in the Republic of Serbia, and on “Moravski koridor” project in the Republic of Serbia
A PROMINENT DOMESTIC INVESTMENT COMPANY in relation to the debt restructuring and development of the project that includes
the construction of more than 150.000 m 2 above-ground surface
M&A, Corporate and Commercial
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
NLB, Nova Ljubljanska banka, d.d., Ljubljana on the acquisition of 83.23% of ordinary shares in Komercijalna banka a.d. Beograd, including due diligence,
negotiation of the SPA, and assistance with obtaining competition and regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions
TELEKOM AUSTRIA on the potential acquisition of Serbia Broadband – SBB, the largest cable TV provider in the region of the Former Yugoslavia
MING KOVAČNICA AD NIŠ on the potential acquisition by a prominent international company
AN INTERNATIONAL BATTERY PRODUCER on the potential acquisition of the leading car battery producer in Serbia
A LEADING GLOBAL CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION COMPANY on the potential acquisition of a competitor including due diligence of the relevant corporate and
real property issues of the target’s subsidiaries in Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania
SPOTHOPPER DOO VALJEVO on the complex acquisition by the US investment fund involving restructuring and transformation of the main US based shareholder to the form of a corporation
PROMINENT DOMESTIC COMPANY on the acquisition of one of the largest, domestically based, wheat flour products factory
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on possible manners of transferring a direct exposure from Slovak and
Slovenian banks to Banca Intesa with the aim of preserving existing collateral
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on enforcement of a pledge of receivables governed by the Montenegrin law
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on providing cross-border financing to the State of Montenegro
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on collection of claims in Montenegro in the course of enforcement of the pledge and possibility for settlement of mutual claims of Montenegrin debtor whose accounts are blocked
BANCA INTESA AD BEOGRAD on bankruptcy and enforcement procedures of Banca Intesa clients across Serbia
STANDARD BANK PLC on a complex refinancing transaction within a Government of Republic of Serbia-sponsored project
A CONSORTIUM OF INTERNATIONAL BANKS on a financing (in excess of €1 billion) for the potential acquisition of the majority stake in Telekom Serbia by Apollo Global Management
MASTERCARD on the possibility of the introduction of specific card products and services in Serbia in light of the adoption of a new framework
regulating the provision of payment services envisaged as a step forward in harmonising Serbian law with the relevant EU framework in this field
NLB Group, the largest Slovenian bank and a leading bank in the ex-Yugoslavia region as the vining bidder for acquisition of Komercijalna banka a.d. Beograd,
the third largest bank in Serbia, including full scope due diligence, transactional and regulatory approval advice
This is the largest bank privatization in Serbia to-date and our team also coordinated advice in five other jurisdictions in addition to Serbia
VTB BANKA A.D. BEOGRAD on the complex NPL purchase which Serbian bank has towards the company in restructuring, including also advising on plans for further NPL restructuring towards additional debtors of the Serbian bank
A PROMINENT GREEK BUSINESSMAN on potential acquisition of the Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd
Restructuring and Insolvency
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
ABANKA VIPA, a major Slovenian bank, on the bankruptcy proceeding against one of its debtors in Serbia
AN INTERNATIONAL STEEL TRADER in a bankruptcy proceeding over a major Serbian steel mill
ICBC STANDARD BANK PLC in bankruptcy proceedings (concerning the preparation and adoption of the so-called pre-packaged reorganization plan) over RTB Bor, one of the largest state-owned companies in Serbia, in relation to the collection of outstanding receivables arising from certain commercial arrangements
VARIOUS CREDITORS in the largest bankruptcy proceeding that took place in the Republic of Serbia against Farmakom Holding and its subsidiaries
HALK BANK in numerous bankruptcy proceedings in relation to the collection of an outstanding receivable arising from various credit transactions
EXIDE TECHNOLOGIES on bankruptcy proceedings including analysis of real property rights over buildings and pertaining land situated in 10 different locations throughout Serbia
VARIOUS CREDITORS in the largest bankruptcy proceeding that took place in the Republic of Serbia against Farmakom Holding and its subsidiaries
PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL COMPANY acting as a secured creditor in the bankruptcy proceeding against Fadip AD Bečej and its subsidiaries
Real Estate & Construction
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
ABANKA VIPA D.D., a major Slovenian Bank, on the enforcement of mortgages over a large industrial complex in Serbia
PIRAEUS BANK A.D. BEOGRAD on legal issues concerning certain buildings under construction
JP STARA PLANINA, a state-owned company for the development of mountain tourism in the region of the Mt. Stara Planina, on all legal aspects of its business operations, including drafting contracts for infrastructure-related projects in the Mt. Stara Planina region through public procurement procedures. Implementation of the FIDIC Model Contract – Orange Book
JKP VODOVOD ČAČAK, a state-owned company for waterworks and sewerage, on the legal status of real properties that are in possession of the company JKP VODOVOD ČAČAK, as well as on the value of the real property stake in the company’s capital
A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL HOTEL COMPANY in relation to the potential acquisition of Hotel Balkan and Hotel Tulip Inn in Belgrade
VST BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES AG in the high-value litigation against the Serbian-based claimant regarding termination of the license agreement, and damage compensation
SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH on the construction of a new residential and business complex in the Belgrade center, including the drafting of the construction contracts and legal opinions on various legal aspects of the realization of this construction project
AETHEON CAPITAL CE, a.s. from Czech Republic in relation to the real estate acquisition and business development activities in the former Yugoslavia region
PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL COMPANY in an arbitration proceeding ongoing before the Permanent Arbitration at the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Serbia in relation to termination of an agreement for construction of the business and residental premises in Belgrade
Technology, Media & Telecommunications
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
AN INTERNATIONAL IT COMPANY on the potential entry into the Serbian market
AN INTERNATIONAL PAYMENT CARD PROCESSING SERVICES COMPANY on a complex project of assessment of adequacy of Serbian legal framework as a whole, in the context of post-Schrems II transfer of personal data of bank card users from EU to Serbia
AN INTERNATIONAL FUND on the proposed sale of its majority stake in a Serbian Telecom Operator
SINGAPORE FUND GIC, on the acquisition of a significant stake in CETIN GROUP, including legal due diligence
4IG, on the acquisition of 100% stake in Telenor Montenegro, including legal due diligence
Compliance, Risk & Sensitive Investigations
Selected team members’ experiences include advising:
A GLOBAL PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANY on a FCPA investigation in Croatia, including structuring data collection, review of relevant documents, and preparation of related legal analysis
A GLOBAL PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANY on a FCPA investigation in Serbia, including structuring personal data collection and various personal data protection issues arising from such process
A GLOBAL PHARMACEUTICALS PRODUCER on various issues arising in Serbia and certain other CEE jurisdictions in the context of FCPA investigations in the U.S
A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL SERVICES COMPANY in relation to compliance investigation of its Serbian subsidiaries, senior staff, and operations
AN INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY on various issues arising in relation to certain preliminary internal corporate inquires in Serbia and Montenegro
INTERNATIONAL LIFE SCIENCES COMPANY on various preliminary considerations in relation to allegations of tender manipulation by an employee of its CEE subsidiary and related staff interviews
A PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE COMPANY on potential issues arising in Serbia from a criminal investigation against their pilots residing in the Republic of Serbia
A FORMER CFO AND OWNER OF A MAJOR DOMESTIC HOLDING COMPANY on his defence in the course of a criminal proceeding before the Higher Court in Belgrade, Department for Organised Crime
NATURAL PERSONS in relation to complex proceedings ongoing before the Higher Court in Belgrade, Department for Organised Crime
NATURAL PERSON which is accused for money laundering and drug trafficking in the proceeding ongoing before the Higher Court in Belgrade, Department for Organised Crime
