The Legal 500

20-lawyer firm Bogdanovic, Dolicki & Partners maintains its position among the premier players on the Croatian corporate scene. The outstanding combination of strong local knowledge with the ability to identify and fulfill the requirements of international clients has long been a feature of the service provided by ‘very efficient transaction lawyer’ Tin Dolicki and Mirko Bogdanovic. Edita Matic joined Dolicki in advising StarBev in its acquisition of Zagreb Pivovara in 2010.

Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic’s M&A, telecom and competition groups came together to advise Croatian Telekom on its €20m acquisition of leading IT-integration firm Combis, resolving sensitive regulatory and antitrust matters. Experiencing its best year for M&A work yet, Damir Topic’s transactions team also acted as lead counsel to global engineering group ABB on the €15m pan-jurisdiction acquisition of Exor. Sasa Divjak’s group provides regulatory and corporate support to clients such as Amazon, Marks & Spencer and Samsung.

At Porobija & Porobija, Drazen Grubisic-Cabo heads the team which is a regular first choice for foreign and domestic sellers and purchasers. Grubisic-Cabo acted for Croatian engineering company Exor in its acquisition by ABB, and for Shell International on its sale of a 50% stake in a Croatian subsidiary in 2010, in addition to representing the foreign sellers of a majority stake in Istra Cement and Istra Cement itself in relation to its division. Senior partner Boris Porobija is also on hand for special projects in the tourism and construction sectors.

As an indication of its prowess in the field of M&A, Savoric & Partners was appointed as adviser to listed Croatian sports food manufacturer Atlantic Group in its acquisition of leading Slovenian food-producer Droga Kolinska. This complex deal included targets throughout the former Yugoslavia and required analysis and negotiation of antitrust issues. The firm also fielded the resources to complete the €1bn acquisition of Zagrebacka Pivovara, begun in 2009. A raft of further acquisitions came through instructions from Austrian insurer Generali Versicherung, French construction giant Colas, and Swisscom.

Zuric i Partneri provides strong general corporate counsel to clients such as IBM, Cisco and General Motors together with a stream of high-profile transactions. In 2010, Tomislav Tus completed the largest ever transaction in Croatia with the final clearance of merger control issues in Hungarian oil and gas company MOL’s acquisition of INA; and guided Austrian Duropack through its €30m takeover of Croatian packaging manufacturer Belisce. Clients praise the group’s level of performance and knowledge.

Boris Babic is well placed to add value for foreign and domestic clients instructing Babic & Partners Law Firm on Croatian M&A matters, having been at the forefront of the relatively recent competition law reform process, with over 15 years’ M&A experience. The firm advised the Austrian regulators on the required approval from the Croatian National Bank for the nationalisation of Austrian bank Hypo Alpe Adria. Another highlight was acting for US healthcare company Hospira in its acquisition of Pliva’s biopharmaceutical business. The firm is the first port of call for major US corporates for transactional and general corporate and antitrust advice.

For clients seeking advice on structuring, restructuring and general corporate law matters, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Branch Office Zagreb provides tailored tax advice from an expanding specialized team to complement its strong corporate law advisory capacity. While the bulk of the instructions received recently have related to restructurings, such as those for BP and Johnson Controls, the team has also been engaged by Transocean in connection with the $85m sale of an oil platform. Clients are ‘absolutely satisfied’ with tax specialist Wolfgang Auf’s ‘way of work and communication, business skills and professionalism’; and the team, including its respected employment lawyers, receives consistent praise for its ‘quick response times, concise and practical advice, and value for money.’

Law Firm Glinska & Miskovic Ltd advises international and domestic entities in the manufacturing, retail and telecoms sectors in relation to financings and general corporate matters; and as part of the DLA group receives regular referrals which reflect the level at which Aleksej Miskovic and Beata Glinska operate. The firm recently advised on acquisitions in the food and biomedical testing sectors, and was instructed by a major financial player in relation to the acquisition of a renewable energy company.

At Schoenherr Rechtsanwälte GmbH in co-operation with Croatian Lawyers, the synergies between Austrian, Slovenian and Croatian business opportunities are linked by Matthias Wahl, who divides his time as managing partner between offices in Zagreb and Ljubljana. The Zagreb team has substantial experience in transactions from joint ventures to acquisitions for major global players: Time Warner was advised on a Croatian joint venture, and advised Lukoil on the Crobenz share sale ordered by the Croatian Competition Authority as a condition precedent to the INA/MOL merger. The group is also in demand from Croatia’s large domestic entities such as textile giant Salesianer Miettex for restructuring and acquisitions; and is in tune with market trends such as advice to a foreign investor on renewable energy projects.

Clients view Wolf Theiss – Zagreb branch as ‘the right people for tough assignments’, and trust the relatively youthful team of Croatian lawyers, supervised by managing partner Ron Given, having sampled the ‘level of service, attentiveness, business acumen and sound knowledge of the laws’, such as the advice given to Baloise Holding on the merger of its subsidiaries in Croatia. Luka Tadic-Colic is building a reputation for minority shareholder issues. He and Danijel Pribanic are ‘real tough cookies’ and show ‘legal and professional capacities well above the local standards’ and ‘the ability to find a prompt and most convenient solution’. Specialist tax expert Aleksandra Raach assisted in tax matters on the liquidation of a Hypo subsidiary, achieving the repayment of €2.5m in overpaid VAT.

Hanzekovic & Partners operates a different business model to the majority of the firms in Croatia: in Zagreb, the firm numbers 70 lawyers and draws upon a network of independent firms around the country for assistance with matters ranging from debt-collection to litigation. Managing partner Marijan Hanzekovic is ‘well connected’ in the business and political community. Irina Jelcic is also noted for her corporate and M&A experience, receiving instructions from largely domestic clients.

At Juric & Vrbanovic LLP, ‘capable and precise’ Sanja Juric’s notable experience in the pharmaceutical and life science/health sectors was exercised in the integration process following the global merger of two pharmaceutical corporations; and in the restructuring of two further international clients in this sector. A steady flow of mandates relating to the day-to-day business of these clients is a feature of this firm’s practice, which is now strengthened in terms of foreign investment and litigation capability with the arrival of 25 years-qualified Jasminka Vbranovic. Clients describe Juric as ‘very smart, very responsive and tuned into the needs of large corporate clients’.

Law Offices Macesic & Partners is ‘one of the best for instinctual capability’, according to clients. In addition to key Rijeka-based players in the corporate and M&A field, Miroljub Macesic and Jelena Zjacic, Maja Ciboci in Zagreb and Ivana Manovelo receive client praise for their handling of contentious contractual matters. In addition to assisting Canadian software solutions developer Enghouse Systems in its acquisition of Envox Lab and Raiffeisen Bank with preparation of M&A documentation, the team has received instructions for a project in the renewable energy field.

One client found it ‘hard to find fault with the work’ of Madirazza & Partners, whose ‘team of talented individuals’ gained new clients in the road transport and logistics, and telecoms sectors in 2010 whilst providing ongoing corporate support for existing domestic and international concerns in the business communications and automotive fields. One global motor trader recently instructed Ivan Madirazza on an internal restructuring; while Josip Madirazza was engaged by a foreign investor for assistance in the development of a windpark in Dalmatia, and lead on the expansion of a logistics company by domestic and cross-border acquisitions.

‘Young, dynamic, solution-orientated but very serious and responsible law firm’ Mamic Peric Reberski Rimac has increased market presence and receives client praise for its ‘great ability to pick up new information and new projects quickly, juggle multiple tasks and prioritise, while at the same time dealing with time pressures and tight deadlines’. Significant instructions received last year included providing employment and negotiating support to Croatian electricity company HEP as part of the new €120m hydroelectric power plant project near Dubrovnik and conducting due diligence for Greek electricity company RF Energy in the €60m take-over of a wind power plant. The team consolidated its strength in the pharmaceutical sector, acting for AstraZeneca and Engelhard, and regularly provided corporate support to Deloitte and the city of Zagreb. ‘Top-notch corporate lawyer’ and head of M&A Natalija Peric is ‘efficient, persuasive and knowledgeable’. Commercial head Vladimir Mamic is ‘one of the best businessmen among lawyers and one of the best lawyers among businessmen’.

At Travas & Partners, senior partner Robert Travas and Marko Frkovic have handled general corporate and commercial matters for Agrokor for ten years, and regularly assist Deutsche Telekom with a variety of commercial, contractual and contentious matters. The firm has a strong trade mark practice.

Hrvoje Vukic heads Rijeka-based Law Office Vukic & Partners’ corporate team, which has a reputation for representing local entities in transactions with foreign investors. The team has experience in acquisitions in a wide range of sectors from banking to shipping and transport.

A distinguishing feature of Vukmir & Associates’ practice is its IP expertise, advising local and international clients in the telecoms and IT sectors in relation to trade mark protection and copyright issues. Prominent clients in the global IT sector provided Sanja Tkalec Kovac with several transactions during 2010, as did the card processing industry. She and Mladen Vukmir saw an increase in domestic clients in 2010, bringing varied instructions relating to licensing and unwinding of existing deals together with telecoms regulatory issues.

Law Office Boric provides a full commercial and corporate offering to international clients – the firm has a particular Austrian interface, co-operating with Saxinger Chalupsky & Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH. The ‘proactive’ Mirjana Boric and antitrust and competition specialist Anton Jukic are supported by non-practising professor of business and private law Tomislav Boric, who provides legal opinions as required. The firm’s client base ranges from the media to pharmaceutical and motor sectors.

Cipcic-Bragadin has a solid client base of international names, such as Merill Lynch and Aston Martin Lagonda, and a healthy local client base, serviced from its 23-office network. Silvije Cipcic-Bragadin handles a mix of corporate instructions, such as those from Czech Komercni banka on a restructuring, and commercial matters, key components of which are regulatory and IP issues for media and technology brands, such as Discovery Networks and Lenovo.

In a climate in which maximum revenue is a target for the Croatian tax authorities, the specialised tax offering at Cirkveni & Partners is in demand by Croatian-domiciled entities. In addition to outstanding performance in corporate taxation matters from advice to litigation, clients such as Croatian Railways, Hrvatski telecom and Peugeot have obtained consistently satisfactory results in groundbreaking consumer litigation with the help of Neven Cirkveni, who continues to handle contractual and transactional matters for SMEs and foreign investors.

Noted for its particular focus on the media, IT and new technologies sectors, Curkovic, Curic, Janusic and Banic Law Firm is also active in the competition and energy law fields, where the practice is led by Ana Curkovic Curic. Recent matters handled on behalf of clients, ranging from a domestic construction materials manufacturer to international finance and asset management funds, include a restructuring, an exit from a business and high-level competition proceedings, together with ‘complex public procurement procedures and employment matters’. Danijel Banic impresses with his ‘in-depth knowledge of new technologies and technical aspects of the issues’.

Full-service firm Law Office Dragicevic has a track record in general corporate and commercial advice and representation in contentious matters, advising several embassies on various legal issues. The firm is specifically noted for its IP prowess, with Mladen Dragievic the key player.

Tin Matic heads up IKRP Rokas Partners – Matic Law Firm’s Zagreb office, providing advice on Croatian foreign investment laws, corporate and commercial, telecommunications, and intellectual property rights. The firm has been retained as US AID’s legal counsel on the restructuring of the electricity sector in Croatia, providing input on legislative reform to the Croatian Government.

Clients in the real estate and construction sectors have recently called upon boutique practice Ivekovic Law Offices for assistance in the restructuring of subsidiaries and general corporate matters. A significant recent engagement for Branimir Ivekovic was advising real estate development group Dayland on the corporate, financing and real estate aspects of its €50m development of the first factory outlet in Croatia.

Formed by former Wolf Theiss – Zagreb branch associates Tarja Krehic, Natalija Lacmanovic and Mario Markovic in March 2010, Law Office Krehic Lacmanovic Markovic is described by clients as ‘very professional and proactive’. It has advised investment company Miya on the acquisition of Croatian water-management company IMGD and its winning tender for installation of a pipeline system in Zagreb; and Lexmark and Bayer’s Croatian subsidiary on public procurement and antitrust procedures.

The three partners at Kunstek, Halle & Simac provide assistance to clients in the telecoms, services, tourism and courier sectors. M&A transactions, structuring of SPVs on behalf of foreign investors, and advice and representation on employment tribunals have been handled recently for clients, which include a Premier League football team and a global automotive manufacturer.

The emphasis at Law Firm Simunovic & Batur is on corporate, insurance and mediation services. The firm has extensive experience in set-ups and acquisitions, commercial documentation, formulation of investment strategies and negotiations of transactions for consumer goods, pharmaceutical and banking clients. A highlight of 2010 was the restructuring of a Croatian sanitary supplies producer – the experience gained at KPMG by Stella Simunovic and Maja Batur in tax and finance stood the team in good stead here. Other achievements included appointment by the Croatian Institute for International Relationships to draft template agreements and laws for energy efficiency; and Maja Batur’s election as sole Croatian commentator on the redrafting of the Montenegrin insurance law, ‘providing state-of-the-art legal services’.