The Legal 500

CMS Cameron McKenna v.o.s. represents international investors and developers such as Honeywell and Standard Life Investments. The practice advised UBM on the €17.5m sale to Hypo Real Estate of its interest in the grade A listed office complex at Andel City. Managing partner Iveta Plachá acts for developers, private investors and funds, including advising Deka Immobilien Investment and LMS Outlets on commercial projects and leasing, and PZ Stavinvest/Amesbury on developing a solar power project. Plachá and CEE real estate and construction head Hilary McDowell co-head the Prague team.

Emil Holub leads Clifford Chance’s real estate team in Prague, where financing is a core component of the practice – it represented CSOB on financing for the New Karolina Shopping Center, one of the Czech Republic’s largest real estate developments. The group also represented clients on completing several significant investments in the jurisdiction, advised Siemens on selling the real estate assets of its local transportation systems operation in 2010, and acted for developers Inter IKEA and Warimpex on acquisitions for commercial projects.

Salans Europe LLP’s broad experience in local and cross-border real estate transactions encompasses advice to investors, developers and lenders, as well as leasing matters for clients such as Marks & Spencers and McDonald’s. Practice head Olga Humlová acted for property developer HB Reavis Group on its acquisition of an office development project and for Raiffeisenbank on the financing of residential developments. Co-chair of the global real estate group, Evan Lazar is a ‘guru of CEE real estate’ who focuses on cross-border matters, and advised regional developer Orco on restructuring. Financing expert Jirí Stržínek was promoted to the partnership in 2010 and advised Unicredit on financing a commercial redevelopment project by Fim Group. Juraj Alexander is considered to be a ‘rising star’.

White & Case’s team is easy to deal with and has strength in depth, and a good spread of expertise. Practice head Petr Pánek handles fund formation, restructuring and real estate transactions, and recently assisted a consortium of banks on refinancing Orco Property Group’s Czech subsidiaries, and acted for Doughty Hanson & Co on selling a development project. Vaclav Kubr is ‘highly professional, dedicated, responsive and knowledgeable’, and is experienced in real estate M&A, construction and development. He has been advising investors, banks and developers on the construction and acquisition of solar power projects. Monika Rutland left the practice to found Rutland Jezek, Advokatni Kancelar in January 2010.

Jane Townsend heads Allen & Overy’s Prague real estate practice, and has strong cross-border transactional experience. Meanwhile, senior associate Ivan Telecký is developing the team’s construction and projects work. The group advised the Colgate-Palmolive subsidiary, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, on construction of its €150m plant in South Moravia, and has been acting for a number of investors and banks such as CSOB and Unicredit on solar power projects. The practice also handles real estate disputes, and successfully represented Avetus Real Estate before the Supreme Administrative Court in relation to changes to the Prague zoning development plan.

BBH, advokatni kancelar, v.o.s. acted for PPF Group on establishing a joint venture, PPF ECM Holding, one of the largest real estate holdings in CEE. The practice also advised leading Czech investors on project construction and acquisitions as well as restructurings. Practice head Jirí Šterba is an experienced hand for transactions and projects.

Baker & McKenzie, v.o.s., advokátní kancelár provides all-round excellence in its service and depth of team. Recent highlights include acting for Telefónica O2 on the sale and leaseback of land and representing Sika AG’s Czech subsidiary on the cross-border acquisition of Panbex, including all real estate assets. Practice head David Simonek advises on commercial leasing issues, and is ‘more than just a real estate lawyer: he has a strong combination of business and legal abilities and, as a result, is a true adviser to clients; he provides strong thought leadership without being domineering in the process’. Senior associates Pavel Vraný and Martin Ostrihon are also recommended.

Glatzová & Co., v.o.s.’s real estate team is ‘highly professional, personal and responsive’. Practice head Martin Dancišin handles development, financing and transactions relating to non-residential real estate projects and, more recently, power plants. He is advising Immoconsult on developing and financing a logistics centre for Tesco, and representing PPF in the administrative court regarding the construction of skyscrapers in Prague. The team also includes Vít Horácek but recently lost senior associate Lukas Nyult, who left to set up a new firm.

Havel, Holásek & Partners s.r.o.’s Jan Holásek leads a six-partner team, which includes newly promoted partner Martin Fucík. The practice advises on a range of real estate and construction projects and investments, including leasing, development and redevelopment, disputes, and sales and purchases. Clients include Prague Airport and several Czech ministries as well as a number of IT companies, and automobile and other manufacturers.

Kinstellar s.r.o advokátní kancelár is ‘a strong team’ that provides ‘very clear and structured advice’, and can ‘apply commercial realities to legal issues to find a successful outcome’. Albeit mainly focused on real estate transactions, the group’s recent work also includes restructuring, disputes and energy-related matters. These include handling cross-border transactions for Tesco and Area Property Partners. Practice head Klára Štepánková leads on key deals, along with managing associate Martin Nemecek, ‘a commercial lawyer with an excellent understanding of real estate law’ and who has ‘very good analytical skills and is solutions-oriented’. Kamil Blažek is also recommended, and advised Czech Property Investments on various acquisitions and PPF ECM on the permitting process for a residential development in Prague.

Daniel Rosický and Jakub Lichnovský lead the real estate team at PRK Partners, with Lichnovský particularly specialising in greenfield and brownfield investments, including state-funded projects. The firm also handles financing, construction and leasing.

Peterka & Partners’ Ondrej Dušek continued to advise property developer Sogeprom on residential developments, worth around €10m-€15m, in major Czech cities. Ondrej Peterka advised on various commercial project acquisitions and developments. Other clients include Restamo Holding, First Czech-Russian Bank as well as a number of French clients such as Decathlon and Vinci Construction.

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, v.o.s., advokátní kancelár focuses on real estate investments, financing and development, with clients including international and local investors, Czech property funds and developers. The team includes practice head Jeffrey McGehee, Radek Janecek and Magda Pokorna, who advised on some of the market’s most significant property transactions of 2009 and early 2010, such as a €31m office building acquisition by DBK.

Weinhold Legal, v.o.s. has been busy advising on leasing and construction, including advising Grandi Stazioni on a major redevelopment of local railway stations. Other clients include CSOB, Citibank, ProLogis and government institutions. Practice head Pav Younis advises lenders and borrowers on real estate financing, transactions, leasing and development. He is ‘a driver of matters and does not need chasing to complete a task’, and worked on The Lighthouse Group’s acquisition and financing of certain property developments.

Achour & Hajek s.r.o. Law Firm has been acting for Czech developers on residential and non-residential projects, including a €6m science park. It also acts for clients such as Lidl and Strabag on construction matters, and is advising a Korean company on developing a €10m luxury residential complex. Gabriel Achour heads the practice.

bpv Braun Partners hired Jirí Bárta from Hogan Lovells (Prague) LLP as head of real estate following the loss of Thu Nga Haskovcova, who left with a number of associates to set up Haskovcova & Co.. The practice’s clients include Generalli Pojištovna, Hornbach Baumarkt, and Tristone Partners.

Ludmila Neustupná heads Balcar, Polanský Eversheds’ real estate team, which advises on sales, leasing and developments. Martin Kucera acted for local developer Rodop on a number of residential projects, and handled store-leasing negotiations for Next Group.

DLA Piper Prague LLP’s Eva Dobrohrušková advised on various non-residential and residential developments during 2010. The firm recruited Ivan Karfík from Achour & Hajek s.r.o. Law Firm as the new head of its real estate practice.

Giese & Partner is focused on serving international clients on real estate finance and transactions. The practice advised Deutsche Pfandbriefbank on cross-border financing and restructurings. Other clients include Invesco Group, Unicredit and Bank Austria.

Hogan Lovells (Prague) LLP continued advising Real Estate Karlin Group on restructuring, while other recent work focused on leasing, land acquisitions, disposals and disputes. Other clients include Avestus Real Estate and Lennox International. Miroslav Dubovsky heads the practice.

Schoultz & Partners offers ‘a good, personal and efficient service at a pricing level to suit today’s climate’. The firm acts on local and regional real estate transactions, as well as commercial and residential development projects. Katie Schoultz heads the team and focuses on the firm’s international clients, while Jiri Simecek provides real estate finance expertise.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ real estate team in Prague is led by Karel Muzikar and Petr Severa. The practice’s focus on the public sector has kept the practice busy with work for the government on PPP and major infrastructure projects. It also acted for CEZ on construction issues relating to power plant projects. Martin Kramar advises on public and private sector matters, and ‘provides valuable insight, service, and support’.

At Wolf Theiss in co-operation with Czech lawyers, practice head Jakub Adam advises retailers on project developments, construction issues and real estate financing. Clients include Sparkassen Immobilien and Spar.

Led by Erwin Hanslik, enwc Natlacen Walderdorff Cancola Attorneys at Law advises Austrian clients such as developer S+B Gruppe and retailer Hervix on sale and purchase transactions and leasing negotiations.

Haskovcova & Co. is an ‘excellent’ boutique set up in 2010 by Thu Nga Haškovcová after spinning off from bpv Braun Partners. The highly regarded Haškovcová ‘brings to bear on all projects tremendous local and international legal knowledge and commercial acumen’. Early work has focused on commercial real estate transactions for international investment groups.

Randa Havel Legal focuses on construction law, and energy and technology sector developments. Martin Randa is well regarded and previously worked in-house at Skoda Power, which is a key client.

Rutland Jezek, Advokatni Kancelar was set up in 2010 by Monika Rutland who previously practised at White & Case. This boutique offers ‘strong business sense and gets things done without compromising the quality of service’. Rutland is ‘a pragmatic lawyer who gets things done efficiently, while making sure clients do not take unnecessary risks’. Mojmír Ježek is ‘intelligent, with good knowledge of legal issues and sensitivity to commercial negotiations’. Recent highlights include acting on residential and non-residential property and land acquisitions for foreign investors.

Schoenherr’s Martin Kubánek represents a range of investment funds, retailers and logistics companies on corporate real estate transactions. The team has been advising SEB and IVG on managing non-residential property assets. Senior associate Jaroslava Malcová is recommended.

Vejmelka & Wünsch, s.r.o. is praised for its client-oriented approach. The team, led by Josef Vejmelka and Petr Wünsch, advises clients such as REWE and OMV on real estate transactions. Martin Peckl provides ‘creative thinking and good advice’.

Zilvarová Ctibor Hladký’s real estate and construction practice demonstrates good business sense and a high level of service. The recent focus has been on leasing and green energy developments. Jirí Ctibor, who is ‘eloquent, always available, and strong in discussions with the other party’, acted for Fastbox on real estate aspects of its entry into the Czech market, which included taking over Halfords stores in the jurisdiction. The highly regarded Radek Hladký continued advising Bawag Leasing & Fleet on real estate leasing for energy projects.