The Legal 500

Andrékó Kinstellar’s domestic finance practice saw increased investment activity among its Chinese and Middle Eastern clients in 2012. Lead partner Csilla Andrékó advised Aditya Birla Group on the financing of its acquisition of Columbian Chemicals from One Equity Partners; and advised a consortium of banks, led by RBS, on the Hungarian aspects of Schaeffler Group’s restructuring.

CMS advises foreign and domestic banks on matters ranging from the launching of financial products to acquisition finance and divestments. In an illustration of its cross-border capability, Iván Sefer advised a bank on its divestment of a Romanian subsidiary; and Erika Papp represented a French banking group in its exit from the Hungarian market.

Lakatos, Köves and Partners’ ‘helpful’ and ‘responsive’ group is an established ‘market leader’ in aircraft finance. It also recently handled various restructurings in the real estate sector, and advised Industrial Union of Donbass on its restructuring, as well as BNP Paribas on the refinancing of Monier Group. The ‘knowledgeable’ Szabolcs Mestyán and practice head Péter Köves are recommended.

Réczicza White & Case LLP’s ‘well-equipped’ and ‘skilled’ team regularly advises private equity funds on cross-border financing, particularly in matters relating to Croatia and Ukraine. ‘Business-focused’ practice head Gergely Horváth combines ‘value-for-money’ advice with ‘quick response times’. He and Ákos Dérer advised Eximbank Hungary on regulatory matters, and acted for BNP Paribas on the sale of its Hungarian wealth management business to Erste Bank Group Hungary.

Allen & Overy’s ‘highly responsive’ and ‘level-headed’ group draws some of its work from the firm’s UK client base. James Graham is valued for his English law expertise, and counsel Károly Fóti takes ‘a very practical approach’, and is ‘a real solution finder’. Fóti recently advised HSBC Credit on the disposal of its credit portfolio to Cofidis, and assisted Citibank with the revision of its asset conditions.

Horváth & Partners DLA Piper has been advising a number of Austria’s largest banks, as well as Hungarian borrowers, on restructuring and refinancing, often with a commercial property investment component. Practice head Gábor Borbély acted for Raiffeisen Bank on the financing of Hankook’s Hungarian operations, and Péter Györfi-Tóth advised a lender on Hungarian consumer credit regulations. Former senior associate Csaba Orovica joined CIB Bank in 2012.

Kajtár Takács Hegymegi-Barakonyi Baker & McKenzie experienced an increase in domestic mandates for international lenders in 2012. Dusán Lásztity represented Bank of China (Hungaria) in the restructuring of BorsodChem’s €900m financing, and also assisted it with a new €200m tranche of financing for the same borrower. The team also advised International Lease Finance Corporation on the repossession and deregistration of aircraft following the Malév Airlines insolvency.

Oppenheim regularly handles the Hungarian aspects of international finance transactions for borrowers and lenders, and has seen an increase in refinancing and restructuring work. Team head Mihály Barcza advised Rank Group on financings in various jurisdictions. Other clients include UniCredit Bank AG, Starbev Goup and Bremer Landesbank.

Siegler Law Office/Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ ‘skilled’ team has recently focused on financial renegotiations and restructurings for local banks including OTP Bank, MFB and FHB Mortgage Bank. Konrád Siegler, who has ‘very strong financial knowledge’, recently advised CBS Property on the refinancing of its Hungarian property portfolio.

Faludi Wolf Theiss’ ‘quick’ and ‘committed’ team shows in-depth industry knowledge and the notable ability to ‘speak the language of the bankers’. It advises lenders, including Hypo Noe Gruppe Bank, on non-performing loans and corporate financing matters. Gábor Erdős is ‘a committed and experienced lawyer’ with ‘good communication skills’.

Gide Loyrette Nouel suffered a blow when Gábor Felsen left the firm in November 2011 to form a new boutique practice. Csaba Ember, who joined from Deloitte in June 2012, now heads the group.

Ildikó Varga’s practice at Nagy és Trócsányi Ügyvédi Iroda experienced a rise in instructions involving workouts, banking disputes and enforcement in 2012. The ‘proactive’ György Kiszely ‘understands the needs of clients’, and is a commendable strategist. He advises iForex on regulatory matters, and also acts for OTP Bank.

Partos & Noblet’s Christopher Noblet acts for banks such as BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse and Barclays, as well as local companies, on debt restructuring and new financing.

Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds advises international borrowers on project finance transactions and the restructuring of facility agreements. Péter Komáromi, of counsel Blaise Pasztory and Ildikó Szegedi are the names to note.

Schoenherr is advising several European banks on group-wide restructuring and on Hungarian banking regulations. Team head Gábor Spitz recently acted on a large multi-currency loan refinancing transaction, and also represents Deutsche Bank Luxembourg.

Noted for its litigation prowess, Szecskay Attorneys at Law also acts for investment banks on cross-border restructurings, and has seen a recent uptick in regulatory instructions concerning electronic trading. Judit Budai advises clients such as CIB Bank and Dexia Kommunalkredit Bank.

Marcell Clark leads the team at Dentons, which advises Austrian and German borrowers and lenders on real estate finance matters. Clark recently acted for Heitman on the acquisition financing of Science Park and Alkotás Point, two Budapest prime office buildings.

Edina Nagy heads the team at CHSH Dezsö, which acts for clients such as Erste Bank and UniCredit Bank Hungary on project and acquisition financings.

Erös Üqyvédi Iroda / Squire Sanders (US) LLP advises a stable of US and Hungarian clients on banking, new-money financing, refinancing and restructuring matters, including the renegotiation of credit agreements. Ákos Mester and Zsolt Fábián jointly head the team, which counts GE among its clients.

Of counsel Ferenc Lénárt leads Forgó, Damjanovic & Partners Law Firm’s banking practice, where Zoltán Forgó handles financing and regulatory matters for clients such as EBRD, DRB Bank and RBS. The team also advised Hungaropharma on the restructuring of its €60m financing agreement.

Law Office of Gárdos, Füredi, Mosonyi, Tomori recently advised Raiffeisen Bank on the distribution of Tesco’s banking products in Hungary. Name partner István Gárdos heads the banking group, and Erika Tomori is also recommended.

Noerr’s small team is representing the Hungarian arm of a multinational company which is a creditor in the insolvency proceedings of a Hungarian agricultural corporation. Zoltán Tenk heads the team.

Ágnes Fábry leads PRK Partners’ team, which works closely alongside colleagues in Prague to advise clients on club loans and acquisition finance.

Reti, Antall & Partners’ financing group has a close affiliation with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Areas of expertise include asset finance and structured finance.

Szabo Kelemen & Partners Attorneys advised a global card issuer on the Hungarian aspects of its restructuring, and assisted a multinational technology company on financial leasing and passporting issues. László Kelemen is ‘talented’, ‘client-focused’ and ‘experienced’.

TaylorWessing e|n|w|c Attorneys at Law mainly advises German and Austrian banks on matters including refinancing and debt recovery. Dénes Szabó and Torsten Braner are the key figures.