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‘Structured thinker’ and ‘professional’ litigator Péter Nagy of Nagy és Trócsányi heads a heavyweight three-partner, eight fee-earner team that represented Hungary’s second largest mobile operator Pannon GSM before the constitutional court and also acts for Suez Environnement Hungária in a dispute with the waterworks of the cities of Budapest and Pécs. Coca-Cola Beverages and CIB Bank are clients.

Oppenheim’s four-partner team, led by Tamás Eless, took over the defence of Deloitte in a €680m professional liability case brought by the Hungarian state in relation to the 1998 near-collapse of Postabank, successfully challenging a previous ruling against Deloitte. The team also represented OTP Bank on an ISDA dispute worth a notional €1bn, and acted for new client Carpathian Asset Management. ‘They make a serious effort to understand how we feel’ says a client.

Szecskay Attorneys at Law’s leading litigator András Szecskay and arbitrator Laurent Niddam head a team committed to alternative dispute resolution and whose clients include the Republic of Hungary and Auchan Magyarország. The firm is defending Richter Gedeon against Merck’s claim for patent infringement in relation to osteoporosis treatment Sedron, while also claiming damages sustained as a result of an interim injunction.

Erös Ügyvédi Iroda Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.’s Judit Kelemen acted for a leading UK supermarket in a number of cases, including defending a claim brought by a construction company. Clients also include IT company Albacomp in a competition-related case.

Lakatos, Köves and Partners’s Péter Lakatos, who heads a team of three, advised Endemol and Hugo Boss on IP disputes. Lakatos also advised Komercni Banka on litigation related to bankruptcy proceedings.

A core team of four lawyers at Martonyi és Kajtár Baker & McKenzie led by local partner József Antal defended a major telecoms company against a €18.75m damages claim brought by its former call centre operator. Competition issues are an area of strength; Zoltán Barakonyi was instructed on a major private enforcement case.

Réczicza White & Case LLP continues to prove its quality, winning new client HJ Heinz. István Réczicza, who leads work on the case, also acted for Deutsche Bank in an unjust enrichment case. Competition specialist Ildikó Czák acted for Colgate-Palmolive challenging a Hungarian Competition Office fine of more than $1m.

Andrékó Kinstellar has widened its dispute resolution paractice from a niche IP practice to include general commercial litigation and arbitration. Ádám Máttyus advised construction firm Colas-Hungária Építoipari settling a claim brought against a company it had acquired.

Milán Kohlrusz of CMS Cameron McKenna LLP represented a Hungarian energy company against the European Commission in a state aid matter regarding a long term power purchase agreement, and also acted for the Russian company responsible for the Russian Federation’s overseas property in three disputes worth $5m.

Registerd mediator Gábor Damjanovic heads the Forgó, Varga & Partners Law Firm team, which succeeded in changing a new law on the marketing of medicines when it represented Hungarian pharmaceutical firm Béres before the Constitutional Court. Clients also include OMV Hungária and international cosmetics company Oriflame, the latter on trademark proceedings. ‘The quality of the work surpassed that of other firms we used to work with’, says a client.

Siegler Law Office/Weil, Gotshal & Manges acts for its transactional clients on issues from employment to corporate law. Clients include Mol and EON, and concluded cases include successfully representing construction company Közgép in a dispute. László Nagy leads the practice.

Bogsch & Partners, particularly known for its IP work, takes on related court cases as well as representing its clients on other contentious issues. It also has expertise in taking cases before the National Consumer Protection Authority. Tamás Gödölle is the partner responsible for IP litigation.

Burai – Kovács & Partners’s Janos Burai-Kovács, known for his arbitration work, has also seen a rise in the number of tax litigation cases his team is handling.

D&P (Dezsö & Partners)’s focus is on tax and construction-related disputes.

Gide Loyrette Nouel – Ferenczy successfully represented Globus in 2008, settling a €400,000 commercial dispute before the arbitration hearing opened.

Partos & Noblet handles disputes for transactional clients, particularly in the TMT and construction sectors.

Arbitrator and mediator Attila Kovács handles disputes for the clients of Kovács Réti Szegheö Attorneys at Law.

Radnóczy & Mészáros Nörr Stiefenhofer Lutz’s László Mézáros heads a restructuring team that handles creditor litigation among other corporate restructuring issues.

Réti, Antall & Madl Landwell’s László Szücs represents the firm’s multinational and domestic clients in the employment courts.

Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds’s lawyers are experienced in construction, tax, employment and IP disputes.

Real estate developers are among the clientele of Szabo Kelemen & Partners Attorneys’s practice. It is led by László Kelemen, who also represented a Hungarian television broadcaster.

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Legal Developments in Hungary

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  • EC TRADE MARK LAW IN THE LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRY AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE CASE BAYERN INNOVATIV V OHIM

    This article tries to shed light on an important area of trade mark law in connection with a decision recently handed down by the European Court of First Instance (the "CFI"), more specifically with respect to the complex question of similarity between marks and confusion of the public. This question is naturally an issue of fact and evidence and is - to a large extent - imbued with subjectivity. Therefore, new cases brought before the courts always have to be assessed afresh, taking all the surrounding circumstances into consideration, and the outcome can at times be surprising, even for experienced trade mark lawyers.
    - Szecskay Attorneys at Law
  • HUNGARIAN DATA PROTECTION LAWS

    TRANSFER BY THE EMPLOYER OF EMPLOYEES' PERSONAL DATA TO THE US FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUNGARIAN DATA PROTECTION LAWS: In this article, we briefly address the issue of what requirements prescribed by Hungarian laws on data protection must be complied with by an employer that wishes to transfer the personal data of its employees to the United States.
    - Szecskay Attorneys at Law
  • THE "UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT CASE IN SOPRON"

    The Supreme Court's decision in this Sopron underground parking lot case has been one of the hottest topics in the legal playing field in the past few months. We briefly discuss the decision below, and describe a possible way to solve the problems it has raised.
    - Szecskay Attorneys at Law
  • Changes regarding the Standard Sectoral Classification of Economic Activities

    The Act XCVI of 2008 (hereinafter the: “Act”) on the amendment of Act V of 2006 on the Public Company Information, Company Registration and Winding-up Proceedings and on the modification of other statutes in respect to the publication of the annual report and the Sectoral Classification of Economic Activities entered into force on December 27, 2008.
    - Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds
  • On the amendment of the acts affecting the labour relations

    The main purpose of the amendment of several pieces of legislation affecting the arranged labour relations is to make the regulation simpler, and to make it more transparent and easier to apply. Most of the newly introduced provisions entered into force on 1 June 2009.
    - Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds
  • Regarding the deposition and publication of Annual Reports

    New provisions shall apply for the Annual Reports to be submitted after 1 May 2009. The new provisions are prescribed by Act XCVI of 2008 on the modification of the Company Registration Act on the deposition and publication of the Annual Reports submitted in compliance with the Accounting Act. The relevant provisions of Act XCII of 2003 on the Rules of Taxation were modified simultaneously. The purpose of the modifications is on the one hand that the submitted annual reports shall become public as soon as possible, on the other hand that a more effective control mechanism and sanctioning shall apply for the companies, which fail to submit their annual report.
    - Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds
  • Regarding the recent amendment of the Competition Act

    On March 23, 2009, the Hungarian Parliament passed the bill amending Act No. 57 of 1996 on the Prohibition of Unfair Trading Practices and Unfair Competition (hereinafter: “Competition Act”). The amendment entered into force on June 1, 2009, and affects the following areas:
    - Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds
  • Environment Law 2009: Hungary

    A practical insight to cross-border Environment Law
    - Oppenheim
  • Product Liability 2009: Hungary

    A practical insight to cross-border Product Liability work
    - Oppenheim
  • RECENT CHANGES TO EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION

    RECENT CHANGES TO EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATIONIN HUNGARYby Prague / Bratislava / Budapest www.prkpartners.com Legislative changes concerning the Hungarian Labour Code and the rules pertaining to the protection of workers’ safety and health Effective as of January 1, 2009 significant legislative measures were adopted by the Hungarian Parliament concerning several labour-related issues. Specifically, the new Act, bearing the number LXI. of 2008, amended various provisions of Act XXII. of 1992 on the Hungarian Labour Code and the rules pertaining to the protection of workers’ safety and health governed by Act No. XCIII of 1993. The amendments serve two main purposes. By refining the implementation of the relevant EC Directives the amendments seek to introduce more flexible and market friendly provisions regarding annual leave, work on national holidays and also enhances the provisions relating to workers’ safety.
    - Bellák & Partners Law Office

Press releases

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