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Dispute resolution
‘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.