The Legal 500

Andrékó Kinstellar is heavily involved in the financing of major energy projects, and regularly advises Hungary’s leading commercial and development banks as lenders. PPP specialist Csilla Andrékó assisted OTP Bank (as lender to Pannon Széleromu) on the financing of a 15MW wind farm. A standout instruction for the six-strong team was acting for a consortium of banks (fronted by MKB Bank) on the €384m refinancing of Trigránit Group’s WestEnd City Center.

CMS Cameron McKenna LLP’s 11-strong team advises domestic banks and large energy and resource companies on major gas projects, real estate refinancing and acquisition finance. Erika Papp and Iván Sefer are two of the most prominent project finance lawyers in Hungary, and Kinga Soltész joined the group from Lakatos, Köves and Partners in September 2011.

Horváth & Partners DLA Piper’s eight-strong group represents private and public bodies, and lead partner Péter Györfi-Tóth is advising the Ministry of National Development on restructuring and on a large number of sports and culture PPPs. KIKSZ is another key client.

Pál Takács heads Kajtár Takács Hegymegi-Barakonyi Baker & McKenzie’s four-strong team, which has developed a solid reputation for film financing. Newly promoted partner Dusán Lásztity recently advised MKB Bank on the refinancing of a major shopping centre. The team represents a number of other banks including OTP, Commerzbank and JPMorgan Chase.

Lakatos, Köves and Partners acts for major European banks as lenders on substantial Hungarian projects. Name partner Péter Köves acted for Walker and Williams Investment Group on financing of the Tópark Center development. Köves also led advice to Westdeutsche Immobilien Bank on several multimillion-euro facility agreements used to finance real estate developments. Other clients include Credit Suisse and Priverdna Banka Zagreb.

Réczicza White & Case LLP has a sturdy record in transport project financings, and is advising CIB Bank and M6 Duna Autópálya regarding the revision of finance agreements relating to the operation of the M5 and M6 motorways, respectively. Practice head Gergely Horváth assisted UniCredit Bank with modifying an existing €18m facility provided to BC-Therm for an energy generation project, and acted for European Investment Bank (EIB) on the asset financing of 25 trains.

Siegler Law Office/Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ projects team advised Montport Capital and Adriatic Marinas on their roles in the €300m financing of a luxury marina development in Montenegro, a matter supervised by David Dederick. Konrád Siegler assisted Globe Trade Centre on revising an existing €55m project finance agreement. Name partner Konrád Siegler heads the team.

In the latter half of 2010, Faludi Wolf Theiss advised MKB Bank and OTP Bank on the partial financing of a real estate development project in Budapest. The five-lawyer team has since advised new client Unicredit Bank in its role as arranger, lender and agent on the €46m financing of Waberer’s Holding’s logistics operations. Senior associate Gábor Erdös leads the group.

Gide Loyrette Nouel added significant depth to its projects team by recruiting four more lawyers including senior associates Gábor Felsen and Eszter Kamocsay-Berta, the latter as new head of projects and energy. The team is working with Serbian colleagues on several projects across Europe for a leading mixed transport operator, and is advising OTP on financing a hydropower plant in Békésszentandrás.

Viktória Szilágyi heads Nagy és Trócsányi’s team, which acts for prominent lenders including BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank. The firm has referral relationships with Latham & Watkins LLP and its Lex Mundi affiliate Uría Menéndez.

Oppenheim has a strong record in project finance, having advised construction companies on transport infrastructure projects, although a quiet year in terms of PPP-related work meant the team focused more on acquisition finance and restructuring.

CHSH Dezsö advised Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich and Phoenix Properties on office building developments in Budapest. The ‘accurate and reliable’ team leader Edina Nagy also represents prominent CEE banks as lenders on the project loan refinancings.

Erös Üqyvédi Iroda / Squire Sanders LLP’s main project finance experience is in the hotels and leisure sector.

Morley Allen & Overy Iroda’s Budapest office has experienced a slowdown in domestic project finance work, but it remains active in energy projects regionally. Recent work includes advising EBRD on financing of a €200m power plant project in Slovenia, and assisting ING Bank with a wind farm in Poland.

Managing partner Christopher Noblet leads Partos & Noblet’s project finance team.

Szecskay Attorneys at Law represents lenders on project financing. Judit Budai heads the practice.