The Legal 500

Senior associate Renars Gasuns is ‘an excellent specialist’ and head of bnt Klauberg Krauklis Attorneys-at-law’s transport practice. The group acts as general counsel to Scandlines Deutschland, which operates passenger shipping routes across the Baltic Sea.

Attorneys at Law Borenius’ clients include leading logistics clients such as TNT, which the firm advises on a variety of matters, and L-eskpresis, the only rail transport company operating from Latvia to Russia. Transport law specialist Gatis Flinters ‘seeks to find a balance between a strong defence for the client and finding an agreement acceptable for all involved parties’.

Eversheds Bitans acted for Finnish shipping salvage company Alfons Hakans to enforce an arbitral award concerning vessel salvage compensation, and advised airBaltic on the acquisition of eight next-generation aircraft from Bombardier. The team’s lawyers are ‘very co-operative, particularly in stress situations’.

Gencs Valters Law Firm represents some heavyweight companies particularly in the freight and logistics sectors, such as Tschudi Logistics of Norway as well as AP Moller-Maersk, which it is advising on restructuring. Valters Gencs leads the work.

Kronbergs & Cukste’s transport practice leans towards corporate work, much of which is led by Vineta Cukste, who has ‘a high sense of responsibility and excellent communication skills’. This included acting for SAS on the sale of its shares in airBaltic, and representing Riga Shipping on the sale of shares to Bergen Shipping.

Lawin has ‘a high level of expertise in the shipping market’, and its lawyers are ‘always helpful, hardworking and fast-learning’. The firm is advising several parties, including the senior lender, regarding airBaltic’s $212m financing and purchase of eight Bombardier aircraft. Senior associate and transport specialist Märis Brizgo is recommended.

MAQS Law Firm’s transport experts Sergei Petrov and Aleksandrs Kazachkovs are ‘ready to go into every detail of clients’ problems’. The firm is advising a leading international transportation company in a dispute concerning loss of cargo at sea.

Recent instructions for Raidla Lejins & Norcous’ broad practice include acting for Baxter Aviation on the proposed lease of an Airbus aircraft to Smartlynx Airlines, and advising Abbotswood Shipping Corporation in a $1.8m dispute with a Latvian insurance company. The highly respected Jevgenijs Salims is leading both matters.

Sorainen’s ‘young, keen and extremely competent’ team has ‘a level of knowledge that is unbeatable in their region’. In particular, department head Agris Repšs ‘focuses on the core questions’ and associate Jekaterina Badejeva is ‘young but terrifically efficient and smart’. The firm is advising Bombardier Transport France on the €200m public procurement to supply new trains to state-owned passenger carrier Pasažieru.

Tark Grunte Sutkiene’s clients include Royal Canin Latvia, which the firm is advising in a cargo loss claim, and Transimex, which it represented in a dispute concerning freight forwarding and insurance issues. Ivars Grunte and Linda Štrause are ‘key litigators in Latvia’.

If P&C Insurance is a key client of Varul, instructing the firm regarding multiple disputes including a €1.1m claim against Kuehne+Nagel Latvia that is pending appeal. Gints Vilgerts’ clients ‘feel safe with his assistance’, and he is supported by a team of ‘high-quality associates’.