The Legal 500

The ‘highly efficient’ team at CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hasche Sigle gained new clients and expanded its resources in 2010. It is instructed by Baxter, BP and Johnson & Johnson on regulatory and contractual matters; and Hungarian oil corporation MOL and OTIS on acquisitions. Recent highlights include advising Gazprom on the setup of a gas storage facility and joint venture and the implementation of the energy treaty between Russia and Serbia; and Austrian energy supplier EVN on its acquisition of Macedonian electricity supplier ESM and the establishment of subsidiaries in Serbia and Montenegro. The team advised the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development's working group on Serbia's new company law. Radivoje Petrikic heads the practice.

Harrisons Solicitors scooped the largest transaction ever to be undertaken in Serbia, winning instructions from the Serbian government to act on its forthcoming €1.5bn sale of Telekom Srbija. The team has a strong track record advising the EBRD and other banks on innovative financings for equity investments in both Serbia and Montenegro. The firm’s Montenegro office advised Deutsche Bank/Credit Suisse on the country’s first ever Eurobond offering.

Moving forward in terms of regional coverage and looking to attract more German and Turkish investors through its new German desk, Karanovic & Nikolic is still the largest Serbian law firm, despite recent staff losses. The firm has a specialist tax group, which is invaluable when advising on transactions such as Danone’s potential acquisition of Knjaz Milos water bottling and Mlekara Subotica dairy. It is the partner of choice for global law firms, and cooperated with Clifford Chance on advice to Anheuser Busch Inbev on the sale of its breweries to CVC Capital Group in 2010.

The three partners at Bojovic Dasic Kojovic are instructed on the highest profile M&A deals. The ‘very professional’ Tijana Kojovic managed the team’s advice to CVC Capital Group in the $3bn sale of Anheuser Busch Inbev’s breweries in the CEE’s largest ever private equity deal. Kojovic also headed advice given to Atlantik Grupa in the top M&A deal in the Adriatic region in 2010 – the acquisition of the Serbian assets of Droga Kolinska, valued at approximately €380m. ‘We believe it to be one of the top Serbian law firms in this category. It offers very sensible commercial advice in a difficult legal environment, together with a high level of client service.’

Milica Subotic at JPM Jankovic, Popovic & Mitic in cooperation with CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati receives praise for her ‘good business logic in combination with excellent legal knowledge’, and was instrumental in closing the sale of one of the largest dairy companies in Serbia; and providing advice to Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor, Slovenia, in connection with the acquisition of state-owned credit bank, Kragujeva. The firm is equally adept at advising domestic and European clients.

Joksovic, Stojanovic & Partners provides diversified legal services covering IT law – according to clients, Alex Petrovic is Serbia’s ‘leading IT practitioner’, as well as media, IP, sports, employment and health law. Bosch and Siemens trade marks have been protected in counterfeiting actions. Co-operating regularly with international firms, Petar Stojanovic is representing Edison on two tenders for a lignite-fired power plant project. Milan Joksovic has advised Siemens on a merger with a subsidiary of German electronics company Loher. One client commented that ‘if there were more law offices like it, foreign investors in Serbia would be guaranteed that their investments are protected’.

Competitors agree that Moravcevic Vojnovic Zdravkovic OAD in cooperation with Schoenherr is a force to be reckoned with on the Serbian corporate scene, having increased its proportion of non-Austrian clients significantly by gaining Philips, Samsung and Lukoil and acting on most of the major corporate transactions in the last year. The energy projects practice has expanded, with the team now acting for the government and power utility of the Republic of Srpska as well as on three energy deals in the region. Traditionally strong in insurance, telecoms, oil and gas and IT/media, the practice advised Axel Springer on its joint venture with Ringier, creating the largest print media business in Eastern Europe; and Siemens was assisted on the spin-off of its IT unit. The firm’s regional reach is a bonus for clients, noteably Procter & Gamble on its acquisition of Sara Lee’s air freshener business. Head of the practice Matija Vojnovic is recommended.

Prica & Partners ‘stands out as a firm which provides both the level of services expected plus a good atmosphere of friendly co-operation’. Regularly advising clients such as AstraZeneca, Procter & Gamble and DuPont on general matters, the team is also a stalwart for acquisitions and transactions, having advised a number of electricity-sector names on acquisitions recently. In 2010, Chrysler was advised on its separation from Daimler and intra-company share transfers. Darija Ognjenovic is ‘very good in communication with clients and colleagues, identifying the legal parameters of business objectives and matching them with appropriate legal solutions’.

Although Spasic & Partners has declined in terms of lawyer numbers, Darko Spasic is still perceived to be a prominent figure in the privatisation field, regularly acting on the side of state institutions. Clients choose the firm for its ‘knowledge of regulations and initiative in changing certain legislative solutions’.

Wolf Theiss Vienna in co-operation with Serbian lawyers’ corporate team of 15 highly trained and experienced lawyers is headed by Miroslav Stojanovic. Specialising in complex cross-border transactions, the group advised Nordzucker, one of Europe’s leading sugar producers, on the €40m sale of its stake in Sunoko; and IKEA on its entry into Serbia, drafting and negotiating the investment agreement between IKEA and the Republic of Serbia. The team continues to advise Gazprom on unique corporate governance issues arising after the €700m privatisation of NIS.

Law Office Baklaja Igric Mujezinovic in association with Clyde & Co LLP is seen as ‘very good value for money’ by those who instruct this member of the Clyde & Co association. The office is ‘much more practical and commercial than the larger firms’, and has particular experience in the media and internet sectors, Djordje Igric having advised on several acquisitions here.

Gide Loyrette Nouel repositioned its offering in Serbia has to focus on providing the firm’s French clients with local law advice through five lawyers based in Belgrade and international expertise from its regional hub in Budapest, where supervising partner Francois D’Ornano is based. Novel points of law have been recently tackled on behalf of clients in the oil and gas, river transport and life assurance sectors, and the firm continues to be active in PPP projects in the jurisdiction.

Nikolic Kokanovic Otasevic has proved its worth to a raft of satisfied clients who note the team’s ‘Anglo-Saxon style and approach, language skills, quick response and business-oriented and practical advice’ making it ‘very attuned to the needs of Western multinationals and other high-calibre international clients’ with ‘highly competitive pricing’. The firm recently advised Actavis Group in relation to the restructuring of bank loans. Cedomir Kokanovic is ‘technically superior and one of the best corporate lawyers in the market. His advice is mature, clear and straightforward’. The team is said to be ‘uniformly intelligent, very sensitive to client needs and knowledgeable across the range of areas of law’, and is one to watch going forward.

Significant clients Fiat and Iveco have instructed three-partner Law Office Kosic on a range of matters over 15 years, from contract-drafting to joint ventures and litigation. A recent trend for the Italian-oriented firm has been assisting Italian investors to obtain licences for the construction of energy-generating wind turbines.

Having built up a strong reputation in the protection of IP rights for clients such as Coca-Cola and Pernod Ricard, Mikijelj Jankovic & Bogdanovic has recently been engaged in several international proceedings relating to IP issues and a construction contract. Also active in transactions and technology transfers, major recent deals include advising on the acquisition of a Serbian TV company and assisting new Italian construction client Rivoli on business expansion. Associate Vladimir Djeric is ‘good value for money, with short response times, and hands-on approach’, and the firm ‘entirely devotes itself to the client’.

Radomir Milosevic at Law Office Milosevic is highly regarded as ‘a safe pair of hands’ for his international arbitration and domestic dispute resolution capabilities. The firm also has a long track record in assistance to corporates in the IT, brewing, textile and banking sectors on acquisitions and share sales; and previously advised the government on the privatisation of the tobacco industry.

Clients are ‘very satisfied’ with Ninkovic Law Office, which has ‘always responded within deadlines and demonstrated great knowledge in local laws’. Ivan Krsikapa is regularly instructed by international law firms to provide guidance on regulatory matters and securities; and advises Motorola and Essilor on data protection, corporate and employment law issues.

The German-language capabilities available at Tomic Stevic Dulic ensure that automotive clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Chevrolet together with other German blue-chips turn to the multilingual team for advice on tax, commercial and corporate matters.

Domestic and international clients have consulted Law Office of Tomislav Sunjka in Novi Sad on a wide range of matters from acquisitions to privatisations, cross-border financing structures and share purchases. The team most recently executed a change of legal form from public company to stock company for Nikola Tesla airport.

Zivkovic & Samardzic Law Office made its mark as an insurance and litigation firm, but has proved its credentials as an all-round offering with a range of international and domestic clients in the media, publishing, retail and integration services sectors. The team recently advised Austrian footwear chain Stiefelkönig on establishing a Serbian presence. Nebojsa Samardzic heads the seven-lawyer corporate team.

DLA Piper in co-operation with Milan Samardzic opened in June 2009 and is oriented towards foreign investment into Serbia in the form of finance, M&As and projects. St Jude Medical was advised on an asset purchase and banks including EBRD, Raiffeisen and Meinl were assisted with financings and receivables. Milan Samardzic is spearheading the firm’s re-entry into the Serbian market.

Law Office of Djordje Djurisic continues to be active in the field of dispute resolution, recently receiving a mandate from the government of Serbia in a multimillion-euro international arbitration case involving commercial and international law.

Kinstellar d.o.o. enlarged its central and southeast European footprint by officially opening its Belgrade office in March 2010. Corporate and restructuring expert David Davies was joined by former Wolf Theiss Vienna in co-operation with Serbian lawyers lawyer Branislav Maric to assist on matters governed by English law. Many of these mandates came from international and domestic clients in the life assurance and banking sectors that were attracted by the firm’s blend of local and European law expertise.

Lawyers at PWC Legal (formerly Milovanovic & Associates Attorneys at Law) have undertaken a number of due diligence mandates on the buy side in large-scale acquisitions and assisted regular clients such as Alcatel, Panasonic and adidas with general corporate governance matters. Mirko Kovac is ‘a very crisp and pleasant first point of contact’.

IP boutique Cabinet Pavlovic is highly regarded for its expertise in this area and represents international law firms and clients such as L’Oréal and Hugo Boss.

Trifunovic & Cvetkovic have provided tax, IP and corporate advice to international clients.