Vukmir & Associates > Zagreb, Croatia > Firm Profile

Vukmir & Associates > The Legal 500 Rankings

Croatia > Intellectual property Tier 1

IP remains a cornerstone of Vukmir & Associates‘ business strategy, in spite of the firm’s successful expansion into broader corporate, commercial and litigation activity. Indeed, the firm has the edge over its competitors by dint of its “first mover advantage” (the firm has been focused on work in the space for over 25 years), as well as its ability to resource matters across the waterfront of contentious and non-contentious work with true experts in the field. A doyen of the IP ecosystem in Croatia, Mladen Vukmir is recognised as ‘a well-known visionary in the field of IP’ and not only continues to attract a substantial amount of trade mark enforcement and prosecution work but is also an inspirational figure for younger members of the team to learn from. Carla Biancotti, who is ‘dedicated to details as well as the overall picture’, also has many years’ experience in the field and heads up both the IP filing department and the firm’s Italian desk. Mirjana Jurišić co-heads the overarching IP team alongside Biancotti and Vukmir and excels in advising clients on copyright protection and complicated patent litigation. At a more junior level, Ivan Ćuk has successfully carved out a niche counselling clients in relation to the protection of designations of origin and geographical indications; senior associate Aleksander Bijelic is ‘well-versed in trade mark and patent matters’; and associate Lidija Gepert excels at handling domain name disputes.

Croatia > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 2

The 'very responsive' team at Vukmir & Associates continues to gain traction in the financial services sector and advises a growing roster of banks, leasing companies and insurers across a wide range of transactional and regulatory work. Although the team has been traditionally more active for foreign clients, it has recently made inroads into the domestic banking sector, including expanding the remit of its work for Zagrebačka banka, which it advised on the process for the introduction of new derivatives products on the market. Ivan Ćuk has been pivotal to this work and is a key member of the team that also includes Tomislav Pedišić, who is particularly adept at advising custodians on the capital markets.

Croatia > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2

The ‘knowledgeable and dedicated’ team at Vukmir & Associates provides ‘solutions-oriented advice’ across a range of corporate, commercial and M&A mandates, particularly for clients in regulated industries, as well as IP-rich entities (where it is able to leverage its market-leading IP practice). In addition, the firm provides a compelling and cost-effective service to start-ups and has helped many to successfully scale up their business operations. The team has ‘vast experience in international transactions’, an area in which the ‘exceptional’ team head Sanja Tkalec Kovac and Tomislav Pedišić are particularly accomplished.

Croatia > Dispute resolution Tier 2

Leveraging its position as ‘the best IP law firm in Croatia’, unsurprisingly Vukmir & Associates continues to mine a fertile seam of disputes work in the space, including on trade mark, copyright and patent disputes, as well as domain name and geographical indication litigation. Mladen Vukmir has been a pioneer in relation to the use of ADR techniques in Croatia, and as well as his fee-earning work in the field, his expertise is also acknowledged by his frequent appointment as an arbitrator. The firm has also effectively broadened the scope of its litigation capability and is regularly engaged in banking, corporate and employment disputes.