Cechová & Partners > Bratislava, Slovakia > Firm Profile

Cechová & Partners
STAROMESTSKA 3
811 03 BRATISLAVA
Slovakia

Slovakia > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 2

Cechová & Partners is recommended for its ‘very good commercial understanding, which it uses proactively in balancing business interest against legal requirements’. The firm generates work from a broad client base, including foreign and Slovak banks, facility arrangers, foreign investors, security houses, collective investment companies, e-money and payment services institutions, insurance and re-insurance companies. Particular areas of expertise are loan transactions and other financial product transactions, as well as financial restructurings and reorganisations. Practice head Simona Haláková is well regarded for advising on the regulatory aspects of banking, finance and capital markets.

Practice head(s):

Simona Haláková

Other key lawyers:

Miroslav Zatko

Testimonials

‘A very good commercial understanding, which it uses proactively in balancing business interest against legal requirements.’

‘Katarina Cechova and Miroslav Zatko are always accessible with a very swift response time, in addition they provide very openminded and to the point legal advice.’

‘Simona Halakova has provided excellent service to us without delay and technically proficient. A pleasure to work with.’

Key clients

Bank of America Merrill Lynch,

BLACKROCK, INC.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB

Citadel Securities Europe Limited

Bastion Insurance Company

Swiss RE Corporate Solutions Ltd

Simmons & Simmons

Barclays

Coinbase

Leonteq Securities (Europe) GmbH

Work highlights

  • Provided comprehensive banking & finance regulatory legal advice to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, in connection with financial instrument trading in Slovakia, including trading in securities, precious metals and commodity derivatives with precious metals as the underlying commodity, as well as the provision of regular updates on legislative developments in the area of trading related to these financial instruments in Slovakia.
  • Advising Blackrock Inc. being the world’s largest asset management company and its Luxembourg and Irish investment funds on complex of regulatory aspects of providing collective investments services in Slovakia.
  • Provided complex regulatory advice to Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB on the cross-border provision of products/services into Slovakia, mainly on market access, applicable licensing requirements, as well as an advice on the wording of respective contracts and documents.

Slovakia > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2

Cechová & Partners is notably active in the FMCG, automotive, life sciences and transportation sectors. The team, which is jointly led by Katarína Čechová and Lenka Šubeníková, is able to generate mandates from private equity investors, global law firms and multinational corporates, among others. It acts on domestic and cross-border transactions and projects, as well as joint ventures and corporate reorganisations. Associate Miroslav Zaťko has expertise in corporate governance matters.

Practice head(s):

Katarína Čechová; Lenka Šubeníková

Other key lawyers:

Miroslav Zaťko

Testimonials

‘A very hands-on way of working and good knowledge of the various legal fields relevant for M&A. Also the team is very responsive.’

‘Individuals are very responsive, think along and they think further than what is strictly requested by the client. Also, all team members are very friendly and strong in their communication.’

Key clients

ABB Optical Group

AFS Technologies Inc

ait-deutschland GmbH

Allergan

Amgen

Bausch Health

Cinema Holding/Cinema City

CROWN Group

EIM Interim Management

Hengstler

Inalfa Roof Systems

LEDVANCE

Lenovo

Mattoni 1873

Merck Sharp & Dohme

Minerals Technologies

NORDZUCKER GROUP

Ohpen

PACCAR Financial

Takeaway.com

Santen

Schiesser

Smartwings

SMRC (former Reydel)

syncreon

Telecom Italia (TIM) / Noovle Slovakia

Vertiv

Vienna Airport / Flughafen Wien AG

Work highlights

  • Assisted Takeaway.com Central Core B.V. with acquisition of online food delivery service bistro.sk, through acquisition of a Slovak company (after complex carve out of unrelated businesses).
  • Assisted Telecom Italia (TIM) with acquisition of part (ICT and cloud consultancy business) of Noovle group, particularly via indirect acquisition of Noovle Slovakia.
  • Advice to ABB Optical Group on its acquisition of business from Mindent Solutions, Inc. dba Affinity Analytics operating business of providing (i) a marketing platform in the form of software as a service for optometry practices and (ii) vision insurance claims processing services for the routine vision insurance claims of optometry practices.

Slovakia > Dispute resolution Tier 2

The litigation team of Cechová & Partners represents clients in disputes at courts, arbitration tribunals and in administrative proceedings. The firm participates in foreign and domestic arbitration tribunals, as well as serving as arbitrators in a range of disputes. Other particular strengths include commercial litigation, real estate disputes, damages claims and incidental proceedings, and the practice also acts in pro bono legal assistance. Expert arbitrator Katarina Cechova ‘perfectly uses her knowledge of corporate law and business realities in resolving court disputes’. She co-leads the team with associate Juliana Turcekova , who focuses on real estate disputes, employment litigation and commercial litigation.

Practice head(s):

Katarína Čechová; Juliána Turčeková

Other key lawyers:

Tomas Rybar; Peter Fedor

Testimonials

‘I worked with Cechova in international court cases. The flow of information was at a very good level. Cechova’s lawyers were responsive, proactive, proposing solutions and strategies themselves. Their excellent care made it possible to handle the foreign case with ease and as if it were in my home country.’

‘Tomas Rybar and Peter Fedor are very responsive and pragmatic lawyers – always on duty. Katarina Cechova, a partner of the name, perfectly uses her knowledge of corporate law and business realities in resolving court disputes.’

Key clients

Mattoni

Tubex Slovakia

YIT

Eiffage Construction

SMRC (former Reydel) Automotive Slovakia s.r.o., a member of Motherson Group

DAF Trucks

PACCAR Leasing

P.E.M.

FKP Sojuzplodoimport

Smartwings

Merck, Sharp & Dohme

Reutter SK

RONA

ACCTIVE design corp.

Slovenský autoimport a.s. (SAI)

Work highlights

  • Represents Eiffage Construction Slovenská republika, s. r. o. in significant litigation with former management, including a separate proceeding on security injunction.
  • Represented SMRC Automotive Slovakia s.r.o. in a court proceeding regarding damage compensation due to a defective contractual performance.
  • Represented Merck Sharp & Dohme in litigation concerning conditions of entry of an innovative medicinal product into the system of reimbursement from public insurance, representation on multiple related administrative proceedings

Slovakia > Employment Tier 2

Cechová & Partners assists clients with day-to-day HR matters, as well as a range of complex regulatory and compliance issues. In addition, the firm is also active in Covid-19 matters, including remote working advice. Employment and privacy expert Tomáš Rybár leads the team and can call on Lenka Subenikova , who advises on M&A, transfers of employees, management contracts, corporate reorganizations, mass layoffs and employment aspects of companies entering the Slovak market.

Practice head(s):

Tomáš Rybár

Other key lawyers:

Lenka Šubeníková; Peter Fedor

Testimonials

‘Collaboration of the team is every time useful and professional. The use the most relevant sources and technology to achieve and fulfill tasks.’

‘I mainly cooperate with Tomáš Rybar and Peter Fedor. Both are professionals and their knowledge and expertise helped me a lot in different situations.’

‘All of the individuals I work with are professionals in the area I need and always here to help and discuss. Also they do their best to know their client so the cooperation is smooth and extremely effective. We work with Tomas Rybar who knows our company long term and is able to partner with us very effectively.’

Key clients

Lenovo

Crown Packaging

Merck Sharp & Dohme

LEDVANCE

Amgen

Hengstler

Vertiv

Reutter SK

TUBEX SLOVAKIA, s. r. o.

Globalization Partners

Booster

Work highlights

  • Assisting Lenovo with all employment matters of the largest European shared services center of the company, including COVID-19 impact.
  • Providing comprehensive employment law assistance to Merck, Sharp & Dohme, including disciplinary actions, terminations, restructurings, employee transfers, investigations, standard documentation, privacy. Assistance with the process of spin-off of the Organon business.
  • Assistance to 3 clients in engineering and manufacturing sector with collective bargaining process, related negotiations and analyses, including assistance in case of a strike action and termination of strike, finalization of collective bargaining agreements.

Slovakia > Real estate and construction Tier 2

Providing broad expertise in real estate development projects and transactions, Cechová & Partners is active in project finance transactions connected with disposals of real estate, including energy construction plants. It also specialises in construction and zoning law matters, notably representing clients in proceedings in front of construction authorities. Elsewhere, the firm has a strong real estate litigation practice covering disputes related to ownership of title, construction and contractual matters, municipality administration and environmental issues. Team head Lenka Šubeníkov focuses on project developments, real estate transactions, tenancy relations, leasing and construction law matters. Also active in the area is Katarína Čechová, who is known for handling greenfield projects in Slovakia.

Practice head(s):

Lenka Šubeníková

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Reliable, professional support with a friendly handling.’

‘Lenka Subenikova is a very organized, skillful and friendly partner to work with. She and her team are responsive, proactive thinking with valuable contributions and solutions to tackle the projects both, legally and economically in a most reasonable way.’

‘I think the team members have the required expertise and awareness in order to properly support their clients on commercial topics.’

Key clients

Amgen

Crown Bevcan Slovakia (Crown Group)

Global City RE Group [former name Cinema City]

Hengstler

Inalfa Roof Systems

Lenovo

LR Comfort (subsidiary RONA Group)

Merck, Sharp & Dohme

Santen

SMRC (previously Reydel)

YIT

Work highlights

  • Assistance to YIT in several key development projects in Bratislava. Complex legal advice on various ownership and contractual matters, settlement of contractual matters, construction and contractual law related matters regarding preparation and realization of multifunctional projects in Bratislava and representing the client in two significant recently settled court disputes related to titles to significant real estates for construction project development.
  • Complex assistance to Amgen in lease negotiation as a premier tenant in a major new office development and related lease termination in the existing premises.
  • Advising SMRC Automotive Solutions Slovakia s.r.o. in further extension of its plant in Nitra. Assistance has been currently focused on preparation and negotiations of a future lease agreement for extension – newly built leased facilities in Nitra – for purposes to extend production and stock facilities in Slovakia.

The firm: Čechová & Partners is an independent Slovak law firm with a 30-year history. Since our establishment in 1990, we have been solving our clients’ legal issues in the areas of Slovak and European law. Our skills are reflected in our work and the satisfaction of our clients, as well as by our top ratings in numerous international and Slovak legal rankings every year.

Our primary focus is on corporate clientele. Our clients include foreign companies (often multinational organisations and their subsidiaries), as well as large international law firms and local businesses. We are delighted that many of our clients return to us and have sought our advice on a regular basis for many years. With some of our clients, we cooperate almost on a daily basis. With others, we work on specific individual projects.

Our attorneys speak many different languages – Slovak, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Hungarian. Therefore, we are able to communicate with our clients better and also understand their requests from their perspective. This is part of our first value – Professionalism. We view our clients as our partners. We are able to bring together a comprehensive team of experts, enabling us to provide clients with advice on different types of agenda.

Our second value is – Flexibility. We know that only having good knowledge of the law is no longer enough if we want to be among the best. We aim to identify and adapt to unique and changing requirements as rapidly as possible.

And last, but not the least, our main value – Integrity. We value the trust that our clients place in us. We work in line with the principles of decency and honesty, which we put first in the relationship between our law firm and clients. In recognition of these values, we advocate the principles of the fight against corruption, and apply the principles of internal compliance. We encourage all of our employees to adopt the same approach.

Areas of practice
M&A transactions: M&A advice forms the core of the firm’s practice. Cechova & Partners regularly advises foreign investors, multinationals and local clients on a variety of M&A and restructuring matters.

Competition and antitrust: the team acts on a broad range of competition matters including compliance issues, representing clients vis-à-vis the Slovak competition authority in antitrust investigations.

Corporate and commercial: Cechová & Partners is regularly involved in a large number of corporate matters, as well as contract drafting and reviews, including the areas of commercial, financial and civil contracts.

Labour and employment: the practice is one of the largest in Slovakia and provides full employment and labour law assistance including employment contracts, employment termination, damage actions, works councils, collective bargaining, anti-discrimination, employee data protection, health and safety at work, employee pensions, share plans and benefits.

Banking and finance: The firm’s clients include banks, facility arrangers, foreign investors, security houses, financial institutions and insurance companies.

Data protection and privacy: Cechova & Partners advises on standard data protection duties of controllers and processors, notifications and registrations, communication with the local authority, internal documentation, security of personal data, monitoring, cross-border transfers, binding corporate rules, privacy shield, and further aspects of the new GDPR.

Real estate and construction: Cechova & Partners gained respectable experience in the field of real estate development, advising in significant real estate deals to major international clients, investors, private equity funds, developers, banks, other providers of financing, property managers and other clients, dealing with all aspects of real estate transactions.

Regulatory and compliance: regulatory assistance is a key area, in particular in the fields of pharmaceuticals, food, IT, privacy, consumer protection, product safety, energy, transportation, postal services and public procurement. The law firm is a leading team in life sciences matters, including promotion, reimbursement and clinical trials. Compliance reviews and forensic assistance are also of prominence.

Dispute resolution: Cechova & Partners’ litigation team represents clients in various types of disputes at courts, arbitration tribunals and in administrative proceedings.

Insolvency and restructurings: Cechova & Partners regularly advises its clients on insolvency and restructuring matters while Katarina Cechova, partner, is licensed as a bankruptcy and restructuring trustee.

DepartmentNameEmailTelephone
Corporate and Commercial Katarina Cechova
Corporate and Commercial Tomas Maretta
Corporate and Commercial Lenka Subenikova
Competition and Antitrust Tomas Maretta
Competition and Antitrust Marek Holka
M&A Katarina Cechova
M&A Lenka Subenikova
Real Estate and Construction Lenka Subenikova
Real Estate and Construction Katarina Cechova
Labour and Employment Tomas Rybar
Labour and Employment Lenka Subenikova
Litigation and Arbitraton Katarina Cechova
Banking, Finance, Capital Markets Simona Halakova
Banking, Finance, Capital Markets Michaela Jurkova
Telecommunications, IT, Media Simona Halakova
Telecommunications, IT, Media Tomas Rybar
Regulated Industries, Public Law Simona Halakova
Regulated Industries, Public Law Tomas Rybar
Compliance and Investigations Tomas Rybar
Intellectual Property Michaela Jurkova
Life Sciences and Pharma Tomas Rybar
Life Sciences and Pharma Marek Holka
Data Protection and Privacy Tomas Rybar
Insolvency and Restructuring Katarina Cechova
Insolvency and Restructuring Michaela Jurkova
Company and Commercial Katarina Cechova
Company and Commercial Tomas Maretta
Company and Commercial Lenka Subenikova
PhotoNamePositionProfile
Katarina Cechova photoMrs Katarina CechovaManaging Partner. During 34 years of continuous legal practice Katarina advised and…
Peter Fedor photoMr Peter FedorAttorney / Senior Associate. Peter Fedor started to work in our law…
Simona Halakova photoMrs Simona HalakovaPartner. Simona is a head of banking & finance regulatory practice and regularly assists…
Marek Holka photoMr Marek HolkaAttorney / Senior Associate. Marek primarily deals with competition law and pharmaceutical…
Michaela Jurkova photoMs Michaela JurkovaPartner. Michaela Jurková is a partner in Čechová & Partners with more…
Tomas Maretta photoMr Tomas MarettaPartner. Tomas is an expert in the area of competition and antitrust…
Tomas Rybar photoMr Tomas RybarPartner. Tomas is active primarily in the fields of employment, pharmaceuticals, corporate…
Michal Simunic photoMr Michal SimunicAttorney. Michal advises various international clients having its subsidiary in Slovakia on…
Lenka Subenikova photoMs Lenka SubenikovaPartner. Lenka leads our real estate practice and specializes in project developments,…
Miroslav Zaťko photoMr Miroslav ZaťkoAttorney
Number of lawyers : 18
Slovak
English
French
German
Russian
Czech
Hungarian
Lex Mundi
World Services Group
IBA
AIJA
INSOL EUROPE
Slovak Bar Association
American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM)

Cechova & Partners has a long tradition of community involvement, cooperation with third sector organizations and pro bono activities. We are, inter alia, supporting projects and foundations focused on providing help to children with severe diseases, as well as projects fighting corruption and supporting an increased level of compliance and ethics in Slovakia. Attorneys of Cechova & Partners believe that they have a social obligation resulting from their status as legal professionals to provide such assistance and share their skills for the common good. To support those goals, a number of our attorneys serve on supervisory and advisory bodies of entities administering certain projects.

When it comes to gender diversity, Cechova & Partners stands at the forefront in Slovakia. Unusually for the Slovak business environment, the majority of partners and managers in Cechova & Partners are women. In 2018, Katarina Cechova won the title “Top Businesswoman of the Year”. The competition was organized by Slovakia’s business daily Hospodárske noviny (HN) [https://hnonline.sk/]. First, she was shortlisted as one of the top ten most recognized Slovak businesswomen and finally won both categories: the main award and also the “public votes” award.

We have been organizing charitable events – in recent years, proceeds from those events were used, among other things, to support projects of the League Against Cancer, to revitalize Malá scéna theatre in Bratislava and to support Anton Srholec’s resocialization community.

Our law firm has been supporting the Bator Tabor Foundation established in 2001. The main goal of this foundation is to provide life-changing experience, strength and tools to live and recover for seriously ill children (children with cancer, diabetes, chronic joint inflammation and haemophilia) and their families. The foundation returns these children to their carefree childhood, which they lost during the struggle with severe illness. Thanks to positive feelings and experience, it gives them feelings of success, boosts their self-confidence, helps them gain the power to fight the illness and increases their belief in recovery. Mrs. Katarina Cechova is a member of the board of Bator Tabor Slovakia Foundation. You can learn more about the foundation and its project here: https://batortabor.hu/en/

The law firm Cechova & Partners gives professional support to the Stop Corruption Foundation, which is focused on eliminating corruption and its aftermath with respect to the quality of life and business environment and protecting whistleblowers. You can learn more about this organization here: http://zastavmekorupciu.sk/.

In 2018, five of our lawyers spent almost 200 working hours working pro bono.