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thriveartwork each year schoenherr promotes an artist whose work reflects the firm’s spirit and the central theme of the firm‘s annual publication, the roadmap. This year‘s artist is Suzan Batu, an Istanbul-based artist of growing renown. Dynamic, bright, playful and joyous, Batu’s art fully captures the essence of this year’s theme.

thrive is the theme of this year’s edition of roadmap, which presents overviews from our lawyers on recent and upcoming legal developments in our core practice areas, as well as critical insights and analyses of these developments.

schoenherr is one of the top corporate law firms in Central and Eastern Europe. With our wide-ranging network of offices throughout CEE/SEE, we offer our clients unique coverage in the region. Our teams are tailor made, assembled from our various practice groups and across our network of offices. Such sharing of re-sources, local knowledge and international expertise allows us to offer the client the best possible service.

schoenherr attorneys at law

central & eastern europe

Many schoenherr lawyers are recognised leaders in their specialised areas of law. Our clients profit from the rich diversity of talents, languages and cultures that make our lawyers particularly versatile and adaptive.

core practices

tax

banking, finance & capital marketscompliance & white collar crime

employmenteu & competitioninsolvency & restructuringinsuranceip, it & life sciencesnew technologiesreal estateregulatory

dispute resolutioncorporate/m&a

leading lawyers

banking, finance & capital marketsschoenherr advises on banking, finance (including project and acquisition finance), debt restructuring and re-financing, acquisition and disposition of distressed assets and loan portfolios, claims trading, capital market transactions (including equity/equity linked, hybrid, debt and regulatory capi-tal issuances) funds, derivatives, structured finance, securitizations and other financial services. We provide transactional and regulatory advice. In addition, we support our financial services clients in their litigation and dispute resolution needs, from high-profile disputes and major investigations to reputational risk management and compliance issues. Our lawyers act for major international and regional banks, other financial institutions (in-surance companies, funds and asset managers), corporates (issuers, borrowers and sponsors), sovereigns, municipalities and quasi-sovereigns. Chambers Global (2013), IFLR1000 (2013) and Germany’s JUVE (2013) have all provided schoenherr’s banking and finance practice with their top tier rankings, and the practice also ranks in Tier 1 at Legal500 (2013) for its capital markets work. Services: Banking and other Financial Services Regulatory; Finance (including Acquisition and Project Finance); Debt Restructuring and Re-financing; Transactions in Distressed and/or Non-Core Assets; Debt and Equity (including Equity Linked and Hybrid) Capital Markets; Derivatives and Structured Finance; Funds and Asset Management.

compliance & white collar crimeIn all areas of business, companies are facing mounting levels of compliance risk. Conse-quently, effective corporate compliance measures, corporate criminal proceedings and investigations have markedly gained in importance. In response to this, and to better service the needs of our clients, schoenherr has established a dedicated criminal compli-ance and white collar crime team. The team’s substantive legal expertise in this area means it is well-equipped to handle all aspects of compliance and white collar criminal matters. Services: Compliance Management Systems, Programmes, Guidelines, Workshops and Trainings, Monitoring Systems; Whistleblowing Hotlines; Anti-bribery Law and White Collar Crime (Corruption, Fraud, Breach of Trust, Insider Trading, Money Laundering, Accounting Fraud, Insolvency Crimes, Environmental Criminal Law); Data Protection; Breach of Professional Secrecy.

corporate/m&aOur core practice is advising and representing clients on transactions and complex corporate and commercial matters. Over the years, the prac-tice group has built an outstanding record on headline and key transactions in Austria and throughout CEE/SEE. schoenherr’s M&A teams advise on national and cross-border transactions, including private M&A, public tender offers, transactions for listed companies, private equity and ven-ture capital transactions, auction sales, privatisations, strategic alliances and joint ventures. Dedicated teams within the practice group focus on restructuring and insolvency, working together with the firm’s insolvency specialists to advise on distressed companies M&A. Together with the firm’s regulatory specialists, the corporate/M&A group has developed industry-specific expertise covering inter alia the following sectors: energy, financial institutions, telecoms, automotive, media and pharmaceuticals. schoenherr’s corporate/M&A practice has consistently been ranked in the highest tier by acclaimed legal directories such as Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, IFLR1000, and Legal 500. Services: Corporate Governance; Cross-border Transactions; Joint Ventures; M&A; Privatisations; Public Takeovers; Private Equity; Venture Capital; Compliance Pro-grammes; (Corporate) Restructurings and Distressed Companies M&A; Reorganisations; All Measures of Corporate Structuring and Generational Change in Family Enterprises; Corporate Litigation; Sector-specific Transactions, including Financial Institutions, Energy and TMT.

dispute resolutionOur dispute resolution practice group has extensive experience in litigation, as well as commercial and investment arbitration. schoenherr’s long-standing experience in handling commercial disputes and drafting dispute resolution clauses makes the firm an effective advocate of its clients’ interests. schoenherr’s dispute resolution practice has retained its top-tier (Band 1) ranking in the 2013 editions of Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, and Legal500. Services: International and Domestic Commercial Litigation; Commercial Arbitration; Investment Arbitration; Construction Arbitration; Pretrial Work and Case Management.

employmentOur employment team advises on all aspects of employment law, from the beginning through to the end of the employment relationship, for both contentious and non-contentious matters. It focuses on employment issues arising in the course of mergers and acquisitions, transfer of undertakings, workforce and management restructuring, domestic and cross-border transfer of employees, downsizing and closure of produc-tion lines, employment tribunal litigation, white collar crime and employment related issues, workforce restructuring and related negotiations with employees and their representatives, as well as general non-contentious employment advice. Services: Restructuring and Reorganisation Plan-ning; Transfer of Undertakings; White collar crime and employment related issues; Contentious Employment Litigation; Compensation Structures (Executive and Non-executive); Management and Employment Contracts; Pension Plans; Share Ownership Plans (including Stock Options); Tailor-made in-house Client Seminars; Immigration; General non-contentious Employment Advice.

established schoenherr arrived in the region nearly two decades ago and came to stay. The firm’s lawyer turnover is one of the lowest in the industry – and clients benefit from this stability and continuity.

eu & competitionschoenherr’s competition practice advises clients from across all industries in merger control, anti-trust and state aid matters on the European and national levels throughout the firm’s comprehensive network in Central and Eastern Europe and its office in Brussels. Services: Merger Control/Multinational Filings; Antitrust Investigations/Litigation; Compliance Programmes; Strategic Cooperation / Joint Ventures; Distribution Agreements; State Aid; EU Law.

insolvency & restructuringschoenherr offers a unique combination of the know-how of a boutique insolvency firm and the comprehensive range of legal services of an in-ternational law firm. The firm’s insolvency and restructuring team covers all areas of insolvency law. It has an outstanding record in advising both lenders and distressed borrowers on pre-insolvency reorganization and re-financing, as well as extensive experience in representing creditors in insolvency proceedings and insolvency related litigation. In addition, the insolvency and restructuring team frequently acts as legal advisor in cross-border insolvency proceedings and is permanent counsel of international banking associations in connection with close-out netting issues. schoenherr‘s insolvency and restructuring team is well regarded for its ability to efficiently handle complex, large-scale restructurings and provid-ing comprehensive advice, drawing, where necessary, upon experts from other practice groups, such as banking & finance and corporate m&a. schoenherr’s insolvency & restructuring practice is the only Austrian practice to receive the top (Tier 1) ranking in Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, and Legal 500. Services: Pre-insolvency Reorganization and Refinancing; Protection of Creditors’ Rights; Representation in insolvency proceedings and insolvency-related litigation; Close-Out Netting; Distressed M&A.

insuranceschoenherr’s insurance practice group advises many of Austria‘s and Europe‘s leading in-surers on transactions in the insurance sector, as well as distribution structures, product design and all related regulatory and tax matters for life, non-life, and reinsurance busi-ness. Over the years, the prac-tice group has acquired a wealth of knowledge in the field of insurance contract and insurance supervisory law. Our insurance practice group provides detailed legal analysis of all applicable insurance laws and regulations, especially regarding life, d&o and property insurance. We also advise the Aus-trian Insurers‘ Association and provide assistance with Austrian insurance legislation. Services: Anti-corruption (Compliance Programmes, Guidelines, Monitoring Systems, etc); All Aspects of Life Insurance (including Product Design); Bancassurance; Distribution and Cooperation Agreements; General Terms and Conditions; Portfolio Transfers; Warranty Insurance in M&A Transactions; Regulatory and Compliance; Tax, including Implementation of FATCA; Insurance M&A and Insurance Restructuring (including Cross Border Mergers and Out-sourcing); Insurance-related Litigation.

ip, it & life sciencesschoenherr’s IP practice group has long-standing experience and an outstanding reputation in trademark, design, patent, copyright and unfair competition matters. The partners frequently represent parties in ground-breaking court cases in national and European courts. The team of IP lawyers and highly specialized paralegals is also active in combating product and software piracy, including customs seizures. The practice group administers several thousand IP rights (trademarks and designs), including the coordination of foreign IP rights in more than 185 juris-dictions. It also offers an integrated service on contentious and non-contentious IP, IT, and internet related issues and advises on M&A and finance transactions with an IP/IT focus. Other core areas are food and drug law, life sciences and unfair competition. Services: Anti-piracy; Bio-technology; Border Detention; Copyright; Designs; Domain Names; E-commerce; Food and Drug Law; IP Transactional Work (M&A, Finance); IT Outsourcing; Licensing; Litigation; Patents; Brand Development; Prosecution (TM and Designs); Pharmaceuticals; Research and Development Agreements; Software Agreements; Trade-marks; Unfair Competition.

schoenherr is a full service firm, offering not only transactional advice of the highest level, but also unmatched expertise in competition, regulatory, intellectual property and other more specialised areas of law.

full service

Quality, flexibility, innovation and practical problem-solving in complex commercial mandates are at the core of the schoenherr philosophy.We have a track record of getting deals done with our can-do, solution-oriented approach.

innovative

new technologiesIntelligent Devices, Apps, Cloud Computing, Social Media, Big Data and outsourced IT-services - modern technologies rarely follow traditional law sectors. In order to meet today the demands of tomorrow’s technologies, the newTech team combines the strength of leading experts in IP, IT, privacy, and telecommunications law. The newTech team provides true one stop shop legal services in the world of new technologies. Our combined know-how ensures an optimized understanding of our client’s needs and trans-sectoral, full coverage legal advice right from the start. Services: App-development; Big Data; Cloud Computing; Data Protection & Data Security; Domain Name disputes; E-commerce; New gTLDs; Global Anti-piracy; Interactive Web Applications; Outsourcing; General Terms & Conditions; Global Network Communication, Online Gaming; Social Media Platforms; Software Licensing; User-generated Content; Web-based Services; Webshops; Website Development.

real estateThe real estate practice group is highly regarded across CEE/SEE. It enjoys high visibility in the region’s largest and most important transactions and projects. The team advises clients on all legal aspects of their real estate business. The main focus of schoenherr’s real estate practice is advising investors and developers on the acquisition of real estate via asset and share deals, including tax structuring and financing; the development of real estate, from permits, to building contracts to lease contracts; sale and lease back; claim management; real estate-related litigation; joint ventures and PPP projects in connection with infrastructure; energy projects (solar parks, wind parks, photovoltaic plants); structuring real estate funds; innovative capital markets transactions and restructurings. Services: Acquisition/Sale of Real Estate and Real Estate Companies; Project Develop-ment; Construction; Due Diligence/Title Investigation; Financing Structures; Structuring of Real Estate Funds and Real Estate Stock Corporations; Lease Agreements; Sale and Lease Back; Claim Management; Contracts for Architects, General Contractors and Builders; Plant Construction and Building Permits; Land Registry Law; Real Estate-Related Litigation; PPP Projects in Connection with Infrastructure; Energy Projects (Solar Parks, Wind Parks, Photovoltaic Parks).

regulatoryschoenherr’s regulatory expertise and longstanding experience is recognised as the standard bearer for regulatory-related advice. By providing a wide-ranging and consistently reliable service, the regulatory practice group has successfully advised leading players in the infrastructure, en-ergy and utilities (electricity, oil, gas and hydro), waste, pulp, paper, mining, steel, automotive, glass, food, utilities, entertainment, pharmacy and research sectors. The team also advises stakeholders and public authorities on the current legislation and implementation of EU Directives. The practice group’s expertise guarantees comprehensive and first-rate legal advice in all matters of constitutional and administrative law, particularly with respect to environmental, energy, life science, privacy and telecommunications law, as well as privatisations, public private partnerships and public procurement. Services: Environmental Law (including Environmental Impact Assessments, Construction, Plant Licensing, Waste Manage-ment and Clean Ups); Infrastructure; Energy (including Renewables and Emission Trading); Telecoms; E-commerce and Data Protection; Health Institutions and Pharmacies; Privatisations; Public Procurement and PPPs; State Aid; Due Diligence.

taxschoenherr’s tax practice group advises domestic and international clients on their most sophisticated and challenging tax matters. Consider-ing the importance of tax aspects to the success of a transaction, our tax group seamlessly works together with the other schoenherr practice groups, in particular the corporate/m&a and banking, finance & capital markets groups. In the event of transactional advice, our tax group is involved from the outset and continues through into post transaction tax planning. The team also provides stand alone tax planning advice. Through detailed analysis of the client’s business it provides tailor-made tax solutions that fit the client’s particular needs. Services: International Taxation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Restructurings; Structured Finance, Capital Markets and Structured Products; Investment Funds; Domestic and International Tax Planning for Businesses and High Net Worth Individuals.

Quality, flexibility, innovation and practical problem-solving in complex commercial mandates are at the core of the schoenherr philosophy.We have a track record of getting deals done with our can-do, solution-oriented approach.

innovative

schoenherr’s outstanding reputation in all practice areas is evidenced by the firm’s numerous prestigious awards, including Emerging Europe Legal Adviser of the Year (Private Equity Awards, 2013),Law Firm of the Year: Austria (The Lawyer, 2012),Financial Services Deal of the Year (International M&A Awards, 2012),Austria Law Firm of the Year (Chambers Europe, 2011),Austrian Law Firm of the Year (Who‘s Who Legal, 2011),Ukraine Client Choice Award (International Law Office, 2011), andCross-Border Law Firm of the Year: Czech Republic (ACQ Law Awards, 2011).

central & eastern europe

www.schoenherr.eu