Rapid change has taken place across the region, accelerated by the accession of many of its countries to the EU.

Governments and leading global companies and financial institutions rely on Linklaters long-standing expertise in these fast-growing jurisdictions. The firm’s leading office in Poland serves as the regional hub, but Linklaters also has dedicated experts across the firm who specialise in jurisdictions such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and the Baltic States. Partners across Linklaters’ global offices staff specialised desks for Turkey and other parts of Central and Eastern and South East Europe. This allows the firm to maintain an in-depth knowledge of individual markets within the overall strength of Linklaters’ global network.

The firm has exceptionally strong relationships with local law firms in countries where it does not have offices. Through its long history of operating in this region, Linklaters has developed an unrivalled track record in complex and ground-breaking corporate/M&A, private equity, banking & finance, real estate and energy & infrastructure. The firm is uniquely able to unite global and local commercial understanding with successful project management.

Banking

Areas of expertise: acquisition finance, syndicated finance, trade and emerging markets finance, real estate finance, restructuring and insolvency

Experience:
  • Advising New World Resources, a Central European hard coal producer, listed at the London, Prague and Warsaw stock exchanges, on the balance sheet restructuring of the company. The restructuring had been proposed to respond to persistent global pressure on both coking and thermal coal pricing
  • Advising the temporary administrator and subsequently the bankruptcy administrator of Bankas Snoras, a Lithuanian universal bank with international operations and the largest deposit taking institution in Lithuania 
  • Advising Reavis, one of the largest Slovak real estate developers, on the PLN 214m financing and refinancing of a land acquisition in Warsaw
  • Advising The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ as coordinator in a syndicate of 17 banks on the €2bn multicurrency revolving credit facility for Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN S.A., a leading Polish refiner of crude oil
Key contacts
Marta Domino, Head of Banking & Finance

Capital Markets

Areas of expertise: equity and equity-linked products, debt and liability management

Experience:
  • Equity: advising on the equity issues by Gospodarki Żywnościowej, Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Mennica Polska, PZU, LC Corp and E-STAR Alternatív Energiaszolgáltató Nyrt 
  • EMTN programme establishment: advising both issuers and underwriters on the establishment of EMTN programmes by PGNiG, PKN Orlen S.A., First Investment Finance, City of Prague, City of Warsaw, Czech Republic and Romania acting through its ministries of finance
  • EMTN drawdowns and standalone issues: advising issuers and underwriters on the bond issues by Petrol d.d., Bank Ochrony Środowiska, Aperam, Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo, MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas, Telekom Slovenije, d.d. and others
  • Sovereign debt: advising on the bond issues by sovereigns including Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia
Key contacts
Jarosław Miller, Banking Partner

Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions

Areas of expertise: mergers and acquisitions, establishment of joint ventures, corporate reorganisation, general corporate advice.

Experience:
  • Advising PZU, the largest insurance company in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, on the acquisition of the Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Polish businesses of Royal & Sun Alliance. This was the first successful foreign acquisition by PZU 
  • Advising VAS Privatizacijas Agentura on the US$74m sale of a 75% stake in AS Citadele banka, the largest locally owned bank in Latvia with presences in Lithuania, Estonia and Switzerland, to a pool of private investors led by a US private equity firm, and arrangements with EBRD, the remaining shareholder of AS Citadele banka 
  • Advising Sberbank, Russia’s pre-eminant bank and the largest lender in Eastern Europe, on the US$3.5bn acquisition of DenizBank, one of the largest banks in Turkey. This is the first ever acquisition of a Turkish bank by a Russian bank, one of the largest acquisitions of a foreign bank by a Russian bank and the largest deal in EMEA in 2012 
  • Advising Lesaffre Serbia, the leader in the domain of bread-making yeast and yeast extracts, on its acquisition of certain identified assets and employees relating to Alltech Serbia's business of selling baker's yeast for human consumption. The transaction was of a strategic importance to Lesaffre for the development of its activities in Eastern Europe
Key contacts 
Daniel Cousens, Corporate/M&A Partner

Private Equity

Areas of expertise: buy-side, sell-side, dual track and spin-outs

Experience: 
  • Advising Alinda Capital Partners, one of the world's largest infrastructure investment firms, on the acquisition of 100% of Emitel, the leading television and radio broadcast infrastructure provider in Poland. The deal marks Alinda’s successful entry onto the Polish market and widely CEE region and has been reported as the largest private equity acquisition historically on the Polish market 
  • Advising Mid Europa Partners on the €400m sale by way of international auction of the LuxMed Group, the number one provider of private out-patient healthcare in Poland. The deal was reported as the largest private equity deal in Poland of 2012 
  • Advising Salford Capital Partners, a Serbia-based private equity and venture capital firm, on the proposed sale of Imlek and Mlekara Subotica, the largest dairy companies operating in the Western Balkans
  • Advising Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity on the €800m secondary buyout of Euromedic, the largest combined dialysis, diagnostic imaging and laboratory diagnostics services provider in Europe, from Warburg Pincus. It was the largest CEE buyout of the year, and winner of Emerging Europe Deal of the Year at the European Private Equity Award 

Energy & Infrastructure

Areas of expertise: energy and infrastructure

Experience:
  • Budapest Airport and the sponsors, on the €1.4bn amendment and extension of the existing debt facilities for the airport
  • Borealis and Allianz on the €1.5bn acquisition of the Czech gas transmission system operator NET4GAS, s.r.o. from RWE
  • Granvia, Meridiam and Vinci Concessions on the €1.2bn fixed rate project bond in relation to the refinancing of the expressway in Slovakia
Key contacts
Daniel Tyrer, Energy & Infrastructure Partner

Patryk Figiel, Energy & Infrastructure Partner

Real estate

Areas of expertise: Funds/JVs, leasing/sale and leasebacks, construction, development, investment, and distressed real estate

Experience:
  • Advising a consortium including Allianz Real Estate and ECE on the €412m acquisition of Silesia City Center, one of Poland’s largest shopping malls located in Katowice. The deal was reported as the largest real estate M&A deal in Poland and wider CEE region in 2013 
  • Advising a Middle East sovereign wealth fund on the acquisition and development of an upscale leisure resort on the Adriatic coast 
  • Advising Prologis, a global industrial real estate investment trust, on the indirect acquisition of one of its largest competitors in the European market. The deal consisted of the acquisition of a large portfolio of industrial properties across Europe with a significant number of developed properties in the CEE region, as well as sites under development
Key contacts
Artur Kulawski, Real Estate Partner


重大交易业绩展示

创新型业务团队 – 承办的“首创性”交易远超其他任何一家律师事务所:

  • 中国银行业历史上最大的收购融资交易 – 就中国信达资产管理股份有限公司用于收购南洋商业银行有限公司的390亿美元有期贷款融资交易提供法律服务
  • 为包括沪港通和深港通项目在内的、具有里程碑意义的中港通项目的设立及网络拓展提供法律服务
  • 中国首家商业银行在香港上市 – 交通银行首次公开发行IPO
  • 首宗外资银行收购中国上市银行股份 – 担任花旗银行的法律顾问,就其收购上海浦东发展银行战略性股权的交易提供法律服务
  • 中国私营公司首次在澳大利亚(或任何其他英语国家市场)成功完成竞争性公开市场交易 – 担任四川天齐实业有限责任公司的法律顾问,就其以8.48亿加拿大元收购Talison的交易提供法律服务
  • 中资公司入股欧洲国营电网公司的首例 – 担任国家电网公司的法律顾问,就其收购葡萄牙国家电网运营商( REN) 25%股权的交易提供法律服务
  • 首次同步进行A股/H股配股 – 鞍钢进行的27亿美元配股
  • 中国财政部主权债券首次上市交易 - 担任财政部的法律顾问,就其230亿人民币主权债券在香港发行(有史以来规模最大的离岸人民币债券交易)提供法律服务
  • 首宗人民币债券融资– 合和公路基建有限公司的人民币债券发行
  • 首宗由中资银行在欧洲牵头的项目融资交易 - 担任国家开发银行的法律顾问,就一个300兆瓦坑口燃煤电厂3.5亿欧元的项目融资交易提供法律服务(波黑塞族共和国斯塔纳里)
权威法律评级机构所颁奖项

年度最佳中国业务
2017年IFLR Asia 法律大奖

年度最佳结构性融资与证券化交易-中国银行发行绿色资产担保债券
2017年IFLR Asia 法律大奖

年度最佳债务及股本挂钩交易-中国长江电力发行双币种可转换债券
2017年IFLR Asia 法律大奖

亚洲年度最佳融资交易奖 - 收购:中国化工收购先正达融资项目
亚洲法律大奖2017年

年度最出色并购交易及年度最出色中国交易 – 中国南车股份有限公司和中国北车股份有限公司合并成为中国中车股份有限公司的交易
ALB China Awards 2016

2016中国最佳雇主(国际所)
Asian Legal Business

年度最佳律所 – 竞争法
China Law and Practice Awards 2016

年度最佳银行及金融业务律师事务所
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳能源与天然资源业务律师事务所
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

中国业务整体最佳国际律师事务所
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳竞争及反垄断业务律师事务所
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳交易: 中国中车发行H股可转换债券
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳交易: 中俄合作亚马尔LNG项目融资
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳交易: 韩国在华发行首单境外政府熊猫债
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳交易: 巴基斯坦塔尔煤田二号矿区开发项目
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳交易: 莱蒙国际集团发行两部分可转换债券
China Business Law Journal Awards 2016

年度最佳证券交易: 债券: 中国银行发行35亿美元的四币种、六部分的“一带一路”债券
The Asia Legal Awards 2016

年度最出色债务市场交易 – 中国银行阿布扎比、匈牙利、新加坡、台北及香港分行的债券发行交易
ALB China Awards 2016

社会责任投资债券 – 中国银行30.3亿美元多币种绿色债券发行
IFR Asia Awards 2016