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bpv GRIGORESCU STEFANICA Welcomes New Partner to Corporate and M&A Practice

bpv GRIGORESCU STEFANICA, a leading Romanian full-service law firm, is pleased to announce that Cristina Daianu has joined the firm as a partner in its Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions practice group.

Ms. Daianu brings over 20 years of experience in Corporate and M&A; her practice focuses on business sales and acquisitions, reorganisations, joint ventures, as well as investments transactions in early and growth-stage companies. Over the years, she advised clients from various sectors, with a focus on Private Equity and Venture Capital, Life Sciences, Technology, Manufacturing and Energy. She has extensive experience in dealing with both local entrepreneurs as well as international clients, with a strong focus on investments by German and French businesses.

Ms. Daianu joins the firm from the Bucharest office of Dentons, where she was a Corporate and M&A partner. She is a member of the Bucharest Bar and admitted to practice also in Paris.

“We have known Cristina for many years and are very excited that she agreed to join our firm,” said Catalin Grigorescu, Managing Partner of bpv GRIGORESCU STEFANICA. “She brings a wealth of experience from working with clients both locally and internationally in some of the most prestigious firms in the world.”

“Cristina’s arrival underscores our firm’s commitment to building a preeminent corporate transactions practice,” added Catalin Grigorescu. “Her impressive background and skills will be invaluable as we continue to grow this practice area and deliver superior service and results to our clients on their most significant transactional matters. Cristina shares our collaborative, client-first approach to serving clients and will play a key role in the ongoing expansion of our Corporate and M&A capabilities.”

„I am thrilled to be joining bpv GRIGORESCU STEFANICA and its outstanding corporate team,” said Ms. Daianu. “The firm offers an excellent platform for my practice, with its market leading industry expertise in technology and a number of top-tier practices, as well as its wide capabilities in advising German speaking clients. We have great synergies and clients will only benefit from this partnership.”

Ms. Daianu holds degrees in Law from the University of Bucharest and from the University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne (Collège Juridique Franco Roumain d ‘Etudes Européennes), where she has been a valedictorian, as well as a Master degree from University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne.

With the addition of Ms. Daianu, bpv GRIGORESCU STEFANICA’s Corporate and M&A practice now includes 4 partners. The group represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital transactions, corporate governance and incentive plans, and other corporate matters across a wide range of industries.

Proud to have advised Helanis AG on the acquisition of the engineering company Schaltag Group

We advised Helanis AG, a Swiss company, on the acquisition of the Schaltag Group, which has more than 250 employees and 11,000 m2 of production space in Switzerland (Effretikon near Zurich), the Czech Republic (Ústí nad Orlicí), Germany (Ravensburg) and Spain (Valladolid). Schaltag is a leading specialist in the field of mechanical engineering and provides services in the areas of automation, switchgear, instrumentation, machinery and equipment design and cable assembly

The Czech company with approximately 160 employees is the largest plant in the group. The objective of this strategic acquisition, which was announced on 3 June 2024, is to ensure sustainable growth, further develop the product portfolio and strengthen the Schaltag Group’s customer relationships. Headquartered in Effretikon, Switzerland, Schaltag AG is a leading industrial solutions provider with extensive experience in engineering, purchasing and manufacturing. Many well-known companies from various industries are long-standing customers of Schaltag. The total amount of the transaction was not disclosed.

Kellerhals Carrard was the main advisor in the transaction, while Advant Beiten advised on German law. Legal advice on Czech law during due diligence and the entire transaction was provided by the team of bpv BRAUN PARTNERS led by partner Arthur Braun, M.A. and lawyers Mgr. Markéta Kleinová, Mgr. Jindra Pozniaková, Mgr. Nikola Faltová and associate Mgr. Sabina Škrobánková. Managing partner of bpv BRAUN PARTNERS, Arthur Braun, M.A. said: „It was an interesting transaction that was quickly brought to a successful conclusion.“

The Swiss company Helanis AG, headquartered in Zurich, is a newly formed holding company controlled by a Swiss management team led by Dominik Hanslin.

Succesfully completed a major life science transaction

Happy to announce that our Prague office bpv BRAUN PARTNERS assisted our French client, LFB SA and its subisidairy EUROPLASMA GmbH, in acquiring Amber Plasma a.s., a company operating 12 plasma collection centers in the Czech Republic.
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Congrats to our dedicated team, led by Arthur Braun and the stellar support of Markéta Nešetřilová (Kleinová), Evelina Weagová, Nikola Faltová and Nikola Ourodová, who contributed to the smooth facilitation of due diligence and the transaction.

🇬🇧 Read the whole press release

🇩🇪 Lesen Sie die aktuelle Pressemitteilung

Acquisition LifeSciences bpvTeam

bpv BRAUN PARTNERS advised UCED on its expansion in Slovakia

Our office in Prague and Bratislava provided comprehensive legal advice to UCED from the CREDITAS Group portfolio on the successful acquisition of 100% of the shares in the Slovak energy group GGE, one of the leading producers and distributors of electricity and heat in Slovakia.

UCED, part of the Czech investment group CREDITAS, has decided to acquire GGE, which is one of the leading Slovak energy groups with its 213 MW heat network and more than 70 MW of electricity network. Its portfolio includes, among others, the Považská Bystrica steam and gas heating plant. GGE also owns more than 90 km of heat distribution lines and is dedicated to building and interconnecting local distribution systems. This strategic acquisition will strengthen UCED’s market position and bring synergic benefits to both companies.

bpv BRAUN PARTNERS played a leading role in this international transaction and provided comprehensive legal advice and assistance in all negotiations and preparation of complete transaction documentation, including due diligence, negotiation of W&I insurance and financing of the transaction. Within the entire transaction, bpv BRAUN PARTNERS worked closely with UK law firm Watson Farley & Williams on all UK law aspects. The total value of the transaction was not disclosed.

Legal advice throughout the transaction was provided by the Czech and Slovak team of bpv BRAUN PARTNERS consisting of David Vosol, Igor Augustinič, Ondrej Poništiak, Pavel Vintr, Ivana Horáková, David Plevka, Juraj Gazda, Zuzana Dzilská and Monika Kardošová. David Vosol, partner at bpv BRAUN PARTNERS, evaluates the successful transaction as follows. “Many thanks go to our entire team and to the team of Watson Farley & Williams. There were crucial moments, sometimes well past midnight, when the entire team managed to give our client everything he needed at a tremendous pace, despite tough negotiations and pressure. The complexity of legal advice in an international transaction of this type must be able to cope with multiple jurisdictions. This only adds to the demands of negotiating the transaction, to the extent of the due diligence and to the complexity of the transactional and financial documentation as well as to the process of obtaining approvals from the various authorities in all the countries involved. But when all of this is managed, the reward is a satisfied client who also thanks to it succeeded in expanding into another market in Central and Eastern Europe.”

CREDITAS Group has been active on the energy market since 2013. The distribution systems of its energy division UCED supply energy to more than 7,000 regular customers. In 2023, the Group’s EBITDA exceeded CZK 2.2 billion. UCED has ambitions to become a leader in decentralised energy in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and to expand into other Central and Eastern European countries

bpv party at Sova’s Mill

We had the pleasure of hosting many clients, partners and colleagues from our and alliance offices at the beautiful Museum Kampa, located in Sova’s Mill in the heart of Prague.

Despite the less-than-perfect weather, the rich artistic atmosphere, featuring the incredible collections of Jan and Meda Mládek, together with the relaxed jazz by the Masters (with the wonderful singer Tereza Rychlá) created an unforgettable evening.

Surrounded by masterpieces from František Kupka and other other significant Czech artists of the 20th century, the bpv party was a true celebration of art and our legal services providing for our clients since 1994 going on until the early hours of the morning.

Moot Court at bpv Braun Partners again

bpv Braun Partners hosted again in its Prague office a traditional competition for law school students from all Czech faculties – Moot Court.

The competition is organized in cooperation with ELSA.

The competition had a written and an oral part. The top 4 teams advanced to the oral round where they competed against each other in a simulated employment law court hearing.

The contestants found the questioning of the witness to be the most difficult. Lucie Kalašová, Nikola Faltová and Kristýna Bučková sat in the “judicial senate”, which was also a jury.

“I am very pleased that our competition has only received positive responses from the contestants for a long time. I would like to appreciate the performance of everyone who participated in the Moot Court. They were at an excellent level. ” said Lucie Kalašová.

Congratulations to the winners! Thank you to all participants!

bpv Academy 2024

Last weekend, our Slovak office hosted again our bpv Academy, focusing this year on Mergers & Acquisitions.

Along with our colleagues from Bratislava, we welcomed also Czech, Austrian and Romanian colleagues. Our speakers from various offices (Elke Napokoj, Stefan Gaug, Nicolas Wolski, Wolfgang Berger, Iulia Dragomir and Martin Provazník) shared valuable insights and experiences.

After the engaged discussions, we enjoyed a fantastic evening program at the picturesque castle restaurant with exquisite cuisine and stunning views of the city skyline.

The night continued at the iconic UFO Bar above the SNP Bridge, savoring signature cocktails and soaking into the breathtaking panoramas from the Observation Deck.

Another bpv Academy is behind us. What a joy to see old friends, make new ones and to share our experience and great moments!

Legal advice for E.ON Energie, a.s. – buying a stake in Sun construct

We provided comprehensive legal advice to the energy company E.ON Energie, a.s. with the purchase of a 49% share in the company Sun construct, s.r.o., which specializes in photovoltaic solutions for households, apartment buildings, municipalities and companies.

Previously operating on a partnership basis, Sun Construct installed approximately half of the photovoltaic power plants delivered by the E.ON group to its customers last year. The companies have now decided to expand their partnership through a capital investment, with Sun Construct remaining independent from the E.ON group. Through this collaboration, the companies aim to enhance services to their customers and target new market segments.

Throughout the transaction, legal advice was provided by a team led by bpv BRAUN PARTNERS partner Mgr. David Vosol, M.B.A., and lawyer Mgr. David Plevka. One of the partners at bpv Braun Partners, Mgr. David Vosol, M.B.A., elaborated on their cooperation: “As part of comprehensive legal advisory to E.ON Energie, a.s., we assisted the client from initial negotiations to final transaction documentation, including structuring the joint venture and all related corporate matters. Our firm also provided advice on competition law.”

The Czech energy group E.ON employs over 3,000 staff and reported a post-tax profit of CZK 6.26 billion in the Czech Republic in 2022. Through its 66,000-kilometer distribution network, it supplies electricity to 1.5 million customers mainly in Southern Bohemia, Vysočina, and Southern Moravia, holding a market share of approximately 21%. In gas distribution, it operates a network exceeding 4,000 kilometers, serving 114,000 consumption points, with a gas market share in the Czech Republic of about 10.5%. E.ON Energie provides electricity and gas to over 1.4 million customers, both households and businesses.

Robert Matas becomes a new partner at bpv BRAUN PARTNERS

His expertise in Czech and German law and his ability to effectively represent clients before courts in both countries will enrich the firm with a significant source of legal knowledge.
His extensive practice with many years of experience in this field focuses on complex issues of Czech and German law, which enables him to successfully represent clients before courts in both jurisdictions. In addition to representing clients before Czech and German courts and arbitration tribunals, his areas of expertise include corporate and commercial law and unfair competition law. He has advised dozens of Czech and Slovak companies on their entry into the Czech, Austrian and German markets. He also provides qualified legal advice in the field of Czech and German inheritance and family law and acts as a criminal defense lawyer in criminal proceedings in Germany.
Arthur Braun, managing partner of bpv BRAUN PARTNERS, commented on the new appointment as follows: “Robert is a successful lawyer with many years of experience, his experience especially in German law will be a great asset to our international law firm and will further improve our position as one of the few Czech law firms offering advice in German law in Czech – he is currently our fourth lawyer with this specialization. I look forward to working with my new colleague and I am convinced that he will achieve many successes that will contribute to even greater client satisfaction.”
Robert was born in Prague and grew up bilingually in Heidelberg, where he also graduated from law school. He successfully passed his second state examination at the Higher Regional Court in Nuremberg.He then obtained a JUDr. degree from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague.He began his legal career at Rödl & Partner, but soon founded his own law firm MATAS & PARTNER, which he successfully managed for more than 20 years.
In his free time, he devotes most of his time to his family and his three children. He has always enjoyed playing tennis and basketball and has recently taken up golf. His favorite way to get to work is by bike.

Lucie Kalašová has expanded the ranks of bpv BRAUN PARTNERS

Very happy to announce the latest arrival in bpv partnership: Lucie Kalašová.
Effective January 1, 2024, Lucie has officially become a partner in our Prague office.

With our joint journey since 2007, Lucie’s specialization in labor law, personal data protection, and whistleblowing brings a wealth of expertise to our team.
Her systematic approach and proactive advisory style make Lucie not only a fantastic lawyer, but also a true leader in the world of labor law.

We, along with our clients, are confident that she will play a pivotal role in the continued success and growth of bpv BRAUN PARTNERS.

Welcome onboard, Lucie!

Read the whole press release HERE!