Cyprus is still in recession, but it looks as though Russia’s favourite island will revive more quickly than was thought likely. Just over a year ago Cyprus became the fourth eurozone country to need a bailout, following the misfortunes of Ireland, Greece and Portugal. The €10bn (£8bn) plug raised the island’s debt to 143 per […]
Panellists at The Lawyer’s recent Romania briefing heard much to encourage them to get involved in the country When it comes to investing in Romania there’s no time like the present, according to panellists at The Lawyer’s recent Briefing Live event on the country, held in association with Popovici Nitu & Asociatii. The watchword was […]
Baltic firms Borenius and Lawin have taken the lead roles on the acquisition of social media site Ask.fm by questions and answers site Ask.com. LAWIN’s Riga office advised Ask.com parent IAC on the deal, which completed last week for an undisclosed amount. Borenius acted for Rubylight Technologies, which owned 40 per cent of Ask.fm. Rubylight […]
Geographically and economically, Romania is well-placed to attract foreign investment – so long as imminent elections don’t scupper its stability When the floodgates opened on 1 January this year the UK was not, as had been popularly expected, hit with a deluge of Romanian immigrants. With that country experiencing a boom of sorts, it is […]
The Supreme Court has sided with the makers of Total yoghurt, Fage, in refusing US rival Chobani permission to appeal the definition of Greek yoghurt. Lord Neuberger, Lord Clarke and Lord Reed called an end to the IP food fight this month, finding there was no arguable point of law to the appeal. The decision […]
Energy could shelter Cyprus from the worst headwinds coming from long-term partner Russia. Will a surge of global firms follow the power line? Limassol and Nicosia may be the best part of 1,500 miles from Moscow, but Cyprus has become hugely dependent on Russian money and investment. And, say local lawyers, ripples from the turbulence […]
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and King & Spalding have taken the main legal advisory roles on the awarding of Greece’s first oil and gas exploration leases for two decades. King & Spalding, alongside Greek firm M&P Bernitsas, represented the Greek government on the agreements, with the instruction marking a new client for the firm. Meanwhile […]
As Croatia takes the stage in Brazil today, thoughts turn lightly to the country’s legal developments. We’ve teamed up with some of the country’s leading firms to bring you their analysis. Roundtable on south-east Europe: Edge funds Karanovic & Nikolic: Karanovic & Nikolic considers the legal implications of Croatia’s accession to EU Karanovic & Nikolic: […]
Law firms in Cyprus are building on the country’s tradition of stability, although some feel the government has missed a chance to enhance the attraction of the jurisdiction. For years the Republic of Cyprus has been the gateway to Europe for thousands of Russian investors – and the gateway to Russia for many European investors. […]
The Czech legal market is fiercely competitive and heavily reliant on foreign trade. Joanne Harris reports on all the comers, stayers, goers and refocusings The Czech Republic has long been home to one of the most competitive legal markets in Europe. International firms piled in post-Iron Curtain and have come to dominate the scene. But […]
With Poland having ridden out the downturn admirably, firms are flocking there with a view to making it their CEE launch pad. James Swift reports Poland has distinguished itself from the rest of the former communist bloc since the downturn and is now focused on becoming a hub for banking and capital markets transactions in […]
If Pinsents’ and Salans’ relationship was ever intended as a courtship leading to merger, the lack of mutual attraction now makes a wedding unlikely Is the relationship between Pinsent Masons and Salans officially the legal world’s most underwhelming alliance? When it was established the tie-up looked to be a canny way of providing the UK-concentrated Pinsents with the […]