Kinstellar
(The following information was supplied by the firm)
Firm Managing Partner: Patrik Bolf
Romania Managing Partner: Razvan Popa
Number of partners: 30 Number of lawyers: 250+
Languages: Bulgarian, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Kazakh, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Turkish, Ukrainian
Firm Overview:
Kinstellar is a leading independent law firm in emerging Europe, Turkey and Central Asia, with offices in Almaty (Kazakhstan), Belgrade (Serbia), Bratislava (Slovakia), Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Istanbul (Turkey), Kyiv (Ukraine), Prague (the Czech Republic), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Operating as a single fully integrated firm, Kinstellar delivers consistently high quality services across all jurisdictions in an integrated and seamless style. The firm is particularly well suited to servicing complex transactions and advisory requirements spanning several jurisdictions.
Main Areas of Practice:
The range and breadth of the firm’s specialist practices and sectors set it apart in emerging Europe and Central Asia.
Sectors:
Asset Solutions
Automotive & Industrials
Aviation
Banks & Financial Institutions
Energy & Natural Resources
Infrastructure
Life Sciences & Healthcare
Private Equity
Real Estate
Technology, Media & Telecommunications
Practices:
Banking, Finance & Capital Markets
Competition & State Aid
Compliance, Risk & Sensitive Investigations
Dispute Resolution
Employment & Labour Law
Energy & Natural Resources
Infrastructure & Projects
Intellectual Property
M&A & Corporate
Real Estate, Construction & Planning
Restructuring & Insolvency
Tax
Technology, Media & Telecommunications
White Collar Crime
Key Contacts
Managing Partner:
Razvan Popa
razvan.popa@kinstellar.com
Firm Rankings
Banking & Finance
Band 3
7.0
Capital Markets
Band 3
6.0
Capital Markets: Debt
Band 2
8.0
Corporate/M&A
Band 4
5.0
Dispute Resolution
Band 2
8.0
Energy & Natural Resources
Band 4
5.0
Labour & Employment
Band 2
8.0
Projects
Band 4
4.0
Real Estate
Band 3
7.3
Restructuring & Insolvency
Band 1
TMT
Band 2
8.0
White-Collar Crime
Band 2
8.0
Lawyer Rankings
Articles
June 2022 – The global community is considering various legal and other reactions to the unprovoked, unjustified, and aggressive war launched by the Russian Federation and its satellites against Ukraine. Among potential steps on the table are the inclusion of the Russian Federation to the Black List being administrated by the Financial Action Task Force (the FATF) […]
June 2022 – The global community is considering various legal and other reactions to the unprovoked, unjustified, and aggressive war launched by the Russian Federation and its satellites against Ukraine. Among potential steps on the table are the inclusion of the Russian Federation to the Black List being administrated by the Financial Action Task Force (the FATF) […]
June 2022 – The rapid growth of online shopping as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for different payment options for consumers at the checkout. One such option that is increasingly popular with consumers is the “buy now, pay later” (“BNPL”) solution. The hot trend in consumer credit BNPL allows consumers to defer […]
With France and Austria deciding on data protection issues in relation to Google Analytics, many more countries have followed suit in relevant changes to so-called web browser cookies. In order to limit the amount and quality of data retrieved by providers from users, mainly without them realising the true scope of this data and the […]
Today’s uncertainties at the European Union’s eastern border have left companies questioning the safety of their people and the continuity of their operations in that part of the world. Businesses in the IT and BPO sectors that had found talent and growth opportunities in counties such as Ukraine, or Moldova are now rethinking their strategy […]
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, there has been a plethora of new legislation establishing mechanisms for an adequate political and legal response to Russian aggression against Ukraine. Another such mechanism was introduced on 13 May 2022, when the Parliament of Ukraine adopted a new law amending the existing sanctions legislation. The law enacts a new type […]
In response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the European Union continues (along with other countries) to announce additional sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. Presently, sanctions include, inter alia, bans on the export and import of certain types of goods, doing business with sanctioned individuals and companies and restrictions on new investment activities in […]
May 2022 – The sale of the generated electricity by renewable energy generators through market-based long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) is a fairly new phenomenon in the Hungarian electricity market. Whilst PPAs have already been concluded between conventional power plants and off-takers in the past, the interest towards renewable PPAs has only started to increase recently, […]
Following the introduction of martial law in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, registration actions were significantly limited and the registration of presence of foreign NGOs was suspended. On 28 April 2022, the CMU introduced further legislative amendments that have expanded the list of available registration actions. Below we provide important highlights related to the new […]
On 31 December 2021, Government Emergency Ordinance no. 143/2021 amending the Romanian Energy Law no. 123/2012 (the “Energy Law”) and other normative acts was published in the Official Gazette (“GEO no. 143/2021”) and entered… Continue reading
March 2022 – Recently, the Parliament of Ukraine has adopted a law on the nationalisation of property belonging to the Russian Federation and its entities in Ukraine. Continue reading
March 2022 – While we hope that there will be no need to use the below manual, we want to ensure that companies are aware of the steps to take if their property in Ukraine is damaged as a result of the Russian invasion. Continue reading
April 2022 – Today’s uncertainties at the European Union’s eastern border have left companies questioning the safety of their people and the continuity of their operations in that part of the world. Businesses in the IT and BPO sectors that had… Continue reading
As previously reported, eHealth (including telemedicine) has been one of the fastest growing areas within the healthcare sector over the last two years. Governments as well as healthcare sector operators across Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey continue to implement new solutions with a view to improving the provision of healthcare services and to enhance […]
Open banking is changing the way people use banking services in the modern world. Europe prides itself on being the cradle of the open banking revolution, with the EU’s Payment Services Directive[1] (PSD2) being one of the first regulatory initiatives to open up bank-held account data. PSD2 has been in force now for more than four […]
January 2022 – On 18 January, Kinstellar’s Prague team hosted an online conference for our client’s senior management as well as for our partners and local institutions entitled “Changes to Legislation 2022″. As we have been receiving information about new laws, decrees, regulations and directives literally every day, we decided to help our clients and partners […]
January 2022 – On 31 December 2021, Government Emergency Ordinance no. 143/2021 amending the Romanian Energy Law no. 123/2012 (the “Energy Law”) and other normative acts was published in the Official Gazette (“GEO no. 143/2021”) and entered into force. GEO no. 143/2021 represents a significant redrafting of some of the principles and provisions of the Energy […]
December 2021 – The Government of the Czech Republic has extended its “Antivirus” programme, offering employment protections for businesses affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Antivirus provides a partial reimbursement of employee remuneration costs incurred as result of an inability to allocate work due to certain so-called barriers on the part of the employer or the […]
December 2021 – Ukraine is strengthening its position as an IT hub of choice by adopting new legislation aimed at creating favourable tax and legal conditions for tech companies operating in the country and fostering further investment in the sector. On 14 December 2021, the Ukrainian parliament adopted draft law No. 5376 “On amendments to the Tax Code […]
A recent article in Ukrainian legal affairs newspaper “Yurydychna Praktyka” (“Юридична Практика) features the comments of three Kinstellar experts—Vincent Morand (Senior Legal Advisor based in Prague), Oleksandr Kurdydyk (Partner and Head of Banking and Energy & Natural Resources in Kyiv, firm-wide Head of Projects & Infrastructure, and firm-wide Co-head of Energy & Natural Resources) and Yuliia Eismont (Senior Associate in […]
On 8 October 2021, an amendment to the Act on Addictive Substances (the “Amendment”) was published. The Amendment is designed to expand the possibilities for cultivating medical use cannabis to a broader range of subjects, including natural person entrepreneurs, thus increasing its availability to Czech patients. It is expected that increased production will lead to […]
June 2021 – On 4 June 2021, the European Commission updated its standard contractual clauses for transfers of personal data to third countries and also released new standard clauses for controller-to-processor relationships. As data transfer standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) can easily be incorporated into data processing agreements, they represent a widely sought-out mechanism for businesses […]
On 4 May 2021 the Slovak parliament adopted Act No. 215/2021 on compensation for shortened work, widely known as Kurzarbeit (the “Act”). The Act aims to ensure that the state will partially compensate employer costs for employee wage compensation during periods of shortened work caused by external factors (the “Subsidy”). The Act will become effective as of 1 January 2022, as […]
June 2021 – On 4 June 2021, the European Commission updated its standard contractual clauses for transfers of personal data to third countries and also released new standard clauses for controller-to-processor relationships. As data transfer standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) can easily be incorporated into data processing agreements, they represent a widely sought-out mechanism for businesses to ensure data protection […]
Press Releases
Kinstellar has successfully advised Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, on its acquisition of Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS) for approximately USD 16.5 billion. Citrix builds secure, unified digital workspace technologies that help organizations unlock human potential and deliver a consistent workspace experience wherever […]
March 2022 – Kinstellar has successfully advised the investment fund 365.invest on its acquisition from CPI Property Group of three shopping centre projects in the Czech Republic. The shopping centres involved are IGY České Budějovice, OC Géčko and Shopping Center City Park Jihlava. The deal is one of the largest transactions of its kind on the Czech-Slovak market. Kinstellar advised on due diligence […]
January 2022 – Kinstellar is delighted to announce that it has entered into a cooperation and association agreement with Žurić i Partneri (ZiP) law firm in Croatia. ZiP is now a fully integrated office of Kinstellar. The expansion to Zagreb is part of our strategy to provide full-service coverage across all of Emerging Europe. By joining forces, we […]
November 2021 – Kinstellar has been named the Law Firm of the Year in the Czech Republic in the category of Corporate Law at this year’s prestigious Law Firm of the Year competition, held annually by EPRAVO.cz. Jan Juroška, Partner with Kinstellar’s Corporate Law practice in Prague, commented: “We are deeply honoured to have been named Law Firm of the […]
Kinstellar has successfully advised GIC, a global investment company founded in 1981 in Singapore, on the acquisition of a 30% stake in CETIN Group. PPF continues to retain a 70% majority in the CETIN Group—a provider of telecommunications infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe. Kinstellar advised in all countries of the CETIN Group’s activity—the Czech Republic, Hungary, […]
Kinstellar is delighted to announce that senior compliance expert Mária Dárdai has joined the firm’s Budapest office as Special Counsel. Her addition to the firm strengthens our expertise in the compliance area, particularly relating to whistleblowing projects, sensitive investigations and compliance matters. Mária has significant expertise and an established track record handling a wide array of compliance […]
September 2021 Kinstellar’s Kyiv office has successfully advised Australian-based global software developer Nuix Limited (Nuix; ASX:NXL) on the Ukrainian-law implications of its acquisition of 100% of the shares in Topos Labs for up to USD 25 million. Headquartered in Boston, USA, Topos develops AI-driven Natural Language Processing (NLP) software designed to reduce the workload of data reviewers […]
June 2021 – Kinstellar is honoured to have received five Deal of the Year awards—for the Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine—at the 2020 CEE Legal Matters Deal of the Year Awards. Finalists for the peer-selected CEE Deal of the Year Awards were chosen by a panel of legal experts in each country, with winners […]
There is a larger number of PRS/BTR projects being announced in the pipeline for delivery over the next few years across the region. PRAGUE, Czech Republic, June 30, 2021 – Residential volumes across the CEE region have been limited and averaged out annually at just over €200 million in the past 5 years. The balance […]
June 2021 – Kinstellar has successfully advised CAPEX.com, a fintech start-up founded by Romanian entrepreneur Octavian Pătraşcu, in connection with its raising of USD 21 million in a new funding round led by venture capital firms Growth Box and Moore & Moore Investments. CAPEX.com is a leading trading platform for financial instruments based on contracts for difference (CFDs), […]
June 2021 – Kinstellar’s Bratislava office has recently advised Global Attractions SPI AB (GASPI), part of the Accent Equity portfolio, on its acquisition of HPS Group. Kinstellar was part of a multi-jurisdictional team led by kallan (Germany) and advised mainly on legal matters relating to Slovak-based HPS Group companies Playlife, ThemeWorks and Cheer Amusement Europe, which specialise in […]
June 2021 – Kinstellar is very pleased to announce the acquisition of DLA Piper’s market-leading Ukraine practice! Now comprising 60 lawyers, including 10 partners, Kinstellar is among the largest law firms in Ukraine and the leading independent international law firm on the market. The merger strengthens our key practice areas, including corporate/M&A, banking & finance, employment & benefits, litigation […]