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Far East Desc

Far East Desk

in Austria

Austria, Central and Eastern Europe (“CEE”) and Southern and Eastern Europe (“SEE”)

Legal advice on investments between Asia and Austria/CEE/SEE

Entering a new market means new challenges, hurdles and obstacles to overcome. With our extensive international experience and comprehensive local knowledge, we support East Asian and Southeast Asian clients who seek a dynamic and culturally sensitive team to achieve their ambitions and goals. Our lawyers have worked with numerous Asian companies that are looking to grow their operations in Austria and CEE/SEE or are searching for new opportunities in this region.

Your point of contact for Austria and CEE/SEE

CMS’ Far East Asia Desk is helmed by a team of experts that includes not just renowned specialists in their fields but also lawyers who have a solid track record working with Asian clients and personal experience in living and working in Asia. This combination of cultural know-how and specialist legal competence is what our clients appreciate: how we at CMS can curate a winning team for every client’s different needs. 
Adding this blend of Asian experience with our 50 years of history in Austria and 20 years of professional track record in CEE/SEE, we are well placed to provide our clients with the legal expertise that they need. 

Our Pan-European Capabilities

Regulations and laws in Europe can be both uniform and divergent at the same time, which may be confusing for conglomerates and SMEs alike: this is where we step in and help our clients navigate the new waters of another continent. We have a strong track record of advising and supporting our clients in their pan-European ambitions and our lawyers are well-seasoned in tackling multi-jurisdictional mandates. One of our biggest advantages is the CMS network – through us, our clients benefit from the access of the entire network that has a presence in 43 countries and 76 jurisdictions worldwide. 
Our CMS team is committed to helping our clients’ fulfill their goals. We have been involved in numerous notable deals and mandates in the CEE/SEE region and have coordinated our clients’ European projects. Our clients include Asian companies who have acquired European companies with a presence in multiple jurisdictions in CEE/SEE and require support during and post transaction. We have also advised companies in their pan-European compliance matters, in particular companies that have their regional headquarters in CEE/SEE. 

Industry Specific Expertise 

We have a wealth of experience in numerous industries, including but not limited to energy, financial services, funds, healthcare, hotels & leisure, insurance, life sciences, private equity and TMT. Our experts have advised on complex matters in these industries and speak at seminars or provide webinars on their industry specific expertise from time to time – more information and updates can be found on our social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. 

China 

CMS has longstanding experience with Chinese clients – with two offices in Shanghai and Beijing and with more than 30 years of experience in China, we have worked with numerous Chinese companies who are keen to make their next steps into Austria or CEE/SEE by establishing a presence in the European market. 
Our team at CMS is composed of lawyers who are not just native Chinese speakers, but who have also spent an extended time living, studying and working in China or Asia. We are thus cognizant of Chinese business culture and understand the needs of our Chinese clients. Together with our local offices in Shanghai and Beijing, we can also provide our Chinese clients with tailor-made legal services and seamless support regardless of time zones.

Key Contacts

 Japan 

In recent years, we are acutely aware of the rising importance of the CEE/SEE region to Japanese companies and have been involved in some of the largest deals involving Japanese clients in CEE in recent years, such as Takeda Pharmaceutical’s EUR 9.6 billion acquisition of Nycomed. We have a long standing and impressive track record in advising Japanese clients and have also advised the regional headquarters of large Japanese conglomerates in CEE and served on the expert panels of such companies as well. Our major clients include Japanese companies from various industries, such as pharmaceutical and life sciences, heavy industry, telecommunications, amongst others.

Key Contacts

South Korea

Austria, Central and Eastern Europe (“CEE”) and Southern and Eastern Europe (“SEE”)

We have a wealth of experience acting for South Korean companies, funds and investors in a diverse range of matters and have also worked with some of the leading South Korean conglomerates. The team at CMS has acted as a legal advisor and expert across different industries in legal matters such as mergers and acquisitions, real estate and construction, capital markets, tax structuring, amongst others. 
More recently, our CMS Bulgaria team has advised Hyundai Electric and Energy Systems Co. Ltd in its sale of its Bulgarian subsidiary, whereby a press release can be found here.
Our Emerging Europe report which is published jointly with EMIS Insights has also highlighted the growing interest from South Korean companies in the CEE region. Should you wish to obtain a copy of this report or get in touch with our CEE/SEE experts, please use our online form or email. 

Key Contacts

Southeast Asia

Our experts have also worked with clients from Southeast Asia such as Singaporean companies on a wide range of projects including but not limited to M&A, corporate restructurings, compliance, real estate and tax. As one of the few firms in Austria and CEE/SEE with a native Southeast Asian lawyer who is qualified in Singapore and has professional experience in both Europe and Asia, we are well positioned to assist Southeast Asian clients who are keen to make a footprint or strengthen their presence in Austria or CEE/SEE.   

Key Contacts

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