An energetic start of the second half of 2015: CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz has received eight top rankings in the newly established category “Energy and Infrastructure” of the latest IFLR1000 guide.
It was the first time that IFLR1000 explored the field of “Energy and Infrastructure” and just a few days ago, the international market observer announced its results. CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz fared very well in this evaluation: with eight top rankings, the law firm managed from Austria is clearly the leader in CEE. This positive outcome is not least due to the fact that particularly regarding the energy industry, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz advises in all branches.
From the electricity, oil and gas industries to renewables, climate change and emissions trading – the scope of activities and topics covered by CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz is vast and spans several distinct legal fields. Not only energy law, but, for instance, also labour and tax law play an incremental role when advising “energy clients”. IFLR1000, known for its rankings in the field of “Financial and Corporate”, has for the first time tackled the field of “Energy and Infrastructure”, where it sees CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz as number one in the CEE region. The law firm was ranked in the highest category in Austria as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
“Several years back, CMS identified the energy industry as one of the most relevant sectors in Europe and especially in CEE and has, since then, intensively dealt with all topics related to energy. We thus interpret the prestigious ranking as a confirmation that our efforts to offer added value to clients by combining legal expertise and individual sector knowledge have been successful,” says Johannes Trenkwalder, partner at CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz and an expert in energy law. “The services we offer are highly appreciated.”
IFLR1000 points out that, as opposed to other Austrian law firms, CMS can draw on the know-how of regional experts who know the respective market well but are also used to cooperating internationally in the field of “Energy and Infrastructure”. Moreover, expertise is also bundled in the CMS Energy Industry Group, which advises clients on energy, supply, and infrastructure topics worldwide.
Detailed results for Austria and CEE
Apart from ranking law firms, IFLR1000 also looked at outstanding legal experts. For Austria, Bernt Elsner, partner and head of the public procurement law, EU competition law and public commercial law team as well as head of the CMS-wide Procurement Group, is mentioned. The ranking also recommends the services of Johannes Trenkwalder and Thomas Hamerl, who both specialise in public-private partnerships (PPP) and renewables, the latter field including solar, wind and biomass projects alike. Johannes Trenkwalder acted, for instance, as an advisor to the US company CWP (Continental Wind Partners) during the construction of the largest wind park in Serbia.
The sheer number of energy and infrastructure projects handled in the recent past is an indication of the standing of CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz in CEE. The law firm has advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the course of its energy efficiency programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in Montenegro and Serbia. It also supported the construction company Sano in its development of a biomass power plant in Bulgaria. The versatility of CMS can, for instance, be seen in the projects the law firm handles in Serbia. CMS lawyers advised South Stream Serbia on the construction of its gas pipeline and also worked with leading wind power enterprises such as Vestas, CWP and MK-Fintel Wind. In Croatia, CMS advised the German energy group RWE during the takeover of the energy utility company Energija 2 sustavi.
About IFLR1000
IFLR1000 researches over 120 jurisdictions to come up with a ranking of the world’s leading law firms. www.iflr1000.com
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