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CMS presents a record of steady, high-quality work in Ukraine:

clients and staff of CMS celebrate the law firm’s tenth anniversary

03/10/2016

Even for a CEE specialist like CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz, which has been ranked among the leading and most frequently recommended international law firms throughout the region by various independent market observers for many years, Thursday evening’s festivities (29th September) were one of a kind. After all, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz has been active in Ukraine since 2006: at its office in Kyiv, it represents and advises mostly international clients seeking to gain a foothold in the Ukrainian market. The festivities for the law firm’s tenth anniversary celebrated the success achieved over the past years as well as its hard-earned market position.

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz took up operations in Ukraine in 2006: a team made up of five members was to accompany and provide on-site support to clients expanding to this part of Europe as well. Ten years later, the team has expanded to 15 members and today covers all practice areas of commercial law. Always attuned to the business climate in the country, the law firm was able to achieve consistent growth. “The commercial situation in Ukraine has required, and still requires, a maximum degree of flexibility – on the part of the law firm as a whole as well as of all staff members”, says Johannes Trenkwalder, Managing Partner of the CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz location in Kyiv. “Despite the unstable political situation observers are well aware of, we managed to grow significantly. I am very proud of the outstanding way my team handled the various challenges it has encountered in the past. But I also want to thank our clients, who trust us to be their best legal advisor in Ukraine.”

To commemorate the occasion, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz invited clients and staff to jointly celebrate at the Kyiv Museum of Western and Oriental Art, which is among the most important art museums in Ukraine, impressing visitors with the high quality of its art exhibits. More than 100 guests could take a close look and marvel at them in the course of exclusive guided tours.

As opposed to a number of other internationally active law firms which consciously chose to or were forced to retreat from the market during the country’s political and economic crisis, the comprehensive expertise, but also its in-depth knowledge of the particularities of the local market enabled CMS to operate successfully also through this period.

CMS achievements in Ukraine

Today, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz has the largest German-speaking team on site – a clear competitive edge in light of the high demand for consulting services in German. Another strong feature of the law firm is its litigation and arbitration practice, which has been expanded since 2011, attracting many new clients.

The following two projects speak for the high regard for the know-how and dedication of CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz in Ukraine: Partner Maria Orlyk, who was the very first staff member in the Kyiv office in 2006, is a member of the expert committee charged with amending the Ukrainian limited liability companies law. The second example also deals with a very topical subject: CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz was commissioned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to train the local competition authorities in competition law and to support them in drafting internal guidelines.

A selection of the largest and most significant projects CMS has advised on over the course of the last ten years includes:

  • Advising HETA Asset Resolution AG on the sale of Hypo Alpe-Adria-Leasing Ukraine
  • Advising KION Group, a European provider of forklifts, warehouse equipment and other industrial trucks, on the acquisition of the importer business of its exclusive distributor executed by more than 10 companies in four jurisdictions.
  • Advising Quarzwerke GmbH, one of the leading European companies specialising in extracting, processing and refining industrial minerals, on the Ukrainian side of the multijurisdictional transaction of acquiring a majority share in Bulgarian Kaolin JSC.
  • Advising the Austrian company Ring International Holding AG (RHI) on the contemplated acquisition of a majority stake in Helios Group d.d., one of the biggest global producers of coatings.

You can find a photo of the event to download by following this link.
From left to right: Anna Pogrebna (Local Partner), Maria Orlyk (Local Partner), Johannes Trenkwalder (Managing Partner)

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Portrait ofMaria Orlyk
Maria Orlyk
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Portrait ofAnna Pogrebna
Anna Pogrebna
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Johannes Trenkwalder