Contributed by ODI Law.

Did You Know that a total of 11 law firm partners have worked on client matters reported by CEE Legal Matters in Bosnia & Herzegovina this year – though none has, as yet, worked on more than one?

Despite entering the corporate lexicon back in 2004, the concept of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) remained relatively obscure for over a decade. However, with the intensification of discussions around global warming, ESG has become a significant part of the conversation and a focal point for today's companies.

The Cizmovic law firm and Moravcevic, Vojnovic, and Partners in cooperation with Schoenherr have successfully represented UniCredit Bank Banja Luka in a dispute with Bitminer Factory, leading to the overturning of a EUR 131 million first instance judgment. Reportedly, the Vila law firm is representing UniCredit Bank Banja Luka in relation to the criminal charges that the bank filed against Bitminer Factory.

After 5 years of drafting and procedural manoeuvres, the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina finally adopted last year amendments to the Public Procurement Law.

A new promotion round saw 62 lawyers become Partners at CMS – spanning 25 cities across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America – including Arno Zimmermann, Hans Lederer, and Klaus Pateter in Vienna, Alicja Zalewska-Orabona in Warsaw, and Mihai Jiganie-Serban in Bucharest.

The Bosnia & Herzegovina-based law firm Ibrahimovic & Co has launched its dedicated Turkish Desk with the addition of Feyza Gerger Erdal, who will head the new department. 

As Lexpo – The Legal Innovation Event returns in 2023 after a three-year hiatus, showcasing the latest trends in legal innovation in Continental Europe, CEELM spoke with Dentons Europe Director of Innovation and Member of Lexpo's Advisory Board Andrea Miskolczi to gain an insight into the current state of technology and innovation in CEE, and what the event's attendees have to look forward to.

Partners Andrea Zubovic-Devedzic and Indir Osmic have been appointed the Co-Managing Partners of the CMS Sarajevo office as of April 1, 2023, taking over from Nedzida Salihovic-Whalen who will stay on as a Partner.

On March 20, 2023, Sajic announced that the EUR 190 million financing transaction between the Export-Import Bank of China and HE Dabar for the development of the Dabar hydropower plant (reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 19, 2022) had closed.

Contributed by Ibrahimovic & Co.

Vukmir & Associates and BH Legal have advised CEFTA on a cross-border project titled CEFTA Intellectual Property and Related Rights 2021-03.

This is a breakthrough moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina as the country receives the EU membership candidacy status but, still, there are difficulties ahead, according to Miljkovic & Partners Managing Partner Sead Miljkovic.

BDK Advokati, Binder Groesswang, and Lakatos Koves & Partners, working with SZA Schilling Zutt & Anschuetz, have advised Turkish investors Baran Celik and Nuvit Gundemir and their families on the sale and purchase agreement with insolvency administrator Jan Markus Plathner to acquire Veritas Group's subsidiaries in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Turkey, and Hungary and three production plants in Germany. 

The Sajic Law Firm has successfully represented the Association of Composers-Music Creators of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AMUS) before the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska in a dispute related to the unauthorized use of copyrighted musical works.

Deloitte Legal has advised Marketing Investment Group on the acquisition of a chain of 22 stores in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

With large energy and infrastructure projects under development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, local legal professionals are facing an uphill battle against the double standards in their industry, according to Sajic Law Firm Senior Partner Natasa Krejic.

ODI Law has opened a new office in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the addition of Mia Civic as a Partner.