Aequo has advised the Epicentr Group on its receipt of a USD 70 million multi-currency secured loan from the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank.

Kinstellar has advised DEG, a subsidiary of the KfW Bankengruppe, on a long-term investment of up to USD 20 million in the Astarta Group.

TGS Baltic has advised AUGA group, AB on a bond program worth up to EUR 60 million and the issuance of EUR 20 million in green bonds in Lithuania.

Eterna Law has helped the Ukrainian branch of active Baltic power trader Axton Commodities launch its Ukrainian operations and obtain a power trading activities license in Ukraine.

Dentons Warsaw has helped GPW Benchmark apply to the Polish Financial Supervision Authority for authorization to administer reference rates, including the key interest rate benchmark WIBOR.

Rustam Kurmaev & Partners has successfully represented Russian Standard Bank JSC in Russia's 4th Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in an administrative case instituted by the Russian Prosecutor's Office.

Former CMS Partners Simon Dayes and Simona Marin have joined Dentons in Bucharest.

SPCG has advised BNP Paribas on its investment, made with Alior Bank and PKO Bank Polski and in agreement with existing investors Innovation Nest and Black Pearls, in Autenti, a Polish Fintech platform for paperless electronic contract signing and digital document circulation. PKO was advised by Jankowski & Stroinski and Alior Bank by Kondracki Celej.

Dentons has advised Enlight Renewable Energy on the construction and EUR 115 million financing of the 105 MW Selac wind farm in Kosovo. The EBRD provided EUR 57 million of the total amount, with Erste Group Bank and NLB Bank providing the remaining EUR 58 million, and with coverage provided by the German export credit agency Euler Hermes. The lenders were reportedly advised by White & Case.

Clifford Chance has advised a consortium of Bank Pekao, PKO BP, Santander Bank Polska, and BNP Paribas Bank Polska on LPP S.A.'s bond issue program of up to PLN 300 million, including registration with the Central Securities Depository of Poland and introduction to the Alternative Trading System of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Sorainen has advised Data Delivery LLC, a Belarus-based developer of the RocketData.io platform for managing business reputation and online data, on implementing share options for employees.

Counsels Jan Lasak and Vlastimil Pihera have joined the partnership at Kocian Solc Balastik in Prague.

Former Counsel Serhiy Shershun, Head of Antitrust and Competition at Integrites, has become the firm's 11th partner.

Anastasia Usova, Redcliffe Partners’ Head of Antitrust, has been promoted to Partner at the firm.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners had helped BlaBlaCar to obtain clearance from Russia's competition authority for its purchase of Busfor, an online bus ticker aggregator.

Necati Karabayir as has joined SOCAR Turkey as its new Group Compliance Director.

Begum Yilmaz has joined SOCAR Turkey as Senior Compliance Specialist.

Mirko Lalatovic has become Head of Compliance for South Eastern Central Europe at Fresenius Medical Care.

Lakatos, Koves & Partners has advised Soulbrain on the acquisition of a development site from the state-owned National Industrial Park Management and Development Company and on all other legal aspects of its Hungarian operation. The sellers were reportedly advised by Katona Gyorgy Law Office.

Gessel has advised Avallon on the acquisition of a majority stake in Clovin S.A.

Noerr has advised NEI, an Indian bearings manufacturer and exporter that is part of the CK Birla Group, on its acquisition of international bearings producer Kinex Bearings and bearing trading company Global Supply. The sellers were reportedly advised by Ernst & Young.

CMS has advised Encavis Infrastructure Fund III on its acquisition of the Furstkogel wind farm in Austria, consisting of five wind turbines with a total rated output of 17.25 MW. The sellers, wind energy specialist Ecowind Handels- & Wartungs-GmbH, were advised by Schonherr.

Dentons has advised Enlight Renewable Energy on the construction and EUR 115 million financing of the 105 MW Selac wind farm in Kosovo. The EBRD provided EUR 57 million of the total amount, with Erste Group Bank and NLB Bank providing the remaining EUR 58 million, and with coverage provided by the German export credit agency Euler Hermes. The lenders were reportedly advised by White & Case.

Necati Karabayir as has joined SOCAR Turkey as its new Group Compliance Director.

The Maric & Co Law Firm has represented former employees of Aluminij d.d. Mostar in an ethnic discrimination case against the company and the Government of the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Clifford Chance, acting pro bono on behalf of LGBTQ Groups in Poland, has persuaded a Polish court to order the conservative Gazeta Polska newspaper to halt the distribution of "LGBT-free zone" stickers.

Avellum has successfully represented a UK citizen in Ukraine's Supreme Court in a dispute regarding the return of a wrongfully retained child.

Austrian lawyers Andreas Gfohler, Hannes Pesendorfer, Christian Gruber and Michael Weiner have been promoted to Partner at Schramm Oehler.

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka has advised OGP Gaz-System S.A. on a project involving the creation of a new gas supply corridor on the European market.

Sebastian Pietrzyk, former Partner at Brillaw Mikulski & Partners in Warsaw, has joined Act BSWW to co-head the firm's Public Procurement practice.

Pavel Gonda, Pavel Grim, Tomas Chobola, and Jiri Zapletal have joined the Skils law firm partnership in the Czech Republic — the former Weil, Gotshal & Manges office in the country, until the American firm withdraw from the market in 2018 — increasing the overall number of partners at the firm to 14.

SPC legal has successfully defended BUAB Sibimpeksas shareholders and directors in an intentional bankruptcy case before Lithuanian courts.

BPV Huegel has helped Sanochemia Pharmazeutika AG with its restructuring and is representing the company in court proceedings.

Martina Schutzova has been promoted to Partner at CEE Attorneys in Prague.

Avellum and Latham & Watkins have advised CHG Healthcare on its acquisition of Modio Health.

Sorainen has helped Northern European fast-food chain Hesburger expand its operations in Belarus.

Brandl & Talos has supported APEX Ventures GmbH in the creation of the APEX Digital Health venture capital fund, designed for investments in new companies with unique technologies and applications in the healthcare sector. 

Avellum and Latham & Watkins have advised CHG Healthcare on its acquisition of Modio Health.

Katarzyna Paczuska-Tokarska, Katarzyna Randzio-Sajkowska, and Jacek Myszko have joined the Soltysinski Kawcki & Szlezak partnership in Poland.

Baros, Bicakcic & Partners has successfully persuaded the High Commercial Court in Banja Luka to upheld the decision of the District Commercial Court obliging Addiko Bank to pay firm client Vucko d.o.o. Jahorina a total of over BAM 1 million in damages, interest, and court costs.

Partner Aivar Pilv and Attorney Marko Pilv from the Leadell Pilv firm successfully defended businessman Alexander Kofkin in the Harju County Court.

Senior Partner Erdem Atilla has been appointed Head of Dispute Resolution at Pekin & Pekin in Turkey.

Fort Legal has advised Gateway Airport Services on its acquisition of 100% shares of Litcargus, an aircraft ground handling company in Vilnius.

Kochanski & Partners has advised iTaxi on the acquisition of an organized part of Radio Taxi Barbakan’s enterprise from an unnamed Krakow taxi corporation.

CMS has advised CEE Equity Partners — the investment advisor to the China Central and Eastern Europe Investment Co-operation Fund II — on its acquisition of a majority stake in EuroWagon Sp. z o.o. Grant Thornton's Poznan-based transaction advisory and legal arm advised the unidentified sellers.

Ilyashev & Partners has successfully represented the Ukrrichflot Shipping Company before the Supreme Court of Ukraine in a dispute with JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrainian Railways.

Georgiev, Todorov & Co. has successfully represented BMF Port Burgas EAD, the concessionaire of Bulgaria's Bourgas East 2 and Burgas West port terminals, before the European Court of Justice in a matter initiated by the Administrative Court of Sofia regarding the interpretation of Directive 2009/72/EC regarding the common rules for the internal market in electricity.

Ilyashev & Partners has opened a new office in Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. The new office will be headed by attorney Sergey Nedelko.

Brandl & Talos has supported APEX Ventures GmbH in the creation of the APEX Digital Health venture capital fund, designed for investments in new companies with unique technologies and applications in the healthcare sector. 

Wolf Theiss worked alongside lead counsel Travers Smith in advising TA Associates on an unspecified investment in Netrisk, a Hungarian online independent insurance marketplace. Netrisk and existing investor MCI Capital were advised by Deloitte Legal.

Tokushev & Partners has helped the Fund of Funds in Bulgaria make arrangements with two financial intermediaries to create several alternative investment funds for equity investments.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners has provided pro bono legal consulting to Big Brothers Big Sisters in Russia.

Clifford Chance, acting pro bono on behalf of LGBTQ Groups in Poland, has persuaded a Polish court to order the conservative Gazeta Polska newspaper to halt the distribution of "LGBT-free zone" stickers.

RASK attorney-at-law Siret Saks has provided pro bono advice to the Estonian National Culture Foundation, helping it resolve issues concerning the will and testamentary estate of Tiiu Alliste, important to the launch of the new Harmatali scholarship fund dedicated to the support of Estonian children’s literature.

Kinstellar has advised Czech investment group Portiva on its acquisition of a 5000-square meter retail center in Ivancice, Czech Republic, from Austrian developer Aventin.

Sorainen has advised Rocket Software on opening a new development center in Vilnius.

MCL has advised MiddleCap Real Estate Ltd. on its acquisition, reconstruction, and development of the Gorkeho 4 office project and subsequently on the sale of the project to Kooperativa Insurance company, a member of the Vienna Insurance Group. Kooperativa Insurance was reportedly advised by CMS.

The International Tax practice of Ukraine's SK Group, which since 2015 also represented the Avidbiz brand in Ukraine, has left the SK Group and is now doing business solely as Avidbiz.

Former EY Tax Manager Balint Zsoldos has been appointed the new Head of Tax at the KCG Partners Law Firm in Budapest.

SDM Partners has successfully protected the interests of Royal Canin Ukraine LLC in litigation against the Tax Service of Ukraine. 

Sorainen has advised Rocket Software on opening a new development center in Vilnius.

Sinem Mermer has joined Turkey's Boden Law Firm as Partner and Head of the firm’s new Technology and Innovation Practice.

Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has advised Swedish investment fund Oresa on the sale of its RTC Proffice Experience subsidiary, a stationery and office supplies company. D&B David si Baias reportedly advised the buyer, technology & communication producer and wholesaler Complet Electro Serv, a member of the Altex group.

Lawyer Aleksandr Babikov has left Aver Lex to go into public service.

Romanian White Collar Crime specialist Gabriel Albu, former Founding and Managing Partner at Budusan, Albu & Asociatii, has taken a team to launch his own boutique law firm, Albu-Legal, which will specialize in White Collar Criminal Law, Internal Investigations and Anti-Fraud, and Protection of Human Rights.

Former Bird & Bird Head of White Collar Crime Arkadiusz Matusiak has joined Wolf Theiss in Warsaw to launch the firm's new White Collar Crime practice.