CERHA HEMPEL Ulčar & Partnerji

Firm Overview:

CERHA HEMPEL is one of the leading corporate law firms in Central and Eastern Europe with its headquarters in Vienna. With a team of over 200 lawyers, the firm guarantees its clients experience and expertise in all areas of corporate and commercial law, both in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. CERHA HEMPEL is proud to be able to look back on a very successful history. Over the past 25 years, CERHA HEMPEL has been involved in a large number of the most significant transactions in Austria. The fact that the firm understands its clients’ businesses has helped CERHA HEMPEL achieve a high rate of success. It is no coincidence that CERHA HEMPEL is the first port of call for a number of long-term clients whom the firm advises comprehensively on all of their day-to-day legal matters. This expertise – combined with the firm’s years of experience in Central and Eastern Europe and its Lex Mundi network – ensures that its clients receive high-quality and sound advice, across disciplines and across borders.

At our Ljubljana office, we are committed to delivering outstanding legal solutions in the areas of corporate and commercial law. Our approach is based on the belief that event the mosts complex legal challenges can be effectively addressed with simplicity and clarity.

With a track record spanning two decades, our team in Ljubljana has been at the forefront of advising Slovenia's leading companies, foreign investors and the public sector for many years. We have been extensively involved in a multitude of high-profile transactions throughout Slovenia and the Adriatic region, providing advice as strategic consultants. The trust our clients place in us and our lasting relationships with them result from the fact that we intrinsically understand their business goals and are able to provide expert legal solutions that fit their strategic visions.

The firm is one of the founding members of Lex Adria, an alliance of leading independent law firms in the Adriatic region and the Balkans, enhancing regional capabilities of each of its member firms to provide seamless and premium legal support throughout the region and beyond.The firm is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce - AmCham in Slovenia and of the Employment Law Alliance - ELA, the world's largest network of labour and employment lawyers offering global HR legal solutions.

In the recent years the firm has evolved into one of the leading M&A practices on the Slovenian market and has, independently or in cooperation with its network or international law firms, advised on a number of high-profile successfully completed M&A transactions.

The firm offers its services primarily to national, foreign, and multinational companies, financial institutions and investors, as well as to the public sector.

M&A/Corporate:

The firm provides comprehensive and reliable legal advice in connection with the full range of corporate issues, including cross-border acquisitions and complex restructurings. Comprehensive knowledge of its clients’ business sectors enables the firm’s legal teams to provide swift and effective legal guidance, with experience being particularly strong in energy, automotive, pharmaceutical, health-care and retail sectors. The firm also provides day-to-day corporate advice

Commercial:

Commercial law remains one of the primary focus areas. The firm advises its clients in their business and commercial transactions, drafts and negotiates complex commercial contracts and other documents, and represents clients in commercial litigation and arbitration.

Banking & Finance

In recent years, the firm has developed strong banking and financing practice, with experience ranging from project, real estate, and asset financing, investments and securitisations, investment funds, to complex multi-jurisdiction refinancing operations. The firm also helps its clients with drafting of financing documents and security instruments.

Restructuring & Insolvency:

The firm’s experience covers all forms of corporate and financial restructurings, inside and outside of the insolvency context. The firm offers help in addressing financial difficulties in crisis situations, represents creditors and credit institutions, corporate debtors, and investors in complex restructurings and insolvency proceedings, as well as in drafting the necessary documents and potential representation in the insolvency related litigation.

Dispute Resolution:

The firm regularly represents domestic and foreign clients in a variety of dispute resolution proceedings, mainly concerning issues of corporate, commercial law and labour law, with recent examples including, inter alia, a complex investment dispute, a cross border insolvency related dispute, a collective labour dispute and a white-collar criminal investigation.

Competition:

The firm regularly advises clients on preliminary antitrust issues, helps them with merger clearance and assessment processes, represents its clients before national competition authorities and coordinates the notification to the national authorities throughout the CEE region.

Real Estate:

The firm regularly advises its clients in the field of acquisition, development, and transfer of real estate and asset management. The firm has extensive experience with real estate transactions, including acquisitions of office buildings, hotels, shopping centres and health care facilities, drafting and negotiation of complex real estate transaction, construction, project management, and lease agreements, as well as with structuring, advising and managing the real estate transactions.

Employment:

The firm regularly advises corporate clients in connection with day-to-day employment issues, including employment terminations, employment benefits and non-compete violations, as well as in connection with restructuring projects involving mass redundancies and cross-border employments. The firm has vast experience in negotiations with the trade unions and other workers representatives, and is representing clients in full range of labour disputes.

Public Procurement:

The firm has significant experience with public procurement law, in particular in the energy, waste management and infrastructure sectors, and regularly advises its clients on state aid issues.