Kocián Šolc Balaštík

Managing Partner: Petr Kasík
Other Partners: Jan Dědič, Pavel Dejl, Dagmar Dubecká, Jiří Horník, Jan Lasák, Martin Krejčí, Vlastimil Pihera, Václav Rovenský, Tomáš Sequens, Sylvie Sobolová, Martin Šolc, Drahomír Tomašuk, Jiří Balaštík (Emeritus Partner), Helena Navrátilová (Tax Partner)
Number of lawyers: 63
Number of tax advisers: 6
Languages: Czech, English, German, Italian, French, Slovak

Firm Overview:
For over 3 decades, KŠB, a four-time recipient of the prestigious Chambers Europe Award for Excellence, has been an acclaimed market leader, creating innovative and groundbreaking legal solutions for its clients involving new legislation and legal and business concepts. A proudly independent Czech law firm, KŠB is globally interconnected through long-term relationships with other leading independent law firms, with whom it frequently works on cross-border transactions. Its mission is to strategically guide its global and domestic clients in attaining and exceeding their business objectives in the Czech Republic. Delivering commercially driven and sector specific advice, the firm is not just ready for the future, but actively facilitating it in the evolving 21st century business world for the benefit of its clients, whose success is the firm’s greatest satisfaction.

Main Areas of Practice 

M&A:
A market leader in M&A and a recognised pioneer in using new legal concepts and transaction structures, KŠB advises on legal and tax structuring, asset and share deals, and corporate restructuring. It also provides highly focused and experienced legal and tax due diligence. Recently, KŠB advised Sandberg Capital (Solitea Group, Webglobe, Titans Freelancers) on numerous acquisitions of IT companies and Aramark on the acquisition of Sodexo. Other recent M&A transactions include work for Mattoni 1873, Infinite Computer Solutions, J&T Banka, Škoda Transportation, Inner Mongolia Mengtai, Jamf Software, MSX International, and YIT Stavo.

Corporate:
KŠB advises on establishing all types of companies, including Societas Europaea. Its services include company incorporation, facilitating board and general meetings as well as relationships between management bodies, making changes to companies’ financial structures, arranging financial assistance and implementing mergers, divisions, and transformations of various company and partnership structures (including cross-border). One of KŠB's most high-profile cases was advising O2 Czech Republic on a globally exceptional voluntary unbundling and CETIN on a whitewash procedure for the largest financial assistance ever granted in the Czech Republic. Recently, the firm advised Solitea Group on one of the biggest intragroup mergers in the CEE region.

Banking & Finance:
KŠB advises on financial transactions as well as on banking and finance regulations and financial services disputes. It provides legal services to lenders, arrangers, security agents and borrowers on senior, subordinated as well as mezzanine and bridge financing. KŠB is highly rated for its regulatory expertise (it has been advising the Czech National Bank for more than 25 years), and is also covering new ground in FinTech. Its clients include Česká spořitelna (Erste group), Raiffeisenbank, CSOB (KBC group), National Development Bank of the Czech Republic, ING Bank, Unicreditbank, mBank, Generali, and J&T Banka. KŠB’s corporate clients in finance include members of the important entrepreneurs’ group in the CEE region, such as O2 Czech Republic, Mattoni 1873, Solitea, and Arete.

Securities & Capital Markets
KŠB advises issuers, shareholders and leading domestic as well as foreign investment banks and funds in the entire spectrum of securities and capital market deals. The focus of KŠB's practice is mainly in the area of public and private issues of debt securities and investment fund structures. The most notable clients here are O2 Czech Republic, J&T Group, Arete Investment Group, Rockaway Group, and Ontex. KŠB also focuses on pioneering innovative solutions, such as the crowdfunding platform Fundlift, issuance of additional Tier 1 instruments for J&T Group, transformation of 3M FUND MSI to SICAV, and a side-pocket structure for Redside investment Group.

Competition:
KŠB assesses potential anticompetitive agreements and alleged abuse of dominance. It also represents clients before the Czech and European Competition Authorities and the courts in all competition matters, including merger clearance procedures and leniency or settlement procedures. It was awarded the European Competition Case of the Year 2015 for its victory at the ECHR in which it represented DELTA PEKARNY regarding unlawful dawn raids in the Czech Republic. KŠB has recently been representing clients (such as Asiana and Leo Express Global) in private competition enforcement matters. Other competition clients include Mattoni 1873, Agrofert, the Czech National Bank, and Skanska.

Litigation & Arbitration:
Repeatedly recognised as one of the best practices in the Czech Republic, KŠB represents clients in civil and administrative courts and arbitration panels in all kinds of legal disputes, in particular relating to contracts, damages compensation, corporate matters, including invalidity of general meeting resolutions, employment law, unfair competition and infringement of intellectual property rights. Recently, KŠB has been representing O2 Czech Republic, Skanska, Leo Express Global, PPF Group, Czech National Theatre, Czech Television and Czech Radio, among others.

Energy (Including Mining):
KŠB is best known in the energy sector for its expertise and success in the planning, development, implementation and operation of large-scale power and heat generation developments. KŠB represents clients in negotiations with administrative offices and advises on energy regulation. Its clients include Teplárna Kladno, Carthamus, Green Gas DPB, Asental Land, Lovochemie, ENERGY Ústí nad Labem, and ČEZ.

Real Estate:
KŠB advises leading CEE developers in logistics, retail and residential sectors, fast-growing investment funds focusing on industrial properties, and real estate project financiers. Recently, KŠB represented J&T Banka in the acquisition of its new headquarters in Prague and ARETE Invest on the disposal of its logistics park portfolio to Cromwell. Its clients also include ČEZ, J&T Real Estate, MS-INVEST, Passerinvest Group, VGP Group, and YIT Stavo.

Aviation:
KŠB is prized for its unique expertise in aviation, including aircraft financing, regulatory issues and claims handling. Its clients include ABS Jets, BBAM Aircraft Leasing, Cirrus Aircraft, easyJet, Macquarie Aviation, Prague Airport, and XL Insurance. KŠB also advises the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) on issues linked with the deployment of the EGNOS, which provides augmentation to the standard GPS and Galileo signal.

TMT/IP/IT:
KŠB advises and assists in connection with telecommunications law (regulatory matters), including advice on tenders and licensing for operators of electronic communications networks and electronic telecommunications service providers. KŠB also has a full-service intellectual property practice, with experienced lawyers in all areas of intellectual property law, including IT, e-commerce and unfair competition. KŠB advises on compliance matters, including advertising and personal data protection. KŠB’s clients include O2 Czech Republic, CETIN, NTT Czech Republic, Dahua Technology, Daktela, Solitea Group, Deutsche Telekom, and Daimler.

Employment:
KŠB advises on standard employment agreements, agreements for managers and top management, including service agreements, work assignments (secondments) and agency employment, as well as on relations with trade union organisations/employee councils and workplace injury-related matters. KŠB’s clients include ČEZ, AGC Automotive Czech, Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority, Lidl Česká republika, Mirantis, Akron Brass Holding, and the Czech National Theatre.

Tax:
Recognised repeatedly by international and domestic ratings agencies, KŠB’s tax team has enhanced its reputation in the specific areas of taxation of international mergers and acquisitions and other transactions, corporate income tax, VAT and tax proceedings and disputes. KŠB is able to take advantage of mutual synergies, thus bringing undeniable benefits to clients (e.g. Czech Television, Rockaway, and Mattoni 1873).