- Partners: Peter Bak, Olga Belanova, Frantisek Honsa, Petr Mlejnek, Jiri Nemec, Petr Precechtel, Tomas Otruba, Vladimir Uhde, Tomas Pesek, Tomas Sedlacek, Jiri Sterba
- Number of partners worldwide: 11
- Number of other lawyers worldwide: 73
- Languages: English, German, Russian, Spanish, French, Slovak, Czech
Firm Overview:
BBH is a modern and expanding independent Czech law firm based in Prague having offices also in Moscow and Bratislava. Widely recognised for its top legal skills and its creative and innovative approach to legal issues and high quality service, the firm is often engaged as project leader in large and complicated assignments, particularly in the areas of banking and finance, M&A, capital markets, real estate, litigation and restructuring and insolvency. The firm offers international clients legal advice on crossborder transactions, international arbitration and strategic counsel in most areas of law. Due to its daily international practice, the firm’s lawyers well understand the speech, expectations and habits of its international clients and can satisfy their needs with high-level, innovative legal support. Due to its expansion into Russia and Slovakia, BBH is able to support its clients (both domestic and international) throughout the CEE region to an ever greater degree.
Main Areas of Practice:
Banking & Finance, Insurance:
The firm’s strong Banking and Finance Practice includes bank lending (syndicated and singlebank), cross-border financing, structured transactions, trade and project finance. For its local banking clients, the firmdrafts standard security, loan and other documentation.The firm provides legal advice to the Czech insurance market leader, Czech and international banks, consumer finance, leasing and other financiers operating in the Czech Republic. In addition to standard banking and finance work, BBH is very well profiled in the area of banking, insurance and fund regulation, advising over 15 clients in these matters.
Capital Markets, Derivatives, Securitisation:
Complementing its traditional Capital Markets Practice, such as bond and share issues (listed and privately placed), the firm, an associate member of the ISDA Association, focuses on derivatives. In addition to participating in capital market transactions (such as the Eurobond offering, etc), the firm acted as the exclusive Czech legal counsel to Home Credit, a leading provider of consumer finance, on the securitisation of its credit card receivables. It was the first ever rated and completed securitisation not only in the Czech Republic, but the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. BBH also advised CEZ, the largest energy company in the Czech Republic, in connection with its share buy back, being the first of such type and volume in the Czech Republic.
Litigation & Arbitration:
The firm’s Dispute Resolution Group attains strong results in major litigation and arbitration cases.Regularly acting in numerous domestic and international litigation and arbitration cases dealing with commercial matters, financing, joint ventures, insurance claims, the oil and gas industry, interpreting ISDA documentation and providing international consultancy services, the firm is currently leading several international arbitrations in Prague,Vienna, Strasbourg, London and Zurich. Based on its professional experience and feedback from the Czech market, the firmhas managed to establish a very strong position originating directly from its high ratio of success in the cases it represents. BBH lawyers are members of EuroArbitration, the Czech Arbitration Court, the Young International Arbitration Group and the London Court of International Arbitration.
M&A, Insolvency/Restructuring & Corporate:
The transactions on which the firm advises range from private acquisitions, complex takeovers of listed companies to successful pre-insolvency restructuring. Among others, the firm has acted as structuring legal counsel in creating Energeticky a prumyslovy holding, the largest industrial and energy holding in the Czech and Slovak republic. In addition, BBH acted as legal counsel to PPF Group in its joint venture merger with Generali, the largest ever M&A transaction in the Czech Republic.
Real Estate:
The firm has acquired profound experience in all areas of real estate law and offers complex legal services in purchase and sale operations, development operations, construction contracts, leasing of non-residential premises, representation of clients before state and administrative offices and investment in buildings and land in the Czech Republic.
Energy:
The firm acts for the market leading electricity distribution company in the Czech Republic. BBH advised CEZ in more than 20 photovoltaic projects.
Information Technology:
The firm provides legal advisory services in projects concerning IT and e-business and routinely participates in software and hardware implementation, maintenance and licencing projects.
Clients:
The firm represents international banking and financial institutions, insurance companies, trading companies, real estate developers and investors as well as energy distributors.
Areas of PracticeBanking, Finance & Capital Markets
Litigation & Arbitration, Business Fraud & White- Collar Crime
Corporate,C ommercial & M&A
Real Estate & Construction
Restructuring & Insolvency
Competition
Energy
IT, Media & Telecommunications