Other News 2011
29/12/2011 Edvins Danovskis co-authors Commentaries to the Constitution (Satversme) of the Republic of Latvia
On 19 December, 2011 at the University of Latvia was held a presentation of a book „Commentaries to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia. Chapter VIII. Human Rights”.
The work on the book took three years and has resulted in more than eight hundred pages of scientific commentaries to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, Chapter on Human rights.
The project was headed by prof. Dr. iur Ringlolds Balodis. 37 recognized legal scientists and experts joined forces to create this unique book. Edvins Danovskis, associate of Raidla Lejins & Norcous, coordinated the technical execution of the project and co-authored commentaries on two Articles of the Constitution: Article 92 (right to attorney) and Article 96 (right to immunity of privacy, home and correspondence).
16/12/2011 The Financial Times and Mergermarket 2011: Raidla Lejins & Norcous – "Baltic Legal Advisor of the Year 2011"
16 December, 2011
The Financial Times and Mergermarket, a leading and independent M&A intelligence service, celebrated the fifth annual European M&A Awards, recognising excellence in corporate, private equity, banking and legal M&A expertise.
The "Baltic Legal Advisor of the Year 2011" title was awarded to Raidla Lejins & Norcous.
"It was a challenging but rewarding year in Latvia in terms of both number and volumes of the deals concluded. I am proud that the hard work of our team has resulted in one of the highest recognitions in the industry -The Financial Times and Mergermarket award We intend keep doing what we do best: supporting our clients in concluding transactions in the most efficient and successful way" says Guntars Zile, Partner of Raidla Lejins & Norcous Riga office.
According to Mr. Zile, during 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous Riga office advised on the acquisition of SIA Adam Auto by Amserv Grupp, the sale of Parex leasing subsidiaries in Russia and Azerbaijan, the acquisition of Kaleva Travel by Carlson Wagonlit Travel and many others. The largest transaction handled by the firm in 2011 was AXA Private Equity, the leading European diversified private equity firm, and Resource Partners, one of Poland's major private equity advisers, joint acquisition of a majority stake in SIA Baltkom TV, Latvia's largest cable television operator, offering pay-TV, internet and telephony services in Riga and in other Latvian cities.
In Estonia the major transaction in 2011 was the acquisition of AS Silmett Grupp, one of only two rare metal and rare earth metal processing facilities in Europe, by Molycorp. In this transaction Raidla Lejins & Norcous Tallinn office advised AS Silmet Grupp.
Major M&A deal of 2011 in Lithuania was the sale of AB Sanitas to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. This is the largest transaction in Lithuania since 2006 and Raidla Lejins & Norcous advised AB Sanitas.
Participation in the above deals and others ensured that already in October 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous was ranked 6th by volume amongst the law firms which advised on transactions in the CEE region in the first three quarters of 2011 according to the deal tables published by Mergermarket.
In the period from January till October 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous was the most active M&A advisor in the Baltics, advising on 34 transactions, 14 of which were worth more than USD 5 million (per single transaction).
For more information:
Please visit official press release of The Financial Times and Mergermarket
From the left: Partners of Raidla Lejins & Norcous Baltic offices - Elijus Burgis (Lithuania),
Guntars Zīle (Lavia), Sven Papp (Estonia) and representative of Mergermarket.
14/12/2011 The latest publication of EU and Competition Law Newsletter
Raidla Lejins & Norcous EU and Competition law practice group has issued the latest publication of Competition Law Newsletter. You may read the Newsletter in English here.
05/12/2011 Guide to NASDAQ OMX Baltic Securities Market 2011
The tax counsels of Raidla Lejins & Norcous have prepared the taxation overview in Guide to NASDAQ OMX Baltic Securities Market 2011. The publication is an annual overview of the Baltic securities market, including macroeconomic brief, information on latest development projects and new instruments at NASDAQ OMX Baltic, company profiles and trading statistics. Our tax experts contributed to the publication for the 7th year already.
Please find the guide here.
02/12/2011 Baltic M&A Deal Points Study 2011
Raidla Lejins & Norcous, together with other leading Baltic law firms Borenius, Glimstedt, Lawin, Sorainen, Tamme Otsmann Ruus Vabamets and Tark Grunte & Sutkiene, have compiled a study of Baltic M&A transactions. The study analyses 96 M&A transactions completed during the period from January 2009 to June 2011 and covers M&A (asset and share) and joint venture transactions.
The survey analyses various aspects of transactions and provides statistics by regional coverage, industry, payment terms, transaction value, timeline, governing law and more.
Please find the summary of the study here.
25/11/2011 The latest publication of Corporate Law Practice group
Raidla Lejins & Norcous Corporate law practice group has issued the newsletter on recent amendments to the Latvian Commercial Law introducing requirement for companies registered outside EU to disclose true beneficiaries of Latvian companies.
You may read the Newsletter in English here.
31/10/2011 RR Alliance Finance & Corporate Steering Group Seminar
On October 21, 2011 RR Alliance Finance & Corporate Steering Group seminar on the Green Paper on the EU corporate governance framework was held in Tallinn. The panel consisting of representatives of five RR Alliance jurisdictions discussed the most relevant issues raised in the Green Paper. Amongst the speakers at the seminar was Nick Eastwell of Kinstellar who introduced the participants of the seminar with background of the Green Paper.
26/10/2011 IFLR1000 2012 rankings
IFLR1000, a publication focusing on the leading law firms for the corporate finance worldwide, has released its 2012 rankings. In line with the results of the previous 7 years, Raidla Lejins & Norcous Riga office is listed as one of the two leading law offices in Latvia in the area of finance and corporate law.
Financial law firm rankings are based on the recommendations of in-house counsel at the world's most prominent financial institutions and companies.
Individual endorsements have been provided to partners Girts Lejins, Dace Silava-Tomsone and specialist counsel Andrejs Lielkalns.
Raidla Lejins & Norcous Tallinn and Vilnius offices are also highly ranked, as are our Finnish and Swedish cooperation partners - Roschier.
For more information click here.
25/10/2011 The latest publication of Corporate and Employment Law Practice group
Raidla Lejins & Norcous Corporate and employment law practice group has issued the newsletter on recent significant amendments to the Immigration Law on EU Blue card and on residence permit in Latvia.
You may read the Newsletter in English here or in Russian here.
20/10/2011 Mergermarket: RLN Keeps Its Leader Position in the Baltic Legal Market
According to the latest league table of Mergermarket, an independent M&A intelligence service, published in October 2011, Raidla Lejins & Norcous law firms operating in the Baltics are ranked 6th by volume amongst the law firms which advised on transactions in the CEE region. For the second time this year Raidla Lejins & Norcous is included in the Top 10 highest ranking law firms in the CEE region.
To evaluate the performance of CEE law firms in the three quarters of 2011, Mergermarket included those M&A deals, the value of which was greater than USD 5 million (per single transaction).
In the period from January till October 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous advised on 34 transactions, 14 of which were worth more than USD 5 million (per single transaction).
Roschier, a leading Nordic law firm, which together with Raidla Lejins & Norcous forms the RR Alliance, is ranked 6th by Mergermarket by the number of M&A deals at the end of the third quarter in the Nordic Region.
You may find more information here.
06/10/2011 Ius Laboris wins the award “Law Firm Network of the Year” in Europe
Ius Laboris, an alliance of leading law firms providing specialised services in employment and labour law, pensions and employee benefits, has been named European Network of the Year at The Lawyer's third annual European Awards, held at the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Geneva.
This was the first time that Ius Laboris was nominated for such an award, and to win the award with the first nomination is an excellent achievement. In particular, the judges noted the alliance's focus on quality and the contribution it has made over the last 10 years.
Ius Laboris, the world's largest alliance of leading human resources law practitioners, is operating in 43 countries and have over 2,500 lawyers. Ius Laboris offers a unique solution to companies by providing them with an international platform coupled with a strong local presence.
Raidla Lejins & Norcous Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius offices are the exclusive Baltic members of Ius Laboris since 2004.
For more information please read here.
27/07/2011 The latest publication of EU and Competition Law Newsletter
Raidla Lejins & Norcous EU and Competition law practice group has issued the latest publication of Competition Law Newsletter.
You may read the Newsletter in English here.
25/07/2011 Mergermarket: RLN is a Market Leader amongst the Baltic Law Firms
According to the latest league table reports of Mergermarket, an independent M&A intelligence service, published in July 2011, Raidla Lejins & Norcous law firms operating in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, are ranked 6th by volume amongst the law firms which advised on the transactions in the CEE region in the first half of 2011. During this period Raidla Lejins & Norcous was the busiest M&A law firm in the Baltics with reported eight deals valued at approximately USD 598 million.
To evaluate the performance of the CEE law firms in the first half of 2011, Mergermarket included those M&A deals, the value of which was greater than USD 5 million (per single transaction).
Overall, during the first half of this year, Raidla Lejins & Norcous acted as counsel in 18 M&A transactions spanning across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Nine of these deals were worth more than USD 5 million each.
More information here.
21/07/2011 The latest publication of Corporate and Employment Law Newsletter
Raidla Lejins & Norcous Corporate and Employment law practice group has issued the newsletter on recent significant amendments to the Commercial Law and Labour Law, both coming into force in July 2011.
You may read the Newsletter in English here.
17/06/2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous held a seminar on "Latest Jurisprudence on Labour Law: Discover the Unknown!"
On 9 June, 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous held a seminar on "Latest Jurisprudence on Labour Law: Discover the Unknown!".
During the seminar rules of the Labour law on termination of employment relationship and the latest - inter alia unpublished - decisions of Senate on labour law disputes were analysed. In particular, such issues as legal basis for termination of employment contract, termination procedure and consequences of failure to observe the procedure, as well as the problems of employment of Management Board members were discussed.
The seminar was attended by more than 30 participants from public and private sector.
16/06/2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous held a seminar on "IPO in Latvia - whether and why now?"
On 9 June, 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous in collaboration with NASDAQ OMX Riga and SEB Enskilda held a seminar on "IPO in Latvia - whether and why now?", answering a question - whether and why it is worth to consider public offering of securities and what benefits it can bring.
At the seminar there was an opportunity to meet all parties involved in the public offering process - stock exchange, financial advisors, legal advisors, and to find out all uncertain issues about public offering opportunities, problems, benefits and gains in Latvia.
12/05/2011 The latest publication of EU and Competition Law Newsletter
Raidla Lejins & Norcous EU and Competition law practice group has issued the latest publication of Competition Law Newsletter.
You may read the Newsletter in English here.
19/04/2011 The annual RR Alliance Competition Law Seminar
On 14 - 15 April 2011 the annual RR Alliance Competition Law Seminar entitled "Infrastructure, Fundamental Rights and Competition Law" was held in Riga, Radisson Blu Ridzene hotel. On the first day amongst the speakers were Ieva Jaunzeme, Chairperson of the Latvian Competition Council, Björn Lundqvist, Senior Associate at Roschier Stockholm office and Ugis Zeltins, Senior Associate at Raidla Lejins & Norcous Riga office.
The first day of the seminar was attended by more than 40 participants from public and private companies and RR Alliance member firms.
On 15 April an internal RR Alliance training session was held. RR Alliance EU & Competition law practice group lawyers discussed developments in national competition laws, as well as enforcement environment.
Guest speakers from Covington & Burling LLP (Brussels) - Peter Camesasca and Lars Kjølbye, held a presentation on new EU guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements and developments in the energy sector.
The RR Alliance Competition Law Seminar is an annual event that is organized each year by one of the RR Alliance law firms with an aim to hold a discussion on current competition law issues relevant for businesses. In 2012 the seminar will be held in Vilnius.
01/04/2011 Legal 500 EMEA 2011 rankings
Just released Legal 500 EMEA 2011 once again is ranking Raidla Lejins & Norcous offices amongst top law firms in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Our RR Alliance partners - Roschier - have received equally high evaluations in Finland and Sweden.
Legal 500 recognizes Raidla Lejins & Norcous Riga office as Tier 1 law firm in all 9 areas surveyed: Banking and Finance, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, EU and Competition, IP, IT and Telecoms, Real Estate and Construction, Shipping and Transport and Tax.
The Legal 500 Series, which are published for over 24 years, provide the most comprehensive worldwide coverage currently available on legal services providers, in over 100 countries. The series is widely regarded as offering the definitive judgment of law firm capabilities.
More information here.
31/03/2011 Chambers Global 2011 rankings
Just released Chambers Global 2011 once again is ranking Raidla Lejins & Norcous offices amongst top law firms in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Our RR Alliance partners - Roschier - have received equally high evaluations in Finland and Sweden.
The leading international legal researcher Chambers recognizes Raidla Lejins & Norcous Riga office as Tier 1 law firm in both areas surveyed: Corporate/Commercial and Dispute Resolution.
The Chambers Global legal overview, which is released in spring each year, identifies the most skilled legal practitioners in 180 jurisdictions globally based on the qualities most valued by clients. The directory's rankings and editorial content is based on thousands of interviews conducted each year by the Chambers research teams with clients and legal practitioners.
More information at www.chambersandpartners.co.uk
18/03/2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous held a seminar on "Conducting Arbitration Proceedings - Art or Science?"
On 11 March 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous in collaboration with RR Alliance, Riga Graduate School of Law, ICC Court of Arbitration, European Branch of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Law Office of Inga Kacevska and legal journal "Jurista Vards" held a seminar on "Conducting Arbitration Proceedings - Art or Science?"
The seminar was attended by more than 100 participants - arbitration practitioners, academics and also law students. Topics of the seminar covered inter alia court practice in relation to pathological clauses, cost control in arbitration proceedings, obstructive tactics in arbitration proceedings, aspects to take into account when choosing an arbitrator, as well as arbitration developments in Baltic States and Northern Europe.
At the conclusion of the seminar the winner of Raidla Lejins & Norcous law student essay competition was announced. The first place was awarded to Ms. Nerika Lizinska, law student from University of Latvia. The second and third place was shared between Ms. Evija Plataiskalna (School of Business Administration Turiba), Dace Vagule (University of Latvia) and Romans Vikis (University of Latvia).
Raidla Lejins & Norcous congratulates the winners and thanks all the participants!
18/02/2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous invites to the seminar on “Conducting Arbitration Proceedings – Art or Science?”
Raidla Lejins & Norcous together with RR Alliance, Riga Graduate School of Law, ICC Court of Arbitration, European Branch of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, legal journal "Jurista Vards" and Law Office of Inga Kacevska organizes the seminar on "Conducting Arbitration Proceedings - Art or Science?"
The seminar will focus on topical arbitration issues from the perspective of arbitrators, including the cost management in arbitration proceedings, overcoming the obstructive behavior by a party, criteria to be taken into account when choosing an arbitrator, as well as the most recent tendencies in arbitration in Baltic States and Northern Europe.
Seminar will take place on 11 March 2011 at Riga Graduate School of Law.
For more information click here.
16/02/2011 The latest publication on EU and Competition Law Newsletter
Raidla Lejins & Norcous EU and Competition law practice group has issued the latest publication of Competition Law Newsletter.
You may read the Newsletter in English here.
10/02/2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous lawyers led a seminar on tax law issues
On 19 January 2011 Raidla Lejins & Norcous lawyers Sandija Novicka and Elina Bedanova led a seminar "Recent and Upcoming Amendments to the Tax Law". Seminar was organized by the Danish Chamber of Commerce in Latvia and law office Raidla Lejins & Norcous.
During the seminar our lawyers provided analysis on the impact of a recently introduced changes in the several tax laws, including on the Corporate Income Tax, Company Car Tax, Value Added Tax, and other tax laws amended for the budget consolidation purposes.
