Bucharest - 29 septembrie 2010
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Central European law firm Schoenherr has entered the Turkish market by formalising its relationship with Istanbul law firm Türkoğlu & Celepçi. The cooperation will provide Schoenherr a bridgehead into what is the firm’s single largest market and Europe’s fastest growing economy.
“We are very excited about this move. First, with Erhan Türkoğlu, Levent Celepçi and their lawyers in Istanbul we are adding outstanding professionals to our team. Second, we are expanding our one-stop-shop approach to the booming Turkish market. And third, we become the natural first choice for the increasing number of Turkish corporates investing in Central Europe, such as TurkCell, Hedef-Alliance Holding, Renaissance and others,” says Christoph Lindinger, Schoenherr’s managing partner.
Schoenherr has been following a strategy of Central European expansion since the mid nineties when it opened an office in Bucharest. Since then the firm gradually continued its client-driven growth and extended its coverage into the region. In its most recent drive to provide clients unmatched coverage of the region from one hand, Schoenherr opened offices in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in 2008. “With a strong cooperation in Turkey, our coverage of the region becomes genuinely unique,” according to Lindinger.
Law firm Türkoğlu & Celepçi was established by Erhan Türkoğlu and Levent Celepçi in 2005 and specialises in corporate and m&a transactions, privatisations, financings and commercial litigation. The firm is particularly experienced advising on large cross-border transactions in the energy and telcoms sectors. "We are excited about this cooperation which is very promising for both Schoenherr and us. Cross-border work is our bread and butter and with Schoenherr we are in a strong position to assist Turkish companies which show a keen interest in investing in Central Europe and together we can attract new clients which are entering the Turkish market. This is clearly a win-win situation for us and our clients," says Levent Celepçi.
Turkish regulations restrict foreign law firms in establishing local branches and instead Schoenherr has been assisting clients in Turkey through its dedicated Turkish desk in Vienna working closely together with Türkoğlu & Celepçi since 2007. The Istanbul office and Vienna Turkish desk have a combined team of 24 lawyers, including 4 partners. Schoenherr partner Markus Piuk will be based in Istanbul, while Alexander Popp (partner), Karaman Nidal (junior partner) and Kazim Yilmaz (associate) will mainly be working on from Vienna.
Türkoğlu & Celepçi, among others, has advised Hedef Alliance Holding on the sale and transfer of a majority stake to Boots (UK); the project developers on a 890MW natural gas circuit plant to be established by the MET Group of Companies with the Austrian energy company OMV and Lehman Brothers in Samsun; a consortium on the privatisation of operating right of seven Hydroelectric Plants and one Geothermal Plant; Atrium European Real Estate in connection with its commercial real estate investments in Turkey; and certain sellers within the framework of the sale of a stake in Medical Park hospitals to a private equity fund.
Schoenherr’s Turkish desk focuses on in- and outbound M&A transactions as well as on energy projects in Turkey. The team has advised various foreign investors in the retail, insurance, construction, oil & gas and media sectors on their investments in Turkey. Clients include the listed Austrian construction company PORR AG and Trenkwalder, one of the leading human resources service providers in Central and Eastern Europe. In a recent outbound transaction, the team advised Turkcell in its bid for Cosmofon, one of three mobile operators in Macedonia, as well as the MET Group of Companies in various energy projects throughout the Balkans.
Christoph Lindinger, Managing Partner
T: +43 1 534 37 130
E: c.lindinger@schoenherr.at
Erik Werkman, PR & Marketing
T: + 420 225 996 536
E: e.werkman@schoenherr.at
http://www.schoenherr.eu/
Cuvinte cheie:
Schoenherr law companies