CEE Legal Matters recently concluded a series of local and regional events – the Hungarian, Balkan, and Turkish General Counsel Summits – with around a dozen law firms participating as sponsors across the three summits.

Many law firms treat their website as a project to be handed off to an external agency: the website is developed, content is added, and then the site goes live. After that, control rests almost entirely with the agency.

The energy sector in CEE has undergone unprecedented transformation since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, forcing governments and energy companies to align their economies, businesses, and strategies with energy security objectives, transforming energy landscapes, and keeping legal teams extremely busy. Law firms have found themselves at the center of energy market changes and the renewables revolution that shows no signs of slowing.

As the region rounds the summer bend, Kinstellar Partner in Serbia Milan Samardzic, Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko in Ukraine, and PwC Director and Head of Legal Practice in Georgia Vano Gogelia unpack what moved and why in terms of summer levels of activity, the macro and political levers at play, and what they expect to drive closings into year-end.

White & Case Local Partner Jana Chwaszcz, Havel & Partners Partner Jaroslav Baier, DLA Piper Czech Republic Country Managing Partner Miroslav Dubovsky, and Schoenherr Partner Vladimir Cizek discuss the forces behind Czech investors increasingly looking beyond their borders, the sectors and destinations attracting the most interest, and the challenges that come with navigating foreign markets.

As of June 1, 2025, changes in labor law, also known as the “Flexi-Amendment,” came into effect in the Czech Republic, with the purpose of enhancing flexibility in employment relationships and in the labor market. Peterka & Partners Partner Adela Krbcova, Sedlakova Legal Partner David Supej, Glatzova & Co Partner Jiri Sixta, Act Legal Partner Lenka Droscova, and Legalite Partner Marie Jansova discuss how the reforms are shaping the Czech labor market.

Cechova & Partners Partner Michaela Jurkova and Ruzicka & Partners Partner and Co-Head of the Banking and Finance practice Jan Hanko discuss Slovakia’s banking sector’s modest but meaningful consolidation over the last five years.

BLC Law Office Partner Rusa Tchkuaseli discusses Georgia’s growing role as a regional hub, the sectors drawing the most investor attention, and the reforms still needed to turn ambition into lasting growth.

Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of LegalTech products in development. Following my experience, a significant number of them are being built by lawyers - or more precisely, by law firms or forward-thinking legal professionals who manage to assemble project teams. 

Marking three decades in business, Asters Managing Partner Oleksiy Didkovskiy looks back on the firm’s journey from a small Kyiv startup to Ukraine’s largest full-service law firm.

Writing client-relevant content doesn’t have to be a guessing game. The data is already there. All you need to do is log in.

In the CEE region, law firms are facing a growing challenge: the legal profession is no longer as attractive to younger generations as it once was. Law school enrollment is declining, and those who do enter the field often question its long-term viability. The reasons are familiar: demanding studies, pressures of the job, long hours, slow progression, and increasing doubt about whether this is a profession that will remain relevant in the age of artificial intelligence.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we asked: If you were to hire a new receptionist tomorrow, what is the one most important trait you look for and why?

On November 1, 2024, a canopy collapse at Novi Sad Railway Station claimed 16 lives, with subsequent investigations exposing glaring discrepancies in a multi-million-euro renovation. The disaster has since sparked Serbia’s largest protest movement in decades, as citizens and students mobilize to demand accountability, transparency, and broad systemic reforms.

Schoenherr Partner Igor Zivkovski, ZSP Advokati Partner Jelisaveta Stanisic, Karanovic & Partners Partner Maja Jovancevic Setka, and MMD Advokati Partner Rastko Malisic discuss how, after years of dormancy, Serbia’s exchanges and fund platforms are finally showing signs of life, as institutional and retail actors alike begin to test the waters. While trading volumes and liquidity remain modest, a growing consensus among policymakers and market participants suggests that the capital market’s long-awaited expansion may at last be underway.

As cross-border client needs grow in Southeast Europe, Kinstellar launched the Western Balkans Hub to offer legal support across the region. SOG in cooperation with Kinstellar Managing Partner Milos Velimirovic and Special Counsel Olga Sipka discuss how the Hub came to life, how it works in practice, and what sets it apart.

At the 30-year mark, Karanovic & Partners Managing Partner Milos Vuckovic reflects on the firm’s early days, its evolution over the years, and its goals going forward.

In Serbia’s real estate market, cultural tradition, financial caution, and limited alternatives intersect to create a unique investment landscape. NKO Partners Partner Branko Jankovic, BDK Advokati Partner Jelena Hrle, Bojovic Attorneys at Law Partner Marija Bojovic, Radovanovic Stojanovic & Partners Partner Milorad Gajic, and Gecic Law Partner Miodrag Jevtic discuss the enduring preference for property as a default investment, the historical experiences that continue to shape investor behavior, and the broader economic and geopolitical factors contributing to rising property prices across the country.