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CEE Legal Matters Hosts 2025 Balkan General Counsel Summit in Belgrade

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Following the successful 2025 Hungarian General Counsel Summit in Budapest, on October 21, 2025, CEE Legal Matters brought the Balkan General Counsel Summit to Belgrade, gathering leading in-house counsel and legal professionals from across the region.

The event explored the evolving role of legal teams across the Balkans – from navigating complex cross-border deals and adopting new technologies to managing regulatory change, compliance, and risk – all while providing a platform for networking and knowledge-sharing among peers.

Agenda highlights included:

  • Presentation: AI and the Illusion of Confidentiality: What In-House Counsel Must Know
    • Rastko Petakovic
  • Presentation: Harnessing the AI Revolution: Governance as a Tool to Manage Regulation, Risks and Opportunities
    • Ivan Jovanovic
  • Presentation: The Legal Function in the Age of Information Security
    • Manja Breznik
  • Panel: Privacy at Work: Surveillance, Software, and Subject Access – Legal Lessons from Practice
    • Moderator: Goran Radosevic
    • Panelists: Marija Calasan, Nana Blagojevic, Manja Breznik, Jelena Danilovic
  • Panel: Working with External Counsel in a New Era of Increasing Regulation and AI
    • Moderator: Tijana Kojovic
    • Panelists: Misa Vorotovic, Elena Tahovska, Sonja Kovac
  • Panel: Ethics and Employment Relations
    • Moderator: Nana Blagojevic
    • Panelists: Djordje Djokic, Djordje Colic, Marija Kecman Puric, Filip Kovac
  • Presentation: The Strategic Transformation of Legal Leadership
    • Dusanka Urosevic
  • Panel: The Role of In-House Counsel in Deal Making
    • Moderator: Marta Slavic
    • Panelists: Nevena Skocic, Dusanka Urosevic, Emilija Evtimova Spaseska, Nedim Sehic, Irena Saric 

The full photo gallery from the event is available on our Facebook page.

The event was made possible with support from our co-hosts Karanovic & Partners and partners at BDK Advokati, Djokic + Partners, and Zivko Mijatovic & Partners – thank you for helping us create a platform for meaningful discussion and professional connection. 

Next up: the Turkish General Counsel Summit 2025, followed by our annual CEE Legal Matters Winter Gala in Budapest!

ZMP at a Glance

Established in 1939 in Belgrade, Serbia, ZMP (Živko Mijatović & Partners) has become one of the most prominent IP law firms in Central and Eastern Europe. For more than 80 years, ZMP has been advising
and representing clients in the areas of intellectual property ranging from patent strategy and IP litigation to copyright, design, trademark, trade secrets, and unfair competition law. The firm also handles prosecution and enforcement matters, both for international and local clients.

In addition, ZMP is in a unique position to manage multi-jurisdictional anti-counterfeiting programs, which is one of the firm's strongest points. It handles these programs for some of the biggest brand owners in the world who are anxious to stop counterfeit products coming from Turkey, the Middle East, and China before they enter the EU.

Many of ZMP’s clients are leaders in their industries, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer science, entertainment, telecommunications, food and beverages, fashion, etc. Clients benefit from the firm’s strategically focused approach to the creation and protection of their brands and content. It understands their concerns and offers tailor-made and cost-efficient solutions.

To provide comprehensive services to regional and international clients with business interests in multiple jurisdictions, the firm has grown to 15 offices throughout Southeastern Europe over time, with its HQ in Belgrade and its Client Service Office in Alicante, Spain, acting as hubs around which all other offices operate. The streamlined flow of information between offices is accomplished through cloud-based file sharing and a consolidated back office. Clients can receive tailor-made services consistently across all ZMP offices through only one point of contact if desired.

ZMP’s network covers the protection of European Trademarks (EUTM) and provides full IP services in 15 countries, namely: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Spain.

One point of contact, the flawless and constant level of service throughout all offices, in-depth knowledge of local and regional legal frameworks, markets, politics, and culture, and seasoned professionals with years of extensive experience are what make ZMP stand out.

Firm's website: ZMP