Out of 11 law firms from Central and Eastern Europe that were included in the segment of energy in the guide published by Chambers and Partners, eight were listed at least partly due to results and experience in renewables. The prominent annual document on the legal market released by the London-based organization listed CMS at the highest position for this year, citing a sizeable footprint in the region, including top-rated projects and energy teams in Hungary, Serbia, Poland and Bulgaria. The broad base of clients includes renewable and traditional energy players, the explanation said, noting the firm assisted Continental Wind Partners with the regulatory aspects of a major renewable energy project in Serbia. CMS was declared CEE Law Firm of the Year at Chambers Europe – Awards for Excellence 2016 on April 22.
In three bands, other listed groups engaged in the renewables sector are White and Case LLP, Allen and Overy LLP, Clifford Chance LLP, Dentons, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and Kinstellar.
In Serbia, CMS ranks in the first of two bands as Petrikić and Partneri AOD in cooperation with CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz. The first category includes Karanović and Nikolić and also Moravčević Vojnović i partneri in cooperation with Schoenherr. Both firms are active in green energy segment, as are two out of four in the second tier.
The awards and rankings reflect not just a law firm’s pre-eminence but also highlight strategic growth, excellence in client services and notable achievements over the past twelve months, the organization said.
“We are very pleased to learn that Chambers and Partners have decided – for the second year in a row – to award the top-tier ranking to us in such an inspiring and ever-changing area of law, and on such a competitive market,” says Đorđe Popović, Senior Attorney, Petrikić and Partneri AOD in cooperation with CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz. The recognition confirms the frontrunner position in the energy sector in Serbia, as the firm represents clients equally in innovative sectors and in the mainstream areas, the statement adds. “Over the last 12 months, our energy team has indeed worked hard to maintain the premium level of service and dedication to both existing and new clients, and to further spread our expertise to real-life project demands, having zero tolerance to any approaches diverging from a true understanding of our clients’ businesses. We are convinced that this recognition will be a great incentive for the continued growth of our energy practices and are truly looking forward to contributing to further development of this sector in Serbia, having a significant impact on the entire economy,” Popović underscored. The team assists with legal regulations on a wide scope of energy-related matters, and is well regarded for its work on energy efficiency projects, Chambers and Partners said about the Serbian firm.
Looking at markets followed by Balkan Green Energy News, CMS was also listed in band one for Bulgaria and the second tier for Romania. Clifford Chance LLP from the second band in CEE category appears in band four for Romania. Wolf Theiss is in Bulgarian and Serbian second and Romanian third tier. Kinstellar is in the third band both for the wider region and for Romania, the charts show.
Schoenherr şi Asociaţii SCA, declared Law Firm of the Year for Romania, is among the 12 entities practicing in the renewables ares out of 19 listed in the energy section. Greece had eight out of sixteen firms, Bulgaria had 14 out of 18, and six Turkish entities were active in sustainable energy from a list of 15. Smaller markets don’t have a separate category for energy.
