Mergers & Acquisitions Overview

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) is a key SORAINEN practice. The firm is constantly involved in major M&A transactions in the Baltic States and Belarus. According to the statistics of Mergermarket and other leading international M&A intelligence services, SORAINEN has the greatest experience in major M&A transactions in the Baltics and Belarus (see the Mergermarket league table for the period 2005-2010 here).

M&A transactions require involvement of the most experienced M&A lawyers to assist in efficiently managing complex and intensive projects: from preparing adequate documentation and holding tactical negotiations to ensuring smooth deal closing. SORAINEN specialists in competition, regulatory, finance, real estate and tax work with the firm’s M&A lawyers to provide full servicing in M&A projects. The SORAINEN M&A Practice has an extensive track record in domestic and cross-border M&A transactions in various industries (for examples, see under the Experience section) and in advising private equity funds on M&A deals (see also the description of the SORAINEN Private Equity Practice).

SORAINEN deploys a truly integrated regional M&A Practice and thus offers optimal capacity to advise on regional M&A deals involving two or more of the Baltic States and Belarus, substantially reducing the time, energy and resources necessary to structure and manage regional M&A projects.

SORAINEN is recommended for its M&A Practice by international directories such as IFLR1000 (“‘It was a very good experience. They were very good at tasks at hand...flexible, hardworking, good standard of work,’ says one client, adding: ‘We got advice that was more business advice than purely legal.’”), The Legal 500 (“SORAINEN is ‘not only a group of bright lawyers but a group of very professional, business-minded and client-orientated lawyers’ says a client’.”), Chambers Global and Chambers Europe.

At the initiative of SORAINEN, the five largest Baltic law firms and alliances made the first Baltic M&A Deal Points Study in 2009, the first of its kind in the region. In 2011, the second Baltic M&A Deal Points Study was carried out. In 2010, a similar study based on Baltic experience was organised in Belarus together with five local leading law firms – the first Belarusian M&A Deal Points Study and also the first of its kind in the CIS countries.

SORAINEN is available to act for investors, buyers and sellers, on all aspects of acquisitions, sales and mergers in the Baltic States and Belarus, including:

• buy-outs (LBOs, MBOs, privatisations, other acquisitions);
• structuring acquisitions and divestments (including financing and tax advice);
• legal and tax due diligence;
• merger control;
• shareholder agreements;
• share and asset sales and other exits;
• acquisitions and disposals of real estate projects;
• joint ventures;
• corporate mergers, de-mergers and other reorganisations;
• negotiations at all stages;
• post-acquisition advice.