Laimonas Skibarka
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About me
As managing partner of Sorainen, I am passionate about our firm’s core purpose – growing prosperity in our region by helping our clients succeed in business. I enjoy working closely with clients and learning about their businesses and industries. Specialising in the fields of mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity and foreign investments, I focus on the technology, media & telecommunications (TMT) sector.
Professional highlights
Strategic projects in the Baltic region. During my legal career (which also included working at the London office of international law firm Allen & Overy in 2005-2006), I have been privileged to lead our teams in various strategic projects in the Baltic region. These included creation of shared service centres by Barclays and Western Union (the first “flagship investors” in this sector in Lithuania), strategic acquisitions by Providence Equity Partners (who acquired Bitė, a major mobile operator in Lithuania and Latvia, and All Media Baltics, the largest media group in the Baltics), REWE (who acquired IKI, a major retail chain in Lithuania and Latvia) and many others.
Amongst market leaders in transactions. International M&A database Mergermarket ranks me as the leading individual lawyer by number of M&A transactions advised in Lithuania (first place with 37 deals for a total disclosed value of EUR 3.018 billion, during 2000-2021) and also among the Top 5 in our region. I love M&A and private equity transactions and am grateful to clients for entrusting us with these exciting projects.
Helping businesses grow. I also enjoy contributing to venture capital transactions which help to expand startups and other growing companies (and have myself invested in several Lithuanian startups). Fast growth and innovations was also among the reasons for choosing TMT as my key focus sector back in 2014.
Value based approach in daily work. Promoting a client-centred and service-minded culture, sector focus and collaboration within the firm, I also apply these values while working with clients and other advisers. I strongly believe in the saying “collaboration is spreading wealth”.
Recognised by legal directories. Chambers Europe: “Market observers applaud [his] expert legal knowledge and strategic thinking, saying ‘he is more than a lawyer; he has that rare skill of not only pointing out risks but also offering solutions’.” The Legal 500: “He has ‘excellent local knowledge that he is able to convey to multinational clients’.”
Academic background
- Vilnius University, Lithuania (MA in Law)
- Central European University, Hungary (LLM in International Business Law with distinction)
- Studies at Toronto University, Canada (student exchange programme)
- Harvard Law School (Leadership in Law Firms course)
I am a member of
- Lithuanian Bar Association
- International Bar Association
- YPO Lithuania
- Member of the Board of Lithuanian Business Confederation | ICC Lithuania (2013-2018, honorary award in 2012)
Deals & Cases
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Bitė Group splits up its telecommunications and media businesses
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Klett Group company invests in textbook publishing house Baltų lankų vadovėliai
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BITE Latvija receives green light to use frequencies enabling its 5G services
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UAB Mezon wins court case against Telia Lietuva
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Lithuanian startup PVcase attracts EUR 20 million investment
Deals & Cases
Publications
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Clients value Sorainen legal competence highest among top tier Baltic law firms
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M&A market trends in the Baltics in H1 2022: healthy activity levels, though lower than record boom in 2021
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The M&A and private equity market in the Baltics and Belarus – driven by the energy and startups sectors, the market has shown record activity
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M&A and private equity market in the Baltics and Belarus – record boost from the thriving startup sector
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What kind of law firms will be most successful in 2021?
Publication
News
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The Financial Times ranks Sorainen among top 30 innovative law firms in Europe
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Sorainen publishes sustainability report
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IFLR recognises Sorainen as the only pan-Baltic Tier 1 law firm
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Sorainen demonstrates strong performance in Chambers Global 2021 rankings
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Annual Prospera survey: Sorainen no.1 Baltic law firm in clients’ eyes
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