Competition

Weinhold Legal provided comprehensive legal assistance to Transdev, a world-class player in the mobility market and business base operating in 20 countries, in connection with the acquisition of the 3ČSAD group (including ČSAD Havířov, ČSAD Karviná and ČSAD Frýdek-Místek bus companies, and the company Bus Management). As a result of the acquisition, Transdev becomes one of the strongest players in the public transportation sector in Czechia with nearly 1,350 employees and 600 coaches.

ITAKA / ČEDOK

Weinhold Legal provided comprehensive legal advice to the Polish group ITAKA, the biggest travel agency active on the Polish market, in respect of the acquisition of the oldest and the most famous Czech travel agency ČEDOK (est. 1920). Weinhold Legal has been representing the client in the process of obtaining antimonopoly clearance.

Aelia (Lagardére group)

Weinhold Legal represented Aelia, a member of the Lagardére group, in the anti-monopoly clearance proceedings in respect of its successful bid to acquire from Czech Airlines the on-board sale and duty free business for 764 million CZK (nearly 30 million EUR).

Česká pošta (Czech Post)

Weinhold Legal provided legal services, including advice in respect of competition matters, to Česká pošta, s.p. on the prolongation of an agreement with ČSOB (KBC group) in respect of banking services provided through the postal network of Česká pošta, s.p.

Obrascón Huarte Lain

Weinhold Legal represented Obrascón Huarte Lain, S.A. (OHL) in the acquisition of two publicly traded companies, ŽS Brno, a.s., a leading construction company specialising in the construction of railway corridors and transport infrastructure, and Železniční průmyslová stavební výroba Uherský Ostroh a.s., a dominant producer of concrete sleepers. Our advisory services consisted of drafting pre-acquisition contractual documentation, participating in negotiations, conducting legal due diligence of the group including Slovak subsidiaries, drafting and finalizing acquisition documents including the shareholders’ agreement and option agreements, successfully representing the client in proceedings before the Office for the Protection of Competition in the Czech Republic and the Antimonopoly Office in the Slovak Republic, supporting the structuring of the transaction and resolving corporate issues, and further advising on the settlement of the transaction and subsequent mandatory takeover bids.

Veolia

Weinhold Legal obtained concentration approval from the Antimonopoly Office for a company which is part of the Vivendi Water group (now Veolia). The approval was on the CZK 6 billion acquisition of Prague Water and Sewerage.

Petrol station chain

We advised a significant petrol station chain in its successful competition proceedings on alleged petrol price fixing in collusion with its competitors, being one of the most complex in the history of the Competition Office, was commenced in August 2001.

LAMA

Weinhold Legal provided legal services to LAMA, a Czech-based group of companies active in energy production and distribution business, related to the integration of the company Teplárna Otrokovice and Teplárna Kyjov to their group structure involving, inter alia, legal advice on the transfer of shares, including representation in the proceedings for merge clearance of enterprises held by the Office for the Protection of Competition.

První novinová společnost

Weinhold Legal obtained merger clearance from the Czech Antimonopoly Office for První novinová společnost (PNS), the largest domestic press distributor, in connection with the acquisition of the alternative postal operator Mediaservis.

Komerční banka (skupina Société Générale)

"Weinhold Legal provided full services on various projects, including derivative transactions documentation preparation, advice in numerous transactions, elaboration of legal opinions, advice on insolvency and execution legislation and dispute resolution, social security matters, labour law matters, applicability of Czech-French international treaties and corporate advice."

UniCredit Bank

Weinhold Legal provided complex advice on numerous transactions related to structured financing, acquisition financing, refinancing, project financing and operating loans. The services included complex transaction advisory including assistance with termsheets, transaction structuring, pre-transaction due diligence, drafting and finalisation of loan and security documentation, perfection of security, assistance with review and fulfilment of conditions precedent and conditions subsequent. In addition to transaction advisory we provided our client with number of legal analyses and memorandums on specific legal areas and assisted the client in negotiation of contracts between the client and other domestic and foreign financial institutions.

Česká spořitelna / Erste Bank

Weinhold Legal provided comprehensive advisory services in many projects in acquisition finance, project finance and financial restructuring, including drafting loan documentation and security documentation according to the English, US and Czech law, transaction structuring and negotiations. Advisory to the client in various legal areas including regulatory. Weinhold Legal provided Česká spořitelna with legal services related to more than 20 corporate bond issues (including structured bonds and mortgage bonds) issued both, as stand-alone issues and under debt issuance programmes of the company, including the 10-Year Bond Issue Programme in the maximum amount of CZK 10 mld. in outstanding bonds and maturity of any single issue of up to 10 years – Weinhold Legal provided Česká spořitelna legal services in connection with its establishment. Further we assisted Česká spořitelna as the arranger of CZK 500,000,000 4.50% Subordinated Bond issue due in 2015 by Wüstenrot – stavební spořitelna (the first Prague Stock Exchange listed subordinated bond issue) and its Tranche No. 2 and 10-Year Bond Issuance Programme of the Fond (pojištění vkladů) up to a maximum of CZK 10 billion in outstanding bonds and maturity of any single issue of up to 10 years; etc. Further advice on numerous transactions.