Financial services

Weinhold Legal advised the shareholders of Klikpojisteni.cz, a.s., including the private equity arm of Benson Oak Capital, on the sale of their 100% stake in Klikpojisteni.cz, a.s. (“Klik”) to a company majority owned by TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, and minority owned by MCI EuroVentures, a technology investment fund. Klik is a leading online insurance broker in Czechia and Slovakia. Its clients are able to compare the prices of variety of insurance transparently. Benson Oak (founded in 1991) is the oldest investment banking boutique in the Czech and Slovak markets, and Benson Oak Capital has been investing in venture capital and private equity since 2001.

Weinhold Legal participated in the successful completion of the acquisition of the B&B Hotel in Prague's Florence district, executed by Amundi Realitní fond KB3. The hotel will become part of a transformational project that aims to turn the area into a modern and lucrative space in the coming years.

RENOMIA

Weinhold Legal has advised RENOMIA, a.s., the market leader amongst Czech insurance brokers, in connection with the largest acquisition in its twenty-five-year history on the Czech market, by acquiring a majority stake in the IMG a.s. This key merger will give rise to the creation of the first insurance brokerage firm in the Czech Republic that will surpass 10 billion Czech crowns in terms of administered premiums. A total of 1,500 financial experts are expected to work for the brokerage firm. Presently, IMG a.s. is in charge of administrating a product volume of 400 million Czech crowns.

One of the five largest banks

Weinhold Legal successfully represented one of the Czech Republic’s five largest banks in relation to multiple legal disputes launched by organised group of customers in relation to alleged illegal nature of certain bank charges. Several hundred thousand customers of Czech banks were incited by collection agencies to request a back-payment of bank charges which they voluntarily paid in several preceding years. The success of the bank has been approved by Supreme Court and Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.

One of the three largest banks

Weinhold Legal successfully represented one of the Czech Republic’s three largest banks in relation to multiple legal disputes launched by organised group of customers in relation to the allegedly illegal nature of certain bank charges. Several hundred thousand customers of Czech banks were incited by collection agencies to request a back-payment of bank charges which they voluntarily paid in several preceding years. The banks’ success in these proceedings was approved by Supreme Court and Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.

One of the largest banks in the Czech Republic

Weinhold Legal provided legal services to client comprising legal advice in relation to the bank’s participation in certain syndicated loans in the context of the debtor’s insolvency proceedings and various issues arising in the course of the insolvency proceedings. It related to one of the most significant insolvency proceedings under the new insolvency law, both from the perspective of the borrower’s size and the significance of legal issues, which attracted a lot of attention of the Czech media and public. Our legal assistance also covered disposal by the bank of its receivables and obligations which included negotiation of the respective transfer documentation.

Allied Irish Banks

Weinhold Legal provided full legal services on various real estate lending, including transaction analysis and structuring and advising on and implementing lending security; including loans to Red Group for a hotel, an investment acquisition in Brno and acquisition financing of a major Prague development by Realtia, a new Czech retail real estate fund.

BNP Paribas

Weinhold Legal provided legal services on various projects, including securitisation transactions, asset management matters, successful representation before the Supreme Administrative Court, real estate matters, corporate restructuring matters.

Commerzbank

Weinhold Legal provided legal advice on numerous transactions, including revolving loan agreements, syndicated securitization and significant club deal project.

Raiffesenbank

Weinhold Legal provided complex legal services on various projects, including acquisition and project financing. The services included complex transaction advisory including drafting and finalisation of loan and security documentation, perfection of security, assistance with review and fulfilment of conditions precedent and conditions subsequent.

ING

Weinhold Legal provided advice on several projects, including secured loan transfer transaction, derivatives transactions, representation before the SEC, group structuring advice, labour law advice and other advice, including assistance in notification of a public offering of foreign securities, regulatory and assistance with corporate issues and dealings with the Czech National Bank.

A large US bank

Weinhold Legal provided full legal services to one of the largest US banks in its lease of new Czech headquarters in Prague 5 from the developer Avestus (formerly Quinlan Private Golub), including office retail and storage premises and ongoing support. Our advice included negotiating on behalf of the Bank three separate lease and future lease agreements and support on technical construction and fit out issues. We have also been instructed in respect of a lease of the bank’s new branch on Brno, again providing full legal support in negotiating and completing the lease.

ČSOB (skupina KBC)

Weinhold Legal advises the Bank on projects such as acquisition financing, refinancing, project financing, operating loans, financing in the form of bank guarantees and letters of credit. Weinhold Legal‘s transaction services include drafting and finalisation of loan and security documentation, perfection of security, assistance with review and fulfilment of conditions precedent and conditions subsequent.

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.