Introduction

As market leaders in Central & Eastern Europe, Clifford Chance has been active in Hungary since 1993, advising on major transactions that have shaped the business environment there – including the privatisation sale of regional gas distribution companies, the stock market listing of Richter Gedeon, OTP and Borsodchem and, more recently, the sale of Budapest Airport.

In the post-privatisation era we were heavily involved in infrastructure development, notably with motorways, and the developments in the core privatised and regulated sectors such as telecoms, energy and financial services.

Capabilities

Since July 2009, Clifford Chance has operated a 'best friends' arrangement with Lakatos, Köves & Partners (www.lakatoskoves.hu), formerly Köves Clifford Chance, providing first-class support to clients in the region in close cooperation with our well-established CEE network, across the following key areas:

• Banking and finance
• Capital markets
• Corporate / M&A
• Employment
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Real estate
• Tax (Hungarian Tax Law Firm of the Year in 2008).

We can also provide access to specialists active in:

• Telecoms / Media
• Financial services regulatory
• Energy and natural resources
• IP anti-trust
• Public procurement