As a result of the transaction, Sony Ericsson will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation for EUR 1.05 billion.

The team is led by Per Hendar, partner in the Gothenburg office of Magnusson. Per is a former general counsel and secretary to the Board of Sony Ericsson (2001-2005). Before that he headed up the legal operations of Ericsson in the United Kingdom.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities.

Magnusson has been named Law Firm of the Year: The Nordics at The Lawyer European Awards 2011. For the third consecutive year Magnusson has also been shortlisted for The British Legal Awards 2011 as European Law Firm of The Year.

Katja Cato advises domestic and international companies on legal matters related to mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, corporate law and general contract law.

Prior to joining Magnusson, Katja Cato worked 12 years at law firm Vinge in Stockholm, London and Gothenburg.

Katja holds an LL.M. (Jur. Kand.) degree from Gothenburg University and has been a member of the Swedish Bar Association since 2003.

It is another senior recruitment in the Gothenburg office in 2011. In March 2011, the team was boosted with the arrival of attorney David Ericson who joined from Bird & Bird.

On a minor note, Per Magnusson was reprimanded (erinran) in his capacity as Managing Partner for not ensuring that fees to the Swedish Bar were paid for a Chinese lawyer. We had previously acknowledged that we may have misinterpreted the regulations, thus this decision was expected. However, this is by any standard a mistake of little significance and has nothing to do with the theme for Svenska Dagbladet’s serious and unfounded allegations. We are pleased that we have now conclusively demonstrated that Svenska Dagbladet had no basis whatsoever for their theme of accusations.

No other law firm from the region has been shortlisted for the European Law Firm of The Year title. The Awards ceremony takes place on 1st December 2011 in London.

The British Legal Awards are presented by Legal Week, a leading UK legal magazine. The shortlist was chosen by an independent panel of judges made up of senior in-house lawyers, former managing and senior partners and other senior business figures.

Juha Taipale specializes in contract and company law, international trade, technology business, outsourcing, M&A and finance. He has also experience in technology related arbitration processes.

Juha is recognized TMT expert and has been recommended for his technology related work in Legal 500 EMEA, Chambers and PLC Which Lawyer with client statements such as “excellent language skills and fantastic levels of availability” and "real asset".

Prior to joining Magnusson, Juha has been a partner in another Finnish law firm. He also has extensive experience as an in-house counsel for a major Finnish listed company and a managing director of a successful technology startup.

„Juha is highly respected in the market for his considerable experience, client service and in-depth industry know-how. His arrival is a significant boost to our Helsinki office”, comments Tomi Merenheimo, managing partner of Magnusson Helsinki.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

Magnusson has been named Law Firm of the Year: The Nordics at The Lawyer European Awards 2011.

The Lawyer European Awards are hosted by The Lawyer, a leading UK legal weekly. The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 28 September 2011, in Geneva.

While assessing law firms, the jury has been looking for evidence of: strategic vision, strong partnership ethos, strong financial performance and growth, consistent excellence in their chosen sectors, and excellent talent management.

The awards were judged by a panel of in-house and UK senior partners, including Dominic Bacon, General Counsel, Group Head of Compliance and Company Secretary, WorldSpreads; Grainne Brankin, General Counsel, Yahoo! Sarl; Chris Carroll, Senior Partner, Travers Smith; James Furber, Senior Partner, Farrer & Co; Simon Johnston, Senior Partner, Nabarro; Charles Martin, Senior Partner, Macfarlanes; Robin Saphra, General Counsel, Colt Group S.A.

The award was accepted by managing partner Per Magnusson, who took part in the awards ceremony together with partner Charlotte Bus.

Click here to see the official list of winners at The Lawyer website.

The Lawyer noted in relation to Magnusson, inter alia:

"Magnusson beat several other larger and better-known competitors on the back of an outstanding nomination highlighting its consistent growth and recent expansion into Finland.

Like winners in other categories, Magnusson is seeking to promote diversity and skills. It hired three female partners during the past year, bringing the proportion of women at partnership level to 27 per cent, and has run an academy for legal and non-legal staff for the past three years that includes language classes.

That international focus has given Magnusson an enviable client list, including large Nordic companies as well as businesses headquartered overseas."

Liselotte Calander has more than 25 years of experience in the area of banking and finance, compliance and legal. She joins from Svenska Handelsbanken, where she was responsible for compliance matters on the firm-wide level. Prior to joining Svenska Handelsbanken in 2002, Liselotte worked at the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, Finansinspektionen (1998-2002), and before that, she hold various senior positions in the financial and legal sectors.

At Magnusson, Liselotte Calander assumes a newly created role as Head of Compliance Services.

“Over the past 18 months, Magnusson has seen tremendous growth in the banking and finance area and in particular within regulatory affairs. Today we advise more than 100 leading market players in Sweden on compliance matters. More than 25 firms have outsourced their compliance function to us and we are further expanding both our capabilities and client base in this area,” comments Björn Wendleby, managing partner of Magnusson Stockholm.

Liselotte Calander is a graduate of Uppsala University (LL.M., 1987). She also completed a Joint Management Program (GEM) at the Stockholm School of Economics (2010).

The arrival of Liselotte Calander bears testament to the dynamic growth of Magnusson’s banking and finance practice during the past 18 months. Key hires include in particular leading Swedish experts Miri Chiko-Radomski and Björn Wendleby, as well as Chambers Global-rated partner Mika Lehtimäki in Helsinki.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA). Magnusson has been recently shortlisted for The Lawyer European Awards 2011 in the category Law Firm of the Year: The Nordics. Magnusson has also been shortlisted for The British Legal Awards in the category of The European Law Firm of The Year for two consecutive years (2009 and 2010).

Med anledning av artikeln i Svenska Dagbladet 2011-09-10 vill vi lämna följande kommentarer.

1. Det förhållandet att advokatsamfundets disciplinnämnd ska fatta beslut betyder i sig ingenting och innebär inte att någon särskild utredning initierats. Advokatbyrån har av advokatsamfundet ombetts att kommentera de artiklar som SvD publicerade i somras. Advokatbyrån har lämnat en sådan redogörelse och advokatsamfundets styrelse har nu bestämt att disciplinämnden ska fatta beslut efter det att advokatbyrån beretts tillfälle att slutföra sin talan och samtidigt kommentera domen från Migrationsdomstolen där en före detta klient lämnar vissa uppgifter till Migrationsdomstolen.

2. När det gäller uppgiften i artikeln att advokatbyrån skulle ha underlåtit att anmäla att kinesiska jurister arbetar på advokatbyrån så handlar detta enbart om huruvida samfundets regler om att verksamma jurister på en advokatbyrå ska anmälas till samfundet och för vilka serviceavgift till samfundet ska erläggas. Advokatbyrån har uppfattat att regeln endast gäller svenska jurister. Om vi har tolkat regeln fel så ska vi givetvis rätta till felet vilket vi redan tidigare meddelat advokatsamfundet. Det rör sig således om en ren ordningsfråga.

3. När det gäller den i artikeln refererade domen från Migrationsdomstolen så handlar det om ett mål där advokatbyrån inte var ombud när domen meddelades. Visserligen företrädde vi ursprungligen personen ifråga, men denne återkallade fullmakten och förde sin egen talan. Enligt en tjänsteanteckning från Migrationsverket skulle han då ha ändrat sina uppgifter och bl a påstått att advokatbyrån skulle ha uppmanat honom att lämna felaktiga uppgifter till Migrationsverket. Advokatbyrån tillbakavisar bestämt att advokatbyrån skulle ha lämnat en sådan uppmaning. Efter domen har vederbörande i ett särskilt brev till advokatbyrån förklarat att han inte alls gjort några beskyllningar mot advokatbyrån och att istället tjänstemannen på Migrationsverket lagt orden i mun på honom. Tidningens ifrågasättande av om vi brutit mot klientsekretessen genom att offentligöra uppgifterna i hans brev till advokatbyrån, är kvalificerat nonsens. Vederbörande upprättade ju brevet som en direkt följd av domen i Migrationsdomstolen i syfte att tillrättalägga uppgifterna i domen och han har dessutom uttryckligen bekräftat sitt godkännande till att vi offentliggör brevet. Dessutom är denna typ av information inte relevant för klientsekretessen. Här handlar det ju om att någon gjort positiva uttalanden om advokatbyråns agerande.

4. När det gäller den juniore jurist som omnämns i artikeln så är det alltjämt riktigt att han inte fick sparken. Det är visserligen korrekt som Carl-Fredrik Hedenström skriver i sitt mejl av den 24 juni i år att juristen ombetts att sluta. Likväl har han själv sagt upp sin anställning på advokatbyrån. Advokatbyrån har således vare sig sagt upp eller avskedat vederbörande.

5. Vi vill också upprepa vad vi sagt tidigare och vad som också vi säger i artikeln. Vi har inte medverkat till några olagligheter. Vi företräder alltid våra klienters intressen inom lagens råmärken. Det kan i sammanhanget också påpekas att Migrationsverket särskilt uttalat att man inte har anledning att tro att advokatbyrån skulle ha gjort sig skyldigt till något olagligt. Detta framgår av minnesanteckningar som upprättats av Migrationsverket efter möten med advokatbyrån.

Short summary in English

With respect to the article in Svenska Dagbladet 2011-09-10, we want to make the following comments.

Svenska Dagbladet publishes an article saying that our firm is now subject to review by the disciplinary committee of the Swedish Bar Association. The fact the matter has been referred for decision-making to the disciplinary committee of the Swedish Bar Association, does not mean that another investigation has been initiated or that any other conclusions may be drawn. We have previously been asked by the Swedish Bar association to comment on this summer's articles in Svenska Dagbladet relating to our firm and its China practice, which we have done. We have now been asked to make any additional comments we may want to make and specifically comment on certain allegations made by a former client before the Court of Migration. The former client alleges that our has assisted him in making false statements to Swedish authorities. These allegations are completely unfounded. The former client has subsequently in a letter to our firm confirmed that these allegations are untrue. Also the article refers to a police matter which supposedly mentions our firm. However, no investigation has started and there no suspicions towards our firm or employees of the firm. We want to repeat what we have said before, we are not involved in any illegal acitvities or wrongdoings. We represent the interests of our clients within the framework of the law. No more, no less. It may be worth mentioning that the Swedish Migration Board has specifically declared in writing that they have no reason to suspect that our law firm is involved in any illegal activities.

Magnusson Private Legal is launched in all offices simultaneously and focuses primarily on private clients moving to work and live abroad, returning home after staying out of their home countries, as well as permanently living abroad or owning assets in other countries. Magnusson also advises companies sending their employees to work in other countries and offers full-service business law assistance to companies owned by individuals or families, and at the same time advising their owners on private client issues.

The practice is headed by Tove Sjövall, who joins as a partner as of September 2011. Tove is a renowned expert in international private law and private client affairs. Prior to joining Magnusson, Tove had her own practice. During her career, she has held a number of senior legal positions, among others, in Ernst & Young, Baker & McKenzie and Landahl in Brussels.

“We perceive private legal as a niche in the Baltic Sea Region. While in the UK a number of business law firms offer advice to private clients, in our jurisdictions this area has so far been dominated either by sole practitioners or smaller firms specialized in family law”, explains Tove Sjövall, partner responsible for Magnusson Private Legal.

“We have already developed successful relationship with numerous private clients and they clearly preferred to rely on expertise of a business law firm instead of retaining a family law practitioner. They need solutions which require sophisticated knowledge of several legal areas and typically involve international aspects”, comments Per Magnusson, the managing partner.

As a fully integrated international law firm, Magnusson is ideally positioned to handle cases with a cross-border angle. Furthermore, Magnusson’s competence in international private law and private client affairs is enrooted in experience of the whole firm and draws from such areas of expertise as tax, employment, dispute resolution, contract law, real estate, banking and finance.

Thanks to cooperation with renowned specialists in other countries, Magnusson provides legal services not only in the Baltic Sea Region, but also offers a seamless coordination of legal matters in a number of jurisdictions around the world.

“Tove will play an important role in the growth of Magnusson Private Legal not only in Sweden, but also on other markets where Magnusson is present. Her unique experience in both private client affairs and business law adds significant strength to our business. We are delighted to have someone of Tove’s calibre on board”, says Per Magnusson.

The transaction was worth in total approx. EUR 250 million. Legnicka Development S.A. is the owner of Magnolia Mall, the biggest shopping centre in Lower Silesia (Dolny Śląsk ). Magnusson has been advising Legnicka Development S.A. in commercialisation and development of Magnolia Park since commencement of this project. Magnusson also advises NFI Octava S.A. on a regular basis.

Magnusson is shortlisted in the category of Law Firm of the Year: The Nordics. The Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 28th September 2011 in Geneva.

The Lawyer European Awards are presented by The Lawyer, a leading UK legal magazine.

Miri Chiko-Radomski is an international lawyer with 12 years experience in banking and finance, M&A, capital markets, corporate law and general commercial law.

In particular, she acts for domestic and international clients on a wide range of financing projects, including among others syndicated loans, real estate financing and acquisition financing. Miri has also been involved in transactions on both equity and debt capital markets.

Miri Chiko-Radomski arrives from Advokatfirman Hammarskiöld in Stockholm. Prior to joining Advokatfirman Hammarskiöld in 2006, she has worked, inter alia, at Kingsley Napley Solicitors in London (2002-2006), Ernst & Young (2000-2001) and J. Richter Herzberg, Yogev & Co. Israel.

Miri Chiko-Radomski is a graduate of King's College London (LL.M., Commercial Law, specialization in International Finance Law, 1998) and University of East Anglia (LL.B., 1997). She is admitted in Sweden (EU Advokat, 2006), the UK (solicitor, Law Society of England and Wales, 2002) and Israel (Advocate, Israel Bar Association, 1999).

Banking and finance is one of the Magnusson’s core practice areas and Miri’s arrival follows a dynamic growth of the practice during past 18 months. The most recent key hires include in particular the leading Swedish B&F partner Björn Wendleby, as well as the Chambers Global-rated partner Mika Lehtimäki, who heads up the banking and finance practice in the newly launched Magnusson Helsinki office.

Recommendations for the firm include:

Denmark: Employment (Anders Worsøe is recommended)
Finland: Jan Lindberg is recommended in two categories: IP and TMT. Mika Lehtimäki is recommended in Banking and Finance.
Poland: Corporate and M&A (Andrzej Tokaj is recommended), Construction, Real Estate.
Sweden: Corporate and M&A (Anders Bäckman is recommended), Employment (Anna Jerndorf is recommended) and Real Estate recommendation for Magnus Björkander.

Chambers Europe is an independent legal benchmarking publication. Its recommendations are determined by results from thousands of interviews with clients and peers.

The firm is recommended in the following practice areas:

Denmark
Employment
Energy
Real estate and construction
Shipping and transport

Finland
Jan Lindberg is mentioned under IP
Mika Oksanen is individually mentioned under M&A and Dispute resolution

Poland
Banking and finance
Corporate and M&A
Dispute resolution
Real estate
Tax

Russia
Corporate and M&A: Moscow

Sweden
Corporate and commercial
Dispute resolution
Employment
Energy
Environment
EU and competition
IT and telecoms
Mergers and acquisitions
Real estate
Tax

Legal 500 EMEA is a renowned legal benchmarking publication. Its independent rankings and editorial content are based on thousands of interviews conducted each year by the research team with clients and peers.

The network involves more than 6 000 decision makers from all over the region and beyond. The mission of the Baltic Development Forum (BDF) is to promote the Baltic Sea Region as an integrated, prosperous and internationally competitive growth region. BDF is founded and chaired by Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark (1982-1993).

As the leading high-level and agenda-setting networking organization in Northern Europe, BDF facilitates and develops new initiatives, partnerships and international contacts to stimulate growth, innovation and competitiveness in the Baltic Sea Region and its countries. BDF seeks to develop the Baltic Sea Region as a global centre of excellence and establish the Region internationally as a strong and attractive place brand.

Per Magnusson, senior partner of Magnusson, has recently been speaking at the Baltic Sea Region Investor’s Panel at the MIPIM fair in Cannes in March 2011. Per also held a speech at BDF’s well-frequented seminar at Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in mid March and participated in the following debate with among others Birgitta Ohlsson, EU minister of Sweden and Per Unckel, County Governor of Stockholm.

Lars Jørgensen is a Danish attorney-at-law (advokat) and partner at Magnusson. His practice areas include corporate and commercial law, competition law, IPR and mergers and acquisitions.

Lars holds double master degrees in law (from the University of Copenhagen) and business administration (from SIMI), plus additional examination in political science (University of Copenhagen). He is also certified in Predictive Index, a HR methodology.

Lars started his career with the Danish Ministry of Justice, and continued with two Copenhagen law firms, before he became head of the Legal Department of Navision Software prior to the IPO of this company. Hereafter, Lars continued with the private equity branch of Danske Bank, Danske Private Equity, where Lars was co-responsible for establishing of the venture capital entity that is now known as Nordic Venture Partners. After completing his executive MBA, Lars joined the A.P. Møller-Mærsk-owned towage company Svitzer, where he started as director for corporate affairs and business development, and continued as regional manager for the Scandinavian-Baltic office, situated in Gothenburg, Sweden. When returning from Sweden, Lars was CEO for KESONI Group, a conglomerate with particular focus on distribution and logistics relating to mobile phones and electronic devices, and with offices in Europe, Middle East and Far East.

Lars has provided assistance to many companies ranging from entrepreneurs and start-ups to mature companies with specific focus on IT, internet, telecommunication and environmental friendly solutions.

Contact

For further details, please feel free to contact Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, T: +48 22 55 27 574, M: +48 661 929 486, E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com

Linnea Back has a broad range of experience in advising Swedish and international clients on tax matters, including in particular corporate tax, individual tax and tax proceedings.

She will join Magnusson as of 1 March 2011, moving from Setterwalls Stockholm. Prior to joining Setterwalls in 2006, Linnea has worked for eight years at the Swedish Tax Agency, where she gathered unique experience in the area of taxation (1998-2006).

"We are delighted to welcome a lawyer of Linnea's capacity. Her impressive knowledge, complemented by unique track record, makes Linnea a valuable asset to Magnusson in Sweden, " said Björn Wendleby, the managing partner of Magnusson Stockholm.

With over 12 years of experience as a tax lawyer, Linnea will further boost the firm's growing tax capabilities in Sweden. Magnusson offers full service tax advice, including preparation of tax efficient transaction structures, advice on international taxation matters, tax planning, tax due diligence, tax compliance and representation in tax litigation.

Magnusson's tax practice is recognized by international standard setting publications. Most recently, Tax Directors Handbook 2011 and Legal 500 EMEA 2010 praised Magnusson's tax practice in both Sweden and Poland.

Magnusson provides integrated seamless services throughout the Baltic Sea Region. The launch of a full service practice in Helsinki shall further reinforce the firm’s strategic position within this area.

“What makes us different from other law firms in Finland is our ability to offer not only top rate Finnish law advice, but also integrated services across the region and project management know-how for complex cross- border undertakings. Furthermore, we focus on providing solutions and adding value to the client’s business and not just summarizing legal regulations. It is of paramount importance to be communicative, responsive and commercially-minded,” explains Tomi Merenheimo, managing partner of Magnusson Helsinki.

The team’s core competencies include mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, IP and technology, banking and finance, as well as real estate. This makes the office ideally positioned to handle complex international and domestic projects from day one.

Magnusson Helsinki will be headed by Tomi Merenheimo, a former managing director of a top 10 Finnish law firm, and a Vice President of Legal Affairs and Investor Relations at a major Finnish listed technology company. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, as well as technology agreements and projects.

Mika Oksanen, a former partner at a top 10 Finnish law firm, is responsible for corporate, mergers and acquisitions, as well as dispute resolution practices. He has a wealth of experience in these fields, including in particular cross-border transactions.

The IP and technology practice of Magnusson Helsinki is under the responsibility of Jan Lindberg who joins from a top 5 Finnish law firm, and handles IP and technology law matters, as well as IP-intensive mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing and litigations.

Mika Lehtimäki leads the banking and finance group. He joins from a top 10 Finnish law firm and brings in significant expertise in Finnish and international financial law, public mergers and acquisitions, as well as corporate restructuring.

Essi Rikalainen, a former founding partner and head of a reputable Finnish law firm, will run the real estate department. She also has considerable experience in litigation and company law matters. She will bring with her a strong real estate legal team from her existing law firm.

Jukka Blomberg, who joins from his own very well known litigation firm, will concentrate on dispute resolution and employment law related matters. He also advises creditors in various insolvency matters.

“We are delighted to welcome our Helsinki colleagues on board. Integrated international law firm offering seamless services may bring new qualities to this market. I cannot think of a better team to make this happen,” comments senior partner Per Magnusson.

Contact

For further details, please feel free to contact Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, T: +48 22 55 27 574, M: +48 661 929 486, E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw. com

In relation to Magnusson, Tax Directors Hanbook 2011 noted:

Poland
Magnusson – Kancelaria Prawnicza provides day-to-day tax advice in relation to investments in Poland and assists with tax effective investment structures. The team acted for real estate investor Apollo Rida on international tax planning matters. Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska is recommended.

Sweden
Clients recommend Per Wiker who joined Magnusson Advokatbyrå from Grant Thornton, and handles tax structuring, transactional support and litigation.

Tax Directors Handbook, published by Legalease, is an independent UK report focused on the largest tax law firms in the world.

Magnusson provides integrated seamless services throughout the Baltic Sea Region. The Helsinki launch further reinforces the firm’s strategic position within this area.

This development will follow recent regional expansion of the firm: back in October 2010 Magnusson opened its Gothenburg office and expanded eastwards, with the Belarusian launch in Minsk in association with an independent Belarusian law firm BusinessConsult.

This expansion has been recognized by the jury of The British Legal Awards. In October 2010, for the second consecutive year Magnusson was shortlisted for the British Legal Awards (as The European Law firm of The Year). No other law firm with the Northern European background was shortlisted for the British Legal Awards in the past two years.

The Helsinki office will be an important part of Magnusson’s cross-introducing and client-sharing activities.

We jointly identify and pursue cross-introducing opportunities involving clients with operations in more than one country in the region. The Helsinki office will be an important part of this, alongside all other offices – explains Dan Person, Managing Partner.

At Magnusson all offices share the financial success of the whole group. This leads to international approach, integrated offer and success for both the client and the firm.

In many law firms in the region partners are not interested in sharing clients and contacts because in fact they do not share profits. It is no point in sending your client to another office, as there is no bonus for this – explains Per Magnusson, Senior Partner. At Magnusson, we pay a lot of attention to ensuring that cross- introductions are encouraged and client-sharing is efficiently supported by joint business development activities, remuneration schemes, bonus policies and client registration rules.

The Helsinki legal market is dominated by domestic firms, with only a handful of them having integrated international operations. On the other hand, Finland is home to a number of international corporations. We believe that integrated international law firm offering seamless service may bring new qualities to this market – comments Per Magnusson.

The names of the Helsinki team members can not be disclosed at this stage and will be announced at a later date.

Contact

For further details, please feel free to contact Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, T: +48 22 55 27 574, M: +48 661 929 486, E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw. com

The project was launched as a joint undertaking of Orbital Technologies and Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia). The total value of the project is not known yet, but it will be several hundreds of US$ millions.

RSC Energia is the only player in the global industry with real experience and proved technical capabilities when it comes to the construction of space stations.

The goal is to build, launch and operate the world’s first Commercial Space Station (CSS). The station will be utilized by private citizens, professional crews, as well as corporate researchers interested in conducting scientific research.

The station will be hub for commercial activity, scientific research and development in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Due to the design and its orbital inclination, the CSS may also serve as an emergency refuge for the International Space Station crew, should it become necessary.

“Finally, the CSS will be a true gateway to the rest of the solar system. A short stop-over at our station will be the perfect beginning of a manned circumlunar flight. ” explained Mr Sergey Kostenko, CEO of Orbital Technologies.

Legal work for Orbital Technologies in the CSS project is coordinated by Igor Porokhin, the managing partner of Magnusson Moscow.

Igor Porokhin is one of Russia’s most recognized space experts. His clients include many major Russian players in the space industry, including in particular the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). Over the past 12 months he has been advising Roscosmos on contracts with NASA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency.

He also advised the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation – Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the so-called Mission to Mars Project: it relates to the Institute’s key role in the international Mars 500 experimental program (imitation of a flight to Mars in isolated environment). Igor Porokhin is also a prominent member of the Russian delegation that works on the Space Protocol to Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment.

Contact

For further details, please feel free to contact Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, T: +48 22 55 27 574, M: +48 661 929 486, E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com

No other law firm from Scandinavia was shortlisted in the past 2 editions of the British Legal Awards (2009, 2010). The Award ceremony takes place in London on 2 December 2010.

The British Legal Awards are presented by Legal Week, a leading UK legal magazine.

The deal was announced on 13 October 2010. Initially, the company will acquire 12 properties from ICA Real Estate Sweden, each being home to a Maxi ICA Hypermarket.

The company, which is jointly owned by ICA and Alecta, will initially have a property portfolio valued at slightly over SEK 2 billion. The purpose of the company is to acquire, own and manage ICA stores in strategic locations. The 12 properties to be acquired by the joint venture are located in Borlänge, Botkyrka, Enköping, Falun, Karlstad, Malmö, Oskarshamn, Ronneby, Sandviken, Södertälje, Torslanda and Vetlanda.

Magnusson’s team involved in the transaction is led by the partner Magnus Björkander and includes senior associate Cecilia Hautamäki, as well as associates Benjamin Ratz and Ida Johansson.

Team Sportia is one of the leading sports retail players on the Swedish market and the acquisition had strengthened its market position as the distributor of bikes.

Team Sportia was represented by Marie Widmark, assisted mainly by Erik Annerstedt. Charlotte Bus was the responsible partner.

The decision entails that HQ Bank may no longer conduct banking and securities business.

The Financial Supervisory Authority’s decision will be discussed during the seminar. We will also provide recommendations as to which measures financial companies should take as a consequence of the decision.

7 September 2010 (Tuesday), 8:30–10.00, Magnusson, Mäster Samuelsgatan 6, Stockholm

Due to great interest in this event, it will be additionally held on:

8 September 2010 (Wednesday), 8:30–10.00, Magnusson, Mäster Samuelsgatan 6, Stockholm

The seminar will be lead by:

Björn Wendleby, partner and head of the Magnusson Banking and Finance Practice Group.

We will offer coffee, tea and rolls for refreshments.

Please email your sign-up to Sabine Gunnarsson:
sabine.gunnarsson@magnussonlaw.com
Tel: +46 8 463 75 00

The number of participants is limited.

Belarus – 9,6 million inhabitants, once the workshop of the Soviet Union. Today, seldom mentioned in Scandinavian media; a Swedish striking loss in hockey in the 2002 Olympics and political issues are usually what comes to mind for the general public here.

The country however deserves much further Scandinavian attention – a young market, with relatively few foreign companies, and a well educated work force within, for example, IT and industrial production. The Belarusian state is privatizing more than 500 companies presently, and gives foreign companies assistance and simplified taxation when establishing. The customs union with Russia and Kazakhstan from July 2010 favors production in Belarus for export to the EU or Russia and east.

Do you want to learn more from experienced speakers?

Welcome to a seminar on real issues for business!

Monday September 6, 2010, 9:00–14. 30
Magnusson, St Anne Plads 13, 4, Copenhagen
or
Tuesday September 7, 2010, 9:00- 14.30
Magnusson, Stora Nygatan 29, Gothenburg
or
Wednesday September 8, 2010, 9.00- 14.30
Magnusson, Mäster Samuelsgatan 6, Stockholm


Preliminary program:

08. 30 – 09.00 Registration and coffee

• Welcome words and introductory presentation by Magnusson (Advokat Carl Östring) and Swedish Trade Council ( Mr.Teddie Hellsén). General facts about Belarus and investment climate - why should one invest in Belarus, and why now?

• Cases from reality: The actual possibilities contra the practical problems and how to overcome the obstacles. Presentation by Igor I. Verkhovodko of Magnusson/BusinessConsult and Carl Östring of Magnusson.

• Privatization in Belarus. How the process works and whom should a Swedish investor contact if it wants to invest in Belarus. Presentation by Ms. Natalya Zhernosek from the Ministry of the State Property Management of Belarus.

• Investment reliefs for foreign investors, presentation by Mr. Victor Kovalenko, Director at the National Investment Agency of the Belarusian Ministry of Economy.

• Lunch and coffee

• Scandinavian experiences in Belarus – Mr. Tomas Nilsson of Larsson Sweden.

• Concluding words well as time for questions/networking.

We expect the seminar to close at 14.30.

Please note that all speeches will be held in, or translated into, English.

Coffee, tea and lunch will be served.

A participation fee of 100 € per person will apply to cover costs.

Please confirm your participation, at the latest on September 2, 2010 to Marie Lindfors,

marie.lindfors@magnussonlaw.com

Tel: (+46) (0)8-463 75 00

During the hiring process many corporations face potential legal pitfalls limiting, permitting, and/or barring the recruitment or compensation and benefits strategy.

A panel of experts from the different Nordic countries will guide participants through the key legal considerations surrounding recruitments and hirings in the Nordic region while identifying effective human resource management strategies to help achieve corporate goals.

During the seminar, the participants will get valuable information on the rules in each of the Nordic countries related to the most important aspects of the recruitment process, including posting of job advertisements, carrying out job interviews, collecting background information and conducting tests on the candidates as well as determining the correct employment terms and conditions, etc.

20 September 2010, 08: 30 - 12:00
Magnusson, Sankt Annæ Plads 13, Copenhagen

22 September 2010, 08:30 -12:00
Lundqvist & Lindqvist, Klarabergsviadukten 90, Stockholm

The panel of experts will include:

Anna Jerndorf, Magnusson, Sweden
Anders Etgen Reitz, Magnusson, Denmark
Marco Lilli, KLUGE Advokatfirma DA, Norway
Petteri Uoti, Dittmar & Indrenius, Finland

COPENHAGEN: Please RSVP to Lea Wiuff:
Email: lea.wiuff@magnussonlaw.com
Tel. +45 82 51 51 00
by 14 September 2010

STOCKHOLM: Please RSVP to Anna Hjelm:
Email: anna.hjelm@magnussonlaw.com
Tel. +46 8 463 75 00
by 14 September 2010

The seminar will be conducted in English.

Coffee, tea, and light refreshments will be served during the networking break.

Please note that the number of seats is limited and will be assigned on the first come first served basis.

Please visit the Events section to learn more:

• Launch of the Scandinavian Polish Chamber of Commerce (SPCC) branch in the Öresund region (23 August)
• HQ Bank AB – what lessons can be learned? (Stockholm, 7 September and 8 September)
• Learn more about Belarus (Copenhagen, 6 September; Gothenburg, 7 September; 8 September, Stockholm)
• Magnusson webinars (7, 14, 21, 28 September)
• 4th Biennial IBA Conference On Construction Projects (Brussels, 17-18 September)
• Recruiting and hiring in the Nordic region (Copenhagen, 20 September; Stockholm, 22 September)
• Invest in Poland – seminar in Helsinki (Helsinki, 22 September).

The representative office of SPCC will be located in Malmö. Its activities will be focused on Danish and Swedish companies from the region, interested in doing business in Poland.

The event will take place on 23 August 2010.

Jonas Bergquist was the responsible partner, primarily assisted by the associates Gustaf Leijonhufvud and Benjamin Ratz. Partner Magnus Björkander was responsible the advise concerning real estate issues.

The Stockholm Arena is the new sports and entertainment arena in Southern Stockholm, seating over 30,000 people. The Stockholm Arena is scheduled to be completed in December 2012 and will feature a sliding, retractable roof enabling sports and events year round (www.stockholmsarenan.se)

AEG Facilities is already leasing and operating Stockholm’s four Globe Arenas – the Ericsson Globe (capacity: 16,000), Hovet Arena (capacity: 8,300), Söderstadion (capacity: 16,200) and the Annex Arena (capacity: 3,500). 

AEG Facilities is a stand-alone affiliate of Anchutz Entertainment Group, the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world.

Magnusson’s team was led by Per Magnusson and Anna Jerndorf.

Olov Lindgren, present on the market since 1938, is a Swedish real estate company focused on construction, renovation and property management.

The Styckjunkaren 6 property, which contains both retail and office premises, was purchased from Humlegården.

Magnus Björkander, head of Magnusson’s real estate practice in Sweden, has led the team on the transaction.

Affärsvärlden is a leading Swedish business magazine, published weekly.

Please click here to see the whole article.

The Firm is recommended in such areas as:

Denmark
Recommendations for the firm:
Corporate and M&A
Employment
Recommendations for individuals:
Anders Etgen Reitz: Employment
Anders Worsøe: Employment

Poland
Recommendations for the firm:
Construction
Corporate and M&A
Real Estate
Recommendations for individuals:
Andrzej Tokaj: Corporate and M&A

Sweden
Recommendations for the firm:
Corporate and M&A
Employment
Recommendations for individuals:
Anders Bäckman: Corporate and M&A
Magnus Björkander: Real Estate
Anna Jerndorf: Employment

Chambers Europe is an independent legal benchmarking publication. Its recommendations are determined by results from thousands of interviews with clients and peers.

The purpose of this agreement is to provide an information and support in respect of foreign investments in the Lishui area and Chinese investments in the Baltic Sea Region.

This is a great opportunity for Magnusson  to offer legal advice to those wishing to invest in the Baltic Sea Region and those from our area who plan to invest in the Lishui region, the fastest growing region in China – says Carl-Fredrik Hedenström, head of Magnusson China Group.

Lishui is located 38 kilometers away from Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province. The area covers 129 villages, 65 towns, 3661 administrative villages, and 156 neighborhood communities with a total population of approximately 2.45 million.

Lishui has been a hot spot for economic development, and is now one of China's most prosperous regions.

Companies interested in exploring this opportunity are welcome to contact us.

The Awards are presented by The Lawyer, one of the most influential legal magazines in the UK.

Magnusson Copenhagen is moving to new office premises.

Located at Sankt Annæ Plads, in the heart of the central business district of the city, the new larger office space is better designed to accommodate for the firm’s continued growth and development in Denmark.

As of May 10, 2010, our address in Copenhagen is as follows:

Magnusson Advokatfirma
Sankt Annæ Plads 13, 4
DK – 1250 Copenhagen, Denmark

The telephone and fax numbers remain unchanged.

"The Copenhagen office has expanded significantly in the past two years and the office move is a natural consequence of that expansion. We look forward to welcoming clients to our new premises" – said Anders Worsøe, the managing partner of Magnusson Copenhagen.

In April 2010, Magnusson bolstered its Danish practice with the arrival of partner Charlotte Castenschiold and two associates. Charlotte Castenschiold has significant experience in the highly regulated food industry, including representation of manufacturers, retailers, hotels, restaurants and other market players. Simon Jørgensen, who has been working with Charlotte Castenschiold before, continues to focus on food law matters. Nicolai Hesgaard, who joined from a Danish law firm Gorrissen Federspiel, is a specialist in international employment law and further boosted Magnusson’s practice in this field.

Magnusson advised Nalco Mobotec on implementation of air protection technologies at the PGE Elektrownia Opole power plant in Poland.

Magnusson provided full-service legal advice in relation to the project, including in particular public procurement, corporate and tax matters. The team was led by Igor Hanas (Magnusson Warsaw).

The value of the project is approximately PLN 72 million (EUR 18 million).

About Nalco Mobotec

Nalco Mobotec is a global leader in analysis, technology and total solutions for coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities around the world who are seeking to reduce their emissions without sacrificing combustion efficiency and plant up-time. Nalco Mobotec's full array of NOx, SOx, mercury, biomass, combustion efficiency and air protection technologies provide industrial customers with solutions they can trust that deliver results. For more information visit www.nalcomobotec.com. Nalco Mobotec is a subsidiary of Nalco Holding, the global leader in water, energy, air and process technologies and services that deliver savings for customers and improve the environment. 

About Magnusson 

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Wrocław. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

For further details, please feel free to contact: Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, direct: +48 22 55 27 574, mobile: +48 661 929 486, email: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com 

ABA International was founded in 1933 and is today considered as one of the leading organizations for international lawyers. ABA International’s members consist of more than 23,000 legal professionals: over 50% lawyer members in private practice, 1500 in-house counsels, 800 U.S. lawyers living abroad, and 1200 non-U.S. lawyers in 90 countries. As Division Chair, Anders Etgen Reitz will become member of the Council of ABA International.

For more details click here: www.abanet. org/intlaw

The firm is recommended in the following practice areas:

Denmark

Employment

Energy

Real estate and construction

Shipping and transport

Poland
Banking and finance
Corporate and M&A
Dispute resolution
Employment
Real estate
Tax

Russia
Corporate and M&A: Moscow

Sweden
Corporate and commercial
Dispute resolution
EU and competition
Energy
Environment
IT and telecoms
Mergers and acquisitions
Real estate
Tax

Legal 500 EMEA 2010 also attributed individual mentions to: Aage Krogh, Anders Worsøe, Anders Etgen Reitz (Denmark), Charlotte Bus, Per Hendar, Fredrika Hörlin (Sweden – Gothenburg), Anders Bäckman, Jonas Bergquist, Magnus Björkander, Per Magnusson, Maria Nisell, Johan Svahn, Per Wiker (Sweden, Stockholm), Daniel Jastrun, Przemysław Kastyak, Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska, Marzanna Sobaniec, Artur Swirtun, Andrzej Tokaj, and Wojciech Wądołowski (Poland).

Legal 500 EMEA is a renowned legal benchmarking publication. Its independent rankings and editorial content are based on thousands of interviews conducted each year by the research team with clients and peers.

Charlotte Castenschiold brings in significant experience in the highly regulated food industry, including representation of manufacturers, retailers, hotels, restaurants and other market players. Her unique competence will further reinforce the already existing practice of Magnusson, boasting such clients within the sector as Baader Group or Jutland Meat.

Prior to joining Magnusson, Charlotte has run a boutique law firm specialized primarily in food and agricultural laws and before that she was with Lett Law Firm.

Since 2009, she has been a member of the panel of experts on agricultural and food law within the Association of Danish Law Firms. Charlotte is a board member of the Association of Agricultural Attorneys and an active member of the European Food Law Association (EFLA- AEDA).

At the same time, Magnusson also adds two associates in Copenhagen. Simon Jørgensen, who has been working with Charlotte Castenschiold before, will continue to focus on food law matters. Nicolai Hesgaard, who joins from a Danish law firm Gorrissen Federspiel, is a specialist in international employment law and will further boost Magnusson’s practice in this field.

The new arrivals to the Copenhagen office bear testament to Magnusson’s continued growth on the firm-wide level. Most recently, the firm boosted its finance and real estate practices with arrival of two new partners in Stockholm and Gothenburg respectively (March 2010).

In order to accommodate for the firm’s development in Denmark, as of May 10, 2010, Magnusson will move to new larger office premises in Copenhagen, located at Sankt Annæ Plads, in the heart of the central business district of the city.

„We are delighted that someone of Charlotte’s calibre has joined our growing practice in Denmark” – said Anders Worsøe, the managing partner of Magnusson Copenhagen. “The Copenhagen office has expanded significantly in the past two years and the upcoming office move is a natural consequence of that expansion. We look forward to welcoming clients to our new premises”.

Background

Magnusson is a full- service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Wrocław. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

For further details, please feel free to contact: Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, direct: +48 22 55 27 574, mobile: +48 661 929 486, email: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com

Magnusson represented Palatium (a Mermaid Properties SPV company) in contract negotiations with a construction company, Budimex SA (Ferrovial Group).

Palatium has signed two contracts for construction of Libra Business Center, a 26 000 sqm modern office complex in Warsaw. The total value is PLN 104,5 million (approx. EUR 27,5 million).

The scope of legal services provided by Przemysław Kastyak of the Warsaw office included preparation and negotiation of the contracts.

Through the acquisition, Bavaria becomes the largest BMW dealer in the Nordic countries.

Magnusson’s team consisted of responsible partner Anders Bäckman, Per Wiker and Cecilia Hautamäki.

With respect to Magnusson, Chambers Global 2010 noted inter alia:

"The firm's regional coverage was a main factor in our choice and we found the service was more personalised than with some larger outfits," clients reported.

Chambers Global is an independent legal benchmarking publication. Its recommendations are determined by results from thousands of interviews with clients and peers.

Björn Wendleby, who will head up the firm’s finance practice in Sweden, specializes in exchange and securities law, banking and finance legislation and fund operations. He has significant regulatory experience representing clients in contacts with the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

His client portfolio includes banks, securities institutions and fund management companies, including such market leaders as Swedbank AB (publ), Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) and Försäkringsaktiebolaget Skandia.

During his career, Björn has held a number of senior legal positions, among others in the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) and ABG Sundal Collier AB. Back in 2004 Björn Wendleby was appointed by the Swedish Government to be the Head of the Committee that made proposals on how to implement the Prospectus Directive in Sweden.

„Björn’s arrival adds a significant dimension to our Swedish operations. He will play a key role in further developing our finance practice not only in Sweden, but also on other markets where Magnusson is present”, said Carl Östring, the managing partner of Magnusson Stockholm.

At the same time, Magnusson adds real estate partner in Gothenburg. Jonas Wahlbom, who joins from Advokatfirman Glimstedt, focuses in particular on construction and real estate projects. He is also experienced in environment and general business law.

The Gothenburg office was launched as of October 1, 2009. The arrival of Jonas coincides with Magnusson moving to new office premises, better designed to accommodate for the firm’s continued growth and development in this region.

“We started with three persons in October and now Jonas is arriving as number eight! We are growing according to plan. Jonas is exactly what we were looking for with his experience in real estate law and with his broad network within the Gothenburg business life”, said Fredrika Hörlin, the managing partner of Magnusson Gothenburg.

“Both partners are highly respected in the market for their significant experience and client service, and they are a perfect fit for our growth plans in the Baltic Sea Region”, commented Dan Person, the managing partner of the firm.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Wrocław. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

For further details, please feel free to contact: Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, direct: +48 22 55 27 574, mobile: +48 661 929 486, email: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw. com

The Gothenburg office was launched as of October 1, 2009.

The new larger office space, located at Stora Nygatan 29, in the heart of the central business district of the city, are better designed to accommodate for the firm’s continued growth and development in this region.

The event will take place on Thursday, 18th March 2010, 16: 00 - 18:00, in the Verrière Grand Auditorium, Palais de Festivals, Level 1, Cannes.

MIPIM is the world’s premier real estate summit.

Please submit your attendance confirmation to Mariusz Kowalski or Liliana Mucha.

Marzanna Sobaniec, an associate at Magnusson Warsaw, has issued a press statement addressed to the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection in order to bring a case before the Polish Constitutional Tribunal for the purpose to examine compliance with the Constitution of the discriminatory provisions of Polish law leading to elimination of HBs antigen carriers from the Polish Border Guard services.

Magnusson is the Foundation’s main partner in the Strategic Litigation Programme.

Since he joined Magnusson in December 2006, Carl has been developing the Firm’s presence in Russia and Belarus. Although he will remain closely involved in work to further boost the practice in both countries, from now on Carl will primarily focus on the Stockholm office.

Carl’s core practice areas include general contract law, corporate law and international commercial transactions, as well as insolvency and restructuring. He has considerable experience in representing international companies in Russia and Sweden.

Carl succeeds Per Magnusson, who continues as senior partner and chairman of the management board.

More details about this appointment can be found in a report by realtid.se (the article is in Swedish).

In accordance with the agreement, AEG, world's leading international sports, entertainment and venue organization, will lease and operate the new Stockholm Arena, a 30 000 seat retractable roof arena planned to open in late 2012.

With this agreement, the last piece of the puzzle is now in place for realizing Stockholm Arena and the entire financing for the arena is finalized. With the new Stockholm Arena, the arsenal of arenas in the Globe area is now complete, says Madeleine Sjöstedt (Swedish Liberal Party), commissioner for Culture and Sport for the City of Stockholm.

Magnusson’s team included Per Magnusson (lead counsel), Anna Jerndorf, My Perrone and Gustaf Leijonhufvud. 

For more information please contact:
Mariusz Kowalski
Head of Marketing, Warsaw
+48 22 55 27 574

The British Legal Awards are hosted by Legal Week, a top UK legal weekly.

The judging panel includes:

• Bill Knight, Immediate Past President, City of London Law Society
• Massimiliano Maestretti, General counsel, Ferrari SpA
• Charles Barter, General counsel, Bridgepoint
• Richard Bennett, General counsel, HSBC
• Terry Miller, General counsel, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games
• Juan Bullón Alemán, Counsel of Ferrovial Aeropuertos, S.A.
• Tim Clark. Tim Clark was, for 7 years, the Senior Partner of Slaughter and May
• Professor Laura Empson. Professor Laura Empson is Director of the Centre for Professional Service Firms at Cass Business School in the City of London.
• Jeremy Hand, Chairman of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association
• Olga Garcia Gonzalez, Head of legal, Banco Santander, London
• Carol Hui, General counsel, BAA
• Helen Mahy, Group Company Secretary and General Counsel – National Grid plc
• Zahida Manzoor CBE, Legal Services Complaints Commissioner and Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales
• Jonathan Pearl, Corporate Vice President & General Counsel of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
• Professor Joe Peppard. Professor Peppard holds the Chair in Information Systems and is also Director of the Information Systems Research Centre, the IT Leadership Forum and has recently launched the innovative Cranfield IT Leadership Programme.
• Anthony Salz, Executive vice chairman, NM Rothschild
• Rosalind Wright CB QC, Chairman, Fraud Advisory Panel

Magnusson is the only law firm in the Baltic Sea Region to launch three new offices this year. Its presence in Gothenburg and in Minsk further reinforces Magnusson’s strategic position within the Baltic Sea Region. As of January 1st, the firm opened an office in Wroclaw, South Western Poland.

Prior to joining Magnusson, new Gothenburg partner Per Hendar was general counsel and secretary to the Board of Sony Ericsson (2001-2005), and most recently a partner at the Swedish law firm Wistrand (2005- 2009). Another key new arrival in Gothenburg is Fredrika Hörlin, who joins from Swedish competitor Advokatfirman Wåhlin, where she was managing partner.

In Gothenburg, the firm enters a market dominated until now by domestic competitors. “The Gothenburg region is home to a number of powerful international companies, which are either headquartered there or have strong presence in the area. There is an unexplored niche for an international player such as Magnusson, combining strong Swedish capabilities with international reach”, pointed out Dan Person, the firm’s managing partner.

At the same time Magnusson is expanding eastwards, with the Belarusian launch in Minsk adding to the international reach of the firm. Magnusson’s presence in Minsk is introduced in association with Businessconsult, an independent Belarusian law firm. Businessconsult is highly ranked by such benchmarking publications as Chambers Global and Legal 500 EMEA.

“We consider Belarus as a truly promising and still unexplored market. It is certainly not too early to become one of the first to enter the market there”, underlined Carl Östring, the partner who will be in charge of developing the Belarusian practice of the firm.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Wrocław. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

For further details, please feel free to contact:

Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing T: +48 22 55 27 574 M: +48 661 929 486 E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com

Prior to joining Magnusson, Bobby Arash worked in the Brussels office of a major international law firm. He was also a Director of Regulatory Affairs at a US biotech and chemical company in San Diego.

Bobby’s professional experience includes work for the European Commission (DG-Environment) as a legal advisor. He has also worked for 4 years in the Swedish Chemicals Agency (Kemikalieinspektionen).

His track record includes legal advice to multinational companies within such sectors as, among others, biocides, biotechnology, commodity chemicals, cosmetics, electronics, flavours, food, fragrances, medical devices, metals, pesticides, petrochemicals, polymers and textiles, toys and waste.

Bobby received his law degree from the Stockholm University in 2003 (LL. M). Bobby also holds a degree in Molecular Biology (M. Sc., 1999).

Bobby’s arrival was featured by a leading Swedish business magazine Affärsvärlden. Click here to read the story (in Swedish only).

The sale enables World Class to continue its expansion within the Nordic region.

Magnusson’s legal team consisted of Carl-Fredrik Hedenström (responsible partner) and associates My Perrone, Gustaf Leijonhufvud and Nickolaj Johansson.

Under the extended agreement, LSG Sky Chefs will continue to cater more than 40.000 train departures per year out of its specialized train catering units in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmoe, all in Sweden.

Magnusson Advokatbyrå advised LSG Sky Chefs on the contract extension. Anna Jerndorf has been the responsible partner, assisted by Cecilia Hautamäki (lease agreement questions) and Paul AlWindi.

Background

About Swedish Railroads (SJ)
Every day, 115 000 people travel with SJ, Sweden's largest train operator. 4 000 employees work to ensure that the train journeys are safe, reliable, comfortable and convenient. SJ serves 250 stations between Narvik and Berlin. SJ's electric trains in Sweden run entirely on renewable hydro and windpowered energy. These journeys have received Good Environmental Choice certification - the world's toughest eco-labeling system. Train travel increases by 10% every year, and SJ turned over SEK 9 billion in 2008.

About LSG Sky Chefs
LSG Sky Chefs is the world's largest provider of in-flight services. These include airline catering, inflight equipment and logistics as well as the management of onboard service and in-flight retail. The group is also the industry leading expert in managing the complete in-flight service supply chain for several airlines. LSG Sky Chefs partners with more than 300 airlines worldwide and operates some 200 customer service centers in 49 countries, producing around 427 million airline meals a year. In 2008, the companies belonging to LSG Sky Chefs Group achieved consolidated revenues of € 2.3 billion.

About Magnusson
Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Wrocław. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

The hotel is located next to Scandinavia's largest zoo Kolmården, which attracts more than half a million visitors annually.

The property was acquired by Pandox for SEK 160 million and a turnover-based lease agreement was signed with the seller who will continue to operate the hotel.

The parties will make further investments in order to strengthen the hotel's position as one of Sweden's most attractive meeting places.

Magnusson’s legal team consisted of partners Jonas Bergguist and Magnus Björkander and associates Cecilia Hautamäki and Martin Johansson.

Denmark
Recommendation for the firm:
Employment
Recommendations for individuals:
Anders Etgen Reitz: Employment
Anders Worsøe: Employment

Poland
Recommendations for the firm:
Construction
Corporate/M&A
Real Estate
Recommendations for individuals:
Andrzej Tokaj: double listing for Corporate/M&A and Real Estate
Wojciech Wądołowski: Banking & Finance
Przemysław Kastyak: individual mention in Construction

Sweden
Recommendations for the firm:
Corporate/M&A
Technology Media Telecommunications
Recommendations for individuals:
Anders Bäckman: Corporate/M&A
Magnus Björkander: Real Estate
Peter Lillthors: Technology Media Telecommunications

Chambers Europe is an independent legal benchmarking publication. Its recommendations are determined by results from thousands of interviews with clients and peers.

Anna amassed a wealth of experience advising on a wide range of employment matters, including restructuring projects, outsourcing, employment dispute resolution, pension schemes and employment aspects of M&A transactions. Prior to joining Magnusson, Anna Jerndorf worked for 8 years at Linklaters in Stockholm.

This represents another of Magnusson’s recent lateral hiring successes in the field of employment law. In November 2008, the firm recruited Anders Etgen Reitz who joined from Bech Bruun to head up the employment practice of Magnusson’s Copenhagen office.

Anna’s arrival not only boosts the employment capabilities of the firm but also further reinforces the commercial restructuring focus group, which was formed in December 2008 to improve the accommodation of current market needs.

"Anna Jerndorf's extensive experience fits perfectly with our competencies in Sweden and other countries. We look forward to sharing with our clients the enhanced capabilities that Anna brings with her", commented Per Magnusson, senior partner and a founder of the firm.

Despite the challenging market situation, Magnusson has increased its firm-wide headcount of lawyers by 10% during the last 12 months.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Wrocław. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent standard-setting publications (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

Contact

For further details, please feel free to contact:

Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing
T: +48 22 55 27 574
M: +48 661 929 486
E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw. com

The firm is recommended in 18 practice areas (vs. 13 in 2008). New recommendations include Real Estate and Construction (Denmark), Shipping and Transport (Denmark), Dispute Resolution (Poland), IT and Telecoms (Sweden) and Real Estate (Sweden).

The firm is recommended in the following categories:

Denmark
Employment
Energy
Real Estate and Construction
Shipping and Transport

Poland
Banking and Finance
Corporate and M&A
Dispute Resolution
Employment
Real estate
Tax

Russia
Corporate and M&A: Moscow

Sweden
Corporate and commercial
Dispute resolution
Environment
EU and competition
IT and Telecoms
Mergers & Acquisitions
Real Estate

Legal 500 EMEA 2009 attributed again individual mentions to: Aage Krogh, Anders Worsøe (Denmark), Anders Bäckman, Charlotte Bus, Maria Nisell (Sweden), Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska, Artur Swirtun, Andrzej Tokaj, and Wojciech Wądołowski (Poland). New mentions in 2009 include: Louise Gjellerup, Anders Etgen Reitz (Copenhagen), Jonas Bergquist, Magnus Björkander, Peter Lillthors, Johan Svahn (Stockholm), Daniel Jastrun, Katarzyna Sawa-Rybaczek (Warsaw).

Legal 500 EMEA is a renowned legal benchmarking publication. Its independent rankings and editorial content are based on thousands of interviews conducted each year by the research team with clients and peers.

For the third consecutive year, Magnusson is ranked by Chambers Global. the Firm is listed in Corporate and M&A, Sweden. For the second consecutive year, Anders Bäckman is recommended as one of the leaders in their field (Corporate and M&A, Sweden). This year, also Wojciech Wądołowski is ranked (Banking and Finance, Poland).

With respect to Magnusson, Chambers Global 2009 noted inter alia:

Satisfied clients spoke highly of the team’s “fast and efficient work - the lawyers were flexible in assisting us and really made an effort to understand our business area and provide creative solutions.”

In relation to Anders Bäckman and Wojciech Wądołowski, the guide commented:

Super-proactive, Anders Bäckman provides “good, clear advice with no messing about,” clients state.

Wojciech Wądołowski recently joined Magnusson from Allen & Overy, boosting the firm’s offering with his two decades of exhaustive experience in the sector and “excellent relationships with big industry names.” 

All Magnusson's offices were represented at MIPIM 2009. MIPIM is the world’s premier real estate summit.

The upcoming Chambers Europe 2009 recognizes Magnusson’s practices and lawyers in the following categories:

Denmark
Recommendation for the firm:
Employment
Recommendations for individuals:
Anders Etgen Reitz: Employment
Anders Worsøe: Employment

Poland
Recommendations for the firm:
Construction
Corporate/M&A
Real Estate
Recommendations for individuals:
Andrzej Tokaj: double listing for Corporate/M&A and Real Estate
Wojciech Wądołowski: Banking & Finance

Sweden
Recommendations for the firm:
Corporate/M&A
Technology Media Telecommunications
Recommendations for individuals:
Anders Bäckman: Corporate/M&A
Magnus Björkander: Real Estate
Peter Lillthors: Technology Media Telecommunications

Chambers Europe is an independent legal benchmarking publication. Its recommendations are determined by results from thousands of interviews with clients and peers. Chambers Europe 2009 will be launched in April 2009.

The recommended lawyers are:

Anders Bäckman (Corporate and M&A, Sweden)
Charlotte Bus (EU and Competition, Sweden)
Daniel Jastrun (Corporate and M&A, Poland)
Per Magnusson (Dispute Resolution, Sweden)
Maria Nisell (Dispute Resolution, Sweden)
Igor Porokhin (Corporate and M&A, Russian Federation)
Agnieszka Pytlas- Skwierczyńska (Tax, Poland)
Anders Etgen Reitz (Employment, Denmark)
Artur Swirtun (Real Estate, Poland)
Andrzej Tokaj (Corporate and M&A, Real Estate, Poland)
Anders Worsøe (Employment, Denmark).

First published in 2001, European Legal Experts identifies the most highly recommended lawyers in a wide range of practice areas.

Magnusson has been active in the Wrocław region since 2004 and the new office is a natural consequence of this growing presence.

One of the firm's highlight projects is the Magnolia Park shopping mall, one of the biggest commercial centres in Wrocław, and Southern Poland in general. Magnusson handled all legal matters in relation to the project on behalf of the developer, Legnicka Development SA, an Octava National Investment Fund company (Elliott Associates group), and continues to advise the client on the shopping centre operations, as well as on new projects in this region.

The new office is being launched in conjunction with Magnusson's long-term cooperating law firm in the region. As of January 1, 2009, the team will be working on joint projects under the Magnusson brand.

The Wrocław team includes 6 associates and 2 partners. They have amassed a wealth of experience in corporate and corporate governance matters, financing and corporate restructuring. The group also specialises in labour law, particularly in employment and working time optimisation, collective redundancies and co-operation with trade unions.

"We are delighted to strengthen our presence in Poland through the Wrocław launch. Given the growing number of our assignments in the region, it is a natural step forward", commented Dan Person, the managing partner of Magnusson.

"This move not only boosts our regional capabilities in Southern Poland, but also complements our existing capabilities in Poland in general. This applies in particular to employment matters, including collective labour agreements, collective redundancies and cooperation with trade unions", pointed out Andrzej Tokaj, the managing partner of Magnusson in Poland.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

For further details, please feel free to contact:
Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing, T: +48 22 55 27 574, M: +48 661 929 486, E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com

The gala will be held in Warsaw, on February 5th 2009, at the Warsaw InterContinental Hotel.

CEE Retail Real Estate Awards Gala & Forum, hosted by EuropaProperty, will gather 350 guests from the retail sector throughout the Central and Eastern Europe region, as well as 100 local and international retailers.

Countries covered by the awards include: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova and Albania.

“We see an increasing interest in commercial restructuring services and we have established this special focus group to accommodate these needs even further." - commented Anders Bäckman, firm-wide head of Corporate and M&A.

The commercial restructuring team has extensive experience in advising on recovery strategies for the benefit of corporate stakeholders. The team consists of experienced corporate, insolvency, financing, tax, property and labour relations specialists.

The commercial restructuring team works with financially challenged businesses and handles a wide variety of financial restructurings and cross-border insolvency issues. The team is involved in restructurings at an early stage in the decline curve, with the aim of providing solutions which improve returns to stakeholders.

The commercial restructuring team also advises companies and creditors (whether in their capacity of lender, supplier, purchaser or otherwise) with the purpose of securing their commercial and financial interests, and to minimize trade risks.

Our commercial restructuring team is, amongst other things, experienced in:

• Debt and security assignments
• Preparation for and execution of trade sales
• Restructuring or divestiture of underperforming business units
• Renegotiation of commercial contracts
• Reorganisation
• Trade risks in insolvency
• Director liability.

To find out more how we can help – call or email Anders Bäckman or Carl Östring.

Tax Directors Handbook 2009 recommends Magnusson's tax practice in Poland. The guide also made individual mention of Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska, head of the tax practice in Poland.

The guide noted inter alia: One international client judges Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska 'an outstanding specialist in international tax', and declares of the firm: 'It responds to all my needs and if one day I require expertise they do not possess, then I know that they will develop it for me; they really care about my business'.

Tax Directors Handbook is an independent standard-setting publication. Its editorial content are based on interviews conducted by the research team with clients and peers.

FastTV net AB is listed at the Swedish multilateral trading facility Aktietorget.

Magnusson’s team was lead by Anders Bäckman, firm-wide head of corporate and M&A.

Anders Etgen Reitz joins together with an associate, Louise Gjellerup. Having worked for a number of Fortune 500 companies, both lawyers bring with them significant experience in advising corporate players on virtually every aspect of employment law, including: defence of anti-discrimination, unfair dismissal and employment benefits suits; M&A transactions and restructurings; collective redundancies; internal investigations; trade secret infringements; and traditional labour issues.

Anders Etgen Reitz is widely recognised as one of Denmark’s leading employment lawyers. Noted especially for his international work, Anders is listed in the area of employment law by Chambers Europe 2008, Legal 500 EMEA 2008 and Who's Who Legal. Anders co-chairs the American Bar Association's International Employment Law committee and has just published a two-volume book on international labour and employment law. Anders is also sole editor of a book entitled Labour and Employment Law in the New EU Member and Candidate States.

In addition to being fully involved with employment matters on local markets, Magnusson's employment practice is increasingly focused on cross-border projects. Magnusson recently advised the Paragona Group on preparing and implementing effective models for recruitment and work of employees from the new EU member states in other EU countries. The arrival of Anders and Louise will assist the Firm in further boosting and integrating its activity across the Baltic Sea Region.

"Magnusson offers full-service corporate solutions throughout the Baltic Sea Region, which makes it perfectly fit for cross-selling the services this group specializes in and provides" commented Anders. "The partners we met immediately understood the value of employment counselling as a way to enhance the whole practice."

"We are delighted to have both Anders and Louise on board. They are a perfect match for the Firm, in particular given their exceptional Danish employment law skills and significant expertise in cross-border projects" said Anders Worsøe, the managing partner of Magnusson Copenhagen.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

Contact

For further details, please feel free to contact:

Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing
T: +48 22 55 27 574
M: +48 661 929 486
E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw.com

The seminar took place in Odense on 12th November 2008. The firm was represented by Krzysztof Nowicki (Warsaw) and Aage Krogh (Copenhagen).

Magnusson’s presentation focused on all aspects of HR management when setting up or conducting business in Poland. For further details about the event, please feel free to contact Ewa Olsen.

Freedom of establishment is one of the fundamental freedoms granted by the European Union (EU). It includes the right of member state companies to set up and manage undertakings in other member states, under the same conditions applicable to nationals of the host country. Surprisingly, though, Danish legislation prevents the free right of establishment.

You can read more in the article by Annette Hastrup published in the Scandinavia feature of Legal Week.

The event was held in Warsaw on 14th-15th November, 2008 under the auspices of the International Bar Association, the Polish Bar Council, the National Chamber of Legal Advisers, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.

Dan Person, Managing Partner of Magnusson, participated in the conference as a Vice-President of the Foreign Department of the Swedish Bar Association. Dan participated in a panel discussion on "Public trust in the legal profession as an inherent feature of a democratic state of law".

Dr. Marta Skorupska is a legal advisor (admitted to the bar in 2002). She worked for TGC Corporate Lawyers for 7 years and for the past 2 years has managed her own boutique law firm. In addition to her legal education, Marta also holds a Ph.D. degree in economics (from the Warsaw School of Economics). She specialises in litigation and arbitration and is also experienced in real estate and corporate issues. In addition to her native Polish, Marta is fluent in English and German.

Krzysztof Nowicki is a trainee legal advisor. Prior to joining Magnusson, he worked for Deloitte and Drzewiecki Tomaszek and Partners. He focuses on corporate and tax matters. In addition to his native Polish, Krzysztof is fluent in English.

Radosław Wasiak is a trainee attorney (adwokat). Prior to joining Magnusson, Radosław worked in the General Office of Building Control and Orco. He specialises in real estate, construction and dispute resolution issues.

Approximately 60 delegates participated in the event on 23rd September 2008. Speakers included:

During the event, Per Magnusson presented the Swedish approach to PPP and in particular referred to the existing cooperation between the City of Stockholm and Anschutz Entertainment Group as regards operation of the four Globe Arenas (Scandinavia’s leading indoor arena’s complex). 

• Irena Herbst, Director of the Center for PPP at PKPP Lewiatan

• Per Magnusson, Senior Partner at Magnusson.

Per Wiker has joined Magnusson having left Grant Thornton, where he was a senior tax advisor. Prior to joining Grant Thornton in 2006, Per spent eight years with Deloitte.

Per has worked with a broad range of both local and international clients. He specialises predominantly in corporate and international tax law but has also amassed a wealth of experience in other areas of tax and corporate law, together with civil and accounting matters. Per Wiker also has extensive experience in tax litigation.

This represents another of Magnusson’s recent successes in employing senior experts. Per's arrival follows the recruitment of Magnus Björkander, who joined from Ashurst on July 1st 2008 to head the Firm's real estate practice in Sweden.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA).

Magnus has extensive experience in advising on a wide range of real estate matters. He is also involved in mergers and acquisitions, together with other corporate matters. Selected projects on which he has recently acted include:

• Resort development projects in Åre (ski resort) and Västervik (golf resort) for one of Europe’s biggest resort chains, Holiday Club, the latter being a SEK 1.5 billion (€ 166 million) investment
• A SEK 2.5 billion (€ 266 million) acquisition of a portfolio of 30 properties in Sweden
• A SEK 1.5 billion (€ 166 million) acquisition of a real estate portfolio in Stockholm
• First ever Swedish real estate investment by an international insurance company, having a deal value of approximately SEK 400 million (€ 43 million).

Prior to joining Magnusson, Magnus Björkander was with Ashurst Advokatbyrå AB (2005-2008, until the end of 2006 under the name AJB Advokatbyrå AB) and, inter alia, Advokatfirman Vinge KB (2000-2005).

In 2007 Magnus was the youngest Swedish lawyer ranked by Chambers Europe in the area of real estate. He is also recommended in the 2008 edition of Chambers Europe.

"Magnus Björkander's extensive experience fits perfectly with our capabilities in Sweden and also makes him a true asset to our dynamically growing firm-wide real estate practice. We look forward to sharing with our clients the enhanced capabilities which Magnus brings with him" commented Per Magnusson, senior partner and a founder of the firm.

Background

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson and its real estate practice is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA). Magnusson is top ranked in construction in Poland by Chambers Europe 2008 and is amongst 4 law firms recommended by the report in Poland in both real estate and construction.

Contact:

For further details, please feel free to contact:

Mariusz Kowalski, Head of Marketing
T: +48 22 55 27 574
M: +48 661 929 486
E: mariusz.kowalski@magnussonlaw. com

Trivon AG has launched the high-speed broadband WiMAX network in 32 Russian regions including Moscow, St. Petersburg and the 20 largest cities, where it holds the required licenses and frequencies. The company has begun delivering services to customers in the Moscow region, Belgorod, Orenburg and Ufa.

Magnusson has provided on-going legal services to the Trivon group in Russia since the very beginning of the broadband project.

“We are proud to have been entrusted by Sir Richard Branson and his group to bring the values that Virgin stands for – quality, value for money, innovation, fun, customer service and importantly being the customer champion - to Russia with the launch of Virgin Connect – the first Virgin branded venture in this country” said Markus Mueller, Chairman and CEO of Trivon AG.

“It was a fascinating challenge to handle all the legal requirements necessary to launch the network in 32 Russian regions. The potential for growth of the broadband market in Russia is enormous and we are fully prepared to advise on further dynamic development of this project” said Magnusson partner Igor Porokhin, who led the team working on the project.

Trivon is a Switzerland-based telecom holding company whose investors are the Virgin Group and two private equity companies, Delta Partners and Eurasia Capital Management.

About Magnusson

Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global, Chambers Europe and Legal 500 EMEA).

Carl Östring is based in Stockholm and Moscow and practises in the areas of general contract law, corporate law and international commercial transactions. He is responsible for business development matters of the Moscow office.

The mission of the Swedish-Russian Business Club is to create and develop a platform for business cooperation between Russia and Sweden.

The Firm is recommended in such areas as:

Construction, Poland (ranked in Band 1)
Corporate/M&A, Poland
Corporate/M&A, Sweden
Real Estate, Poland.

In addition to being ranked in Band 1 in the area of Construction in Poland, Magnusson is one of only 4 law firms in Poland ranked by Chambers Europe 2008 in both Real Estate and Construction.

In accordance with a long-term agreement concluded with the City of Stockholm, AEG Facilities will operate the four Globe Arenas for the forthcoming 15 years.

Thanks to the agreement, the arenas join the network of elite international venues of AEG Facilities, comprising inter alia O2 in London and STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. With a total public capacity of 44,000 visitors and approximately 1.4 million visitors per year, the Globe Arenas site is the largest area for events in Scandinavia.

Per Magnusson, senior partner, led the team of Magnusson Advokatbyrå. The firm dealt with all legal aspects of the project on behalf of AEG Facilities. Other lawyers involved include Carl-Fredrik Hedenström, partner, Jonas Bergquist, Cecilia Hautamäki, Gustaf Leijonhuvfud, My Perrone and Karin Tollbäck, associates.

Magnusson Advokatbyrå also advises AEG on its other projects in Sweden, including in particular investments in Hammarby Fotboll football club and Djurgården Hockey hockey club.

The Mayor of Stockholm, Mr. Sten Nordin, said: “This is very positive news for the city of Stockholm and the people that live here. The transaction itself means that the city receives a considerable financial contribution and, simultaneously, the audience will enjoy better music, sports and entertainment events.”

Bob Newman, Chief Operating Officer of AEG Facilities, commented: “We have always considered Stockholm to be one of the world’s most prestigious cities and an important stop for international concert tours. Adding the Globe arenas to our international network of important venues will surely establish the arenas as the best in their class and as ‘must-play’ sites for any major concert tour. We are also very honoured to have the opportunity to work with the Stockholm City Council in developing one of the best arena areas in Northern Europe.”

BACKGROUND

About Magnusson
Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Warsaw and Moscow. The firm advises clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. The position of Magnusson is regularly confirmed by independent benchmarking recommendations (e.g. Chambers Global 2008, Chambers Europe 2008, Legal 500 EMEA 2008).

The Globe Arenas
The Stockholm Globe Arenas area in central Stockholm is an immense event site which includes the national arena and the Globe, together with Annexet, Hovet and Söderstadion. The arenas have a combined public capacity of 44,000 visitors. Numerous events are held in the various arenas, incorporating everything from football finals to rock concerts and shareholders’ general meetings, which ensures that the event areas are buzzing with activity all year round.

About AEG Facilities
AEG Facilities owns, operates or consults with many of the industries preeminent venues worldwide including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), Sprint Center (Kansas City, MO), Prudential Center (Newark, NJ), The Home Depot Center, (Carson, CA), The Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, CT), El Rey Theatre (Hollywood, CA), The Arena at The Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, CA), Rentschler Field (Hartford, CT), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN), E-Center (West Valley City, Utah), AT&T Center (San Antonio, TX), Jobing.com Arena (Glendale, AZ), Acer Arena (Sydney, Australia), Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena (Beijing, China), Color Line Arena (Hamburg, Germany) and Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane, Australia) and The O2, a 28-acre development located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River which includes a 20,000-seat arena and over 650,000 sf of leisure and entertainment use. The company is also developing arenas including O2 World (on 45-acres in central Berlin), Citizen’s Business Bank Arena (Ontario, CA) and on the Las Vegas Strip.

The firm is recommended in the following categories:

Denmark:
Employment
Energy

Poland:
Banking and finance
Corporate and M&A
Employment
Real estate
Tax

Russia:
Corporate and M&A: Moscow

Sweden:
Corporate and commercial
Dispute resolution
EU and competition
Environment
M&A

Legal 500 EMEA 2008 also attributed individual mentions to: Aage Krogh, Anders Worsøe (Denmark), Anders Bäckman, Charlotte Bus, Per Magnusson, Maria Nisell (Sweden), Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska, Artur Swirtun, Andrzej Tokaj, and Wojciech Wądołowski (Poland).

Legal 500 EMEA is a renowned legal benchmarking publication. Its independent rankings and editorial content are based on thousands of interviews conducted each year by the research team with clients and peers.

Magnusson's full rankings can be found at the Legal 500 EMEA website.

No other attorney is ranked higher than Per.

This is the second consecutive year that Per has achieved this prestigious ranking. 

The full rankings may be found at the website of SponsorWorld.

He is a vice president of the board of the Foreign Department of the Swedish Bar Association and a vice chairman of the board of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce in Poland.

The Swedish Business Club is a part of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce.

The recommended lawyers are:

Charlotte Bus - Sweden, EU and Competition
Daniel Jastrun - Poland, Corporate and M&A
Per Magnusson - Sweden, Dispute Resolution
Maria Nisell - Sweden, Dispute Resolution
Igor Porokhin - Russian Federation, Corporate and M&A
Artur Swirtun - Poland, Real Estate
Andrzej Tokaj - Poland, Corporate and M&A.

First published in 2001, European Legal Experts identifies the most highly recommended lawyers in a wide range of practice areas. 

Carl Fredrik Hedenström (Stockholm), Aage Krogh (Copenhagen) and Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska (Warsaw) have been made partners. Mariusz Kowalski (Warsaw), Magnusson's marketing manager, has been appointed as a new member of the firmwide management board. All nominations are effective as of 1st January 2008.

Carl Fredrik Hedenström (Stockholm) practises in the areas of general contract law, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and international commercial transactions. He has acquired broad experience working with international companies established in Sweden, in particular US and Chinese companies, where he serves as board member for several of them. He heads Magnusson's China group.

Mariusz Kowalski (Warsaw) is the marketing manager of Magnusson, responsible for the whole firm (Denmark, Poland, Russia, Sweden). Prior to joining Magnusson in January 2006, he worked for almost three years in the PR & marketing department of a leading international law firm.

Aage Krogh (Copenhagen) specialises primarily in corporate and international commercial law. Aage also focuses on international trade, real property and construction law, as well as maritime and transportation law. His experience also includes arbitration and litigation, public law, PPP and partnering projects. Aage also serves as a board member in companies from various business sectors.

Agnieszka Pytlas-Skwierczyńska (Warsaw) focuses mainly on corporate, employment and industrial relations, as well as tax law. She has gained a wealth of experience in domestic, international and European Union corporate, employment and tax law matters, and the application of various employment and tax instruments. She has particular expertise in advising clients from the retail sector.

The firm is recommended in the area of "Corporate and M&A" in Sweden. With respect to Magnusson, Chambers Global 2008 noted:

This “reliable and responsive practice” has offices in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Warsaw and Moscow, from which it serves clients across the Baltic region, having the ability to handle work of both a local and an international nature.

Anders Bäckman, head of the firm-wide Corporate and M&A practice, is ranked by Chambers Global 2008 as one of the Leaders in Their Fields. In relation to Anders Bäckman, the guide commented:

“Clients are delighted with the service they receive from head of M&A Anders Bäckman. One satisfied client explained: ‘He has the ability to simplify complex problems into clear and understandable segments, making our life much easier’.”

Magnusson was the only law firm from Poland to talk about starting business in Poland and M&A projects. Artur Swirtun, partner at Magnusson, covered both topics in his presentations.

Would you like to receive presentations? Please feel free to contact us.

Going Global – Business Opportunities in Poland Conference 2007
Friday, December 7th at United Emirates Stadium, Arsenal Football Club, London

Platinum Sponsors: Magnusson, Geldards

Other sponsors: Ernst & Young, HSBC, Colliers International, Zhonglun W&D, Davidoff, Kleeberg & Maresch, The Athletic Group, City of Warsaw, City of Łódź, City of Koszalin, Kostrzyńsko-Słubicka Special Economic Zone.

Speakers: Artur Swirtun, partner at Magnusson, Andrew Borkowski, partner at Geldards, Martin Oxley - CEO British-Polish Chamber of Commerce, Paweł Wojciechowski - the President of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, as well as speakers from the City of Warsaw, Zhonglun W&D, Colliers International, Davidoff, Kleeberg & Maresch, The Athletic Group and City of Koszalin & Special Economic Zone.

The key topics of this event:
1) All aspects of setting up a company/ joint venture in Poland
2) European Union Funds / Grants - eligible projects & how to apply
3) Tendering for UEFA Euro 2012 Football Championships Stadium and other construction work. Opportunities for Public Private Partnerships
4) Special Economic Zones and the incentives and offers available for companies setting up in Poland
5) Investment opportunities in Poland (eg property markets)
6) Import and Export
7) Marketing & Promotion - how companies should market their products and services in Poland
8) Alternative Energy - A Great Opportunity in Poland
9) Human Capital: Training & workforce development opportunities (EU funded) in Poland
10) Mergers and Acquisitions.

Would you like to receive presentations? Please feel free to contact us.

Click here to download the conference brochure.

Click here for more details.