IFLR 1000
The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms

Led by Petr Kasik, Kocián Solc Balastík provides advice on policy formation and regulation to the Czech Capital Market Association. Last year the firm also secured some notable transactional work and advised Ontex Global Group on the Czech aspects of the €50 million refinancing of its existing credit facilities along with the Group's first bond offering consisting of €675 million in senior secured notes and €250 million senior notes. The firm has also been advising CSOB investment group and asset management along with OVB Allfinanz.

Kocián Solc Balastík is described as "very well equipped" and "knowledgeable" by competitors. In 2010/2011, led by Petr Kasik and Martin Krejcí, the firm has been active advising the Czech National Bank with regard to the settlement of relations between Agrobanka and certain shareholders. The firm has also been involved in the creation and implementation of the bank and non-bank client information registers in the country, a move aimed to ease information flow between banks and the non-bank financial sector.

There is consensus among competitors that Kocián Solc Balastík's (KSB) visibility has decreased on the market. Despite losing its second tier spot, the firm is known for its M&A work described by on leading lawyer as "a solid Czech firm" with "good clientele". The firm provided legal advice to the seller during the transfer of Capital CI Invest to the CPI Group and its subsidiaries. This included a portfolio of 2700 apartments in the north Bohemian city of Litvínov. Moreover, KSB advised Spolchemie, a Czech producer of chemical and biochemical products, in forming a joint-venture.

Kocian Solc Balastik (KSB) is described as a "solid Czech firm" with "good clientele". The firm has been busy with restructurings in the last year, more so than insolvency. However, uniquely, the firm has been described as "seeing insolvency from the inside". The firm has played a key legal role in restructuring some of the most significant companies on the Czech market, both from a public aspect and also from a private investment aspect. It has been innovative in restructuring when deploying legal concepts from the newly enacted legislation. Jan Dedic has advised and is involved in the development of the new law on corporate transformations (to take effect in the summer of 2011). This will enable cross border restructuring to take place. Moreover, Dagmar Dubecká has worked on an information guide on squeeze out restructuring and takeovers in the Czech Republic (for publication by the IBA).

The firm provided complex legal advice, documentation and implementation in connection with the restructuring of the Alpiq group (a significant player in the Czech energy sector). It also did the same for the RPG real estate group, which is one of the largest and most significant real estate groups on the Czech market. Importantly, the firm represented Milos Cervenka and his company MCA in a landmark real estate transaction (distressed M&A) with the PPF group. Completed in December 2010, the entire process took over three years to complete. This was a very complex distressed M&A/restructuring scenario, involving a huge real estate portfolio in the capital city of Prague. Finally, the firm is involved in the restructuring of Ceská mincovna (Czech Mint). The restructuring was important because it concerned a completely new corporate structure for the Czech Mint.