Jankovic Popovic & Mitic consolidates its position in the top tier. Along with its quality and manpower, the firm has shown for another year that it has the capacity to handle the market's most significant transactions....
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Jankovic Popovic & Mitic consolidates its position in the top tier. Along with its quality and manpower, the firm has shown for another year that it has the capacity to handle the market's most significant transactions. Its tier one status has barely been challenged by commentators on the market. "Generally, Jankovic Popovic & Mitic...[is one of the]...biggest offices in the country without dispute. So, they're the big ones," one partner says. "The first office, they are Jankovic Popovic & Mitic, they are a numerous office, they are present on the market and their practice extends on a very broad range of legal issues. They even practice criminal law, family law this kind of thing," another partner says.
The firm’s peers have drawn out Nikola Jankovic for specific praise. “Nikola Jankovic he is a reasonably good person, lawyer. I would see him as an experienced and serious person,” one peer says, with another adding: “Jankovic, excellent guy and I can only say all the best for him. He moved to Vienna unfortunately, other than that, he’s running his business and he’s handling most of the international clients for the firm”. Jankovic now splits his time between Belgrade and Vienna. While this may slightly reduce his time on the ground in the Serbian capital, it will no doubt be a boon for clients working on cross-border deals.
Nenad Popovic has also been noted as a leading figure on the market. “Nenand Popovic [is] a man with experience he is well connected to some of the oligarchs,” one partner says. Another points out Popovic’s work with key industry figures “and for the government so they are very well positioned in that sector”. Also, the firm has recently been buoyed by the hire of partner Vladimir Bojanovic from Karanovic & Nikolic.
Over the last year, the firm continued to attract some of the market's leading mandates. It was involved in one of the region's talking points when it advised the seller, Delta Holding, in the €933 million sale of 100% of Delta Maxi Group, Serbia's largest food retailer, to Delhaize Group Belgium. This deal represented the largest private transaction ever in Serbia. Additionally, the firm is representing the Government of the Republic of Serbia in the restructuring of state owned JAT Airlines. In light of failed attempts to privatise the national airline, the government has opted for restructuring to enhance the attraction of the airline to foreign investors. The aim is to enter into a strategic partnership with another international air carrier. The firm also advised the state owned company, Srbijagas, with regard to the incorporation of joint-venture companies between Srbijagas and Gazprom, Russia.
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