BIT law office is a boutique law firm in the Republic of Serbia.
The combined international know-how and local legal knowledge of our reputable experts in specific professional areas, ensures that our clients receive highly-crafted, deeply focused and dedicated service.
Our mission is to achieve results for our clients in their most significant and complex legal matters and disputes. With a carefully tailored team, with a diversity of styles and specialisms, we aim to deliver new standards of excellence in the market.
We distinguish ourselves by offering the active involvement of experienced senior lawyers, ensuring the strategic, comprehensive and efficient support to our clients.
Our team can tackle the most complex commercial legal matters, advise in high-end transactions and corporate restructuring procedures as well as represent clients in criminal proceedings, commercial litigation and arbitrations.
Our practice and reputation is based on legal services in the following key areas of law: Corporate and M&A, Commercial,
Real Estate & Construction, Criminal, Dispute resolution
M&A
Our office has in a number of transactions by finding solutions which were easily applicable in practice and have protected the best interests of our clients. Mostly our assignments include legal due diligence reports, drafting of sale–purchase agreements, shareholder agreements, incorporation acts and negotiation and conclusion of transactions.
Additionally, our practice is to inform our clients on all possible legal consequences of various solutions built in the contracts (e.g. put, call, drag and tag along options) and, by doing so, we always try to achieve the highest possible level of protection of our clients’ interests. Often we have protected our clients’ interests by regulating the manner of management of the companies that were subject to takeovers.
Due diligence
Prior to the transaction, we carry out a due diligence review of the target entities involved. As a result, we identify legal risks related to the deal as well as other legal issues that may prove significant. Based on the information derived from our due diligence we then develop a transaction schedule and structure.
As regards vendor’s due diligence, the pre-transaction support can also embrace a legal review of the situation of the entity being sold in order to identify the potential risks associated with the sales process as well as matters that require special attention during negotiations with the buyer.
Transaction
Based on instructions from our clients we draft transactional documentation such as letter of intent, contracts between shareholders, contracts for sale of shares – SPAs, corporate resolutions to be adopted, articles of association. We provide market oriented assistance in negotiations over the terms of the transaction to buyers and sellers alike.
Merger clearance
We provide legal services to multinational and local corporate clients of our office and advise them on the full set of competition law matters relating to the merger clearance process, restrictive agreements and abuse of dominant position.
Our merger clearance related advice consist of verification of the fulfilment of requirements obliging legal entities to apply for merger clearances. Where this proves to be necessary, we participate in the drafting and submission of merger clearance requests to the Serbian Competition Commission. We closely monitor the process until a merger clearance decision is delivered. The same services apply in relation to different acquisition models in intra-group restructuring of multinational companies.
Post transaction
After the transaction is executed, we advise our Clients on how to fulfill all the related procedural requirements, such as those associated with registration of modifications with the registry or the land and mortgage register. We prepare draft versions of the required documents and represent the Client before the authorities.
Area of practice where our team gained valuable experience in past decade is PRIVATIZATION.
Construction & Real Estate
BIT Construction & Real Estate team has high-leveled professional experience in all aspects of construction and real estate projects, through transaction and acquisition phase, negotiation of complex engineering and construction contracts, management of legal issues during the performance of the projects and representation of the clients in international DAB, mediation or arbitration proceedings.
Our team members have participated in numerous construction projects relating design, construction, engineering and supply of capital equipment for construction of industrial and mining facilities, various modes of (solar, wind, water) power plants, pipelines, roads, hotels, stadiums other commercial and residential property developments.
Having a team members which advised clients and contractors in Serbia and region, our Construction & Real Estate practice group diversifies sophisticated knowledge of international construction practice, especially in appliance and management of various types of FIDIC general conditions of contract. Our team recent expertise also includes advisory in complex PPP projects.
Due diligence advisory
We perform due diligence reviews in respect to undeveloped or developed real estate (with shopping centers, office buildings, logistic parks built on it), focused on acquisition titles to real estate or the documentation of real estate leases, the rights of third persons possibly existing and potential encumbrances, preemptive rights, as well as reviews of zoning and construction documentation.
As part of the real estate review for potential buyers or for sale purposes, we also perform regular assistance in the Legal due diligence processes of target companies (Vendor Due Diligence).
Transaction and acquisition
Project development
Construction related disputes
Employment
Our office offers wide range of labor law services from drafting of employment contracts to full set of internal employment regulations of the companies (Employment Rulebook, Health & Safety Regulations, Internal Employment Systematization etc.) and representing clients in employment disputes before relevant courts.
Employment compliance
Our services include Employment “health check” – a complete overview of all documentation required for a lawful operations of a company, in accordance with relevant laws and by-laws effective in the employment field. This service includes identifying potential omissions and proposals of possible solutions.
We also provide advice relating to different decisions and accompanying documentation on annual leaves, (un)paid leaves, transfer of employees, rights and benefits of the employees and all other respective issues.
Employment agreements
We draft for our clients packages of template employment documents (including non-competition agreements), as well as negotiating and drafting management employment contracts. We advise on terminating employment relations and providing support in collective redundancies. We offer to clients comprehensive legal services as regards engaging foreigners and seconding local employees abroad.
Collective bargaining agreements
Our team provides full legal support in relation to drafting, amending and negotiations of the collective bargaining agreements.
Due diligence assistance
We perform regular assistance in Legal due diligence process of target companies as part of the commercial contracts review for potential buyers or for sale purposes.
Dispute Resolution
Litigation
The members of our team represent clients in high-value litigations involving various aspects of corporate and commercial liabilities relating to property rights and the enforcement of contractual obligations, as well as in different enforcement procedures and the establishing of securities over movable and immovable property (e.g. assets, stakes, shares etc.). We understand the different ways a dispute can be resolved and we are flexible to respond to each dispute and our client’s needs.
We represent clients in:
Arbitration
In arbitration proceedings members of our team are appointed either as party representatives for major local and international clients or as an arbitrators (sole arbitrator or as a member of the arbitral panel).
We represent clients in commercial arbitrations in construction law disputes under FIDIC contracts, commercial law disputes related to international trade and services and energy law disputes, all before the local and international arbitration forums.
Our team has specific professional experience in arbitral proceedings under VIAC rules, ICC rules, UNCITRAL rules, Rules of Permanent Court of Arbitration of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Rules of Belgrade Arbitration Centre and rules of Arbitrational Court of the Serbian Football Association.
Our arbitration practice is highly rated in the legal directories, with our team members renowned for their individual practices.
Criminal Law
Our practice focuses on the defense of allegations of wrongdoing in complex criminal cases by providing comprehensive and cost-effective representation and advice to clients facing exposure to criminal liability. We advise clients on creating defense strategies and propose solutions to different complex corporate and commercial law issues with aspects of criminal defense of legal entities and high profile individuals charged with different criminal acts.
In addition, we provide assistance to our clients on identifying and addressing criminal liability risks before they develop and escalate, by means of performance of due diligence reviews, as well as implementation of compliance policies and internal investigations that remain confidential. We tend to deliver advice in a commercial context and assist clients in avoiding potential future issues through the implementation of appropriate measures and to adequately respond to the findings of internal investigations.
Our criminal law expertise combined with in-depth corporate and commercial knowledge and understanding puts us in a unique position to tackle the most complicated matters reliably and efficiently.
Defense representation in white collar crime cases:
Internal company investigations:
