ODI Law Firm

Managing Partner: Uroš Ilić
Number of partners: 11
Number of lawyers: 40
Languages: Croatian, Bosnian, English, French, German, Italian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian

Firm Overview:
ODI Law Firm is a regional full service commercial law firm with offices in Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia and North Macedonia and specialised desks for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro. Due to its cross-border focus and multijurisdictional expertise, the firm has become a go-to legal advisor for business transactions throughout the Adriatic region. In recent years, the firm has especially developed a stellar banking & finance practice and has established itself as one of the core M&A advisory firms in the SEE region. The firm is considered as one of the regional litigation powerhouses. Its long-standing insolvency expertise enabled it to successfully participate in closing of landmark corporate and financial restructuring transactions and advise on numerous transfers of non-performance loan portfolios. Recently it has been growing its IT and tax law practice and is looking into becoming a leading legal advisor on new disrupting business practices.

Main Areas of Practice: 

Banking & Finance:
■ Advising Norwegian B2 Kapital in the process of EUR 800M NPL corporate and retail portfolio disposal of NLB in Slovenia and Croatia, in the process of acquisition of NPL Portfolio of Raiffeisen Banka, NPL portfolio of NLB InterFinanz and NPL portfolio of Unicredit Banka Slovenija
■ Acted for York Capital Management in a EUR 93M public auction for the sale of bank consortium`s subprime receivables towards a Slovenian financial holding company Istrabenz and later disposal of the claims to Bank of America Merrill Lynch
■ Acted for a consortium of six banks on a EUR 113M syndicated debt refinancing of Unior, an advanced international metal-processing company
■ Acted for the Czech Ceska Sporitelna bank on the collateral aspects of EUR 69M financing of the acquisition of the Slovenian beverage production company Radenska by Kofola
■ Acted for EBRD and four other members of consortium of banks on cross-border syndicated financing of group DON DON in the amount of EUR 52M, and for AIK Banka and Société Générale's / OTP's Slovenian entities on a subsequent EUR 36M cross-border syndicated debt refinancing of group DON DON
■ Acted for Hidria, one of the leading European companies in the field of Automotive and Industrial Technologies, on a syndicated debt refinancing
Contact: Suzana Bončina Jamšek Email: [email protected]

Corporate/M&A:
■ Acted for private equity group MSIN on its sale of a majority stake in Slovenia-based producer of overvoltage protection and electromagnetic interference suppression components Keko Varicon, to US-based Bourns
■ Acted for MHP, a leading international agroindustrial group, on EUR 270M acquisition of Perutnina Ptuj, d.d., a Slovenia-seated company with subsidiaries in multiple jurisdictions
■ Acted for Unior on its sale of majority stake in the Slovenian RTC Krvavec ski resort
■ Advising Eastern Horizon Group Netherlands B.V. in its cross-border bid for Cimos Group (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Hercegovina), a major supplier to the European automotive industry with EUR 500M yearly turnover
■ Acted for Xpediator, an international provider of freight management services, in a multi-jurisdictional cross-border bid process (EUR 100M+) for a majority stake in Intereuropa d.d., a Ljubljana-listed regional logistics provider
Contact: Uroš Ilić Email: [email protected]

Dispute Resolution:
■Representing an Italian bank spin-off fund in preliminary ruling dispute against the Slovenian Central Bank in front of the Slovenian Constitutional court and the European Court of Justice, regarding the deletion of the shareholders and holders of subordinated bank notes whereas the value of cancelled rights amounted to nearly EUR 600M
■ Represented Autostrade per l’Italia, a leading European toll highway construction and management company, regarding its EUR 114M offer in a public tender of DARS, the Motorway Company of the Republic of Slovenia, and in a subsequent court review procedure
■ Represented a Slovenian automotive company in a dispute against the Slovenian bank regarding the annulment of credit agreements due to a simulation and the breach of provisions regarding prohibited payments and benefits to shareholders (EUR 15M)
■ Acted for Telekom Slovenije in a EUR 54M dispute against former management board for the breach of duty of care
Contact: Matjaž Jan Email: [email protected]

Real Estate:
■ Advised a real estate management company, part of the Triglav Group, in lease contract negotiations with the European Commission and the European Parliament
■ Acted for CMT, the biggest Slovene travel agency, in the process of obtaining long-term concession from the Municipality of Šibenik regarding the Croatian island Obonjan for EUR 25M
■ Acted for the real estate managing subsidiary of the Slovenian retailer Tuš in the sale of its shopping centre Planet Tuš Koper
■ Continuously representing SKB Bank, subsidiary of Société Générale / OTP in various real estate transactions in Slovenia in the aggregate yearly value of EUR 40M
■ Acting for Sberbank in various real estate transactions in Slovenia in the aggregate yearly value of EUR 20M
Contact: Branko Ilić Email: [email protected]

Restructuring & Insolvency:
■ Advised Hidria Group on its EUR 150M out-ofcourt financial restructuring of debt, and corporate restructuring of the group
■ Advised Tuš Group on restructuring of approximately EUR 400M of financial debt (22 lenders altogether), predominantly conducted within the courtsanctioned procedure of preventive restructuring, providing a framework for operative and financial restructuring of Group companies in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and North Macedonia
■ Advised international financial creditors in EUR 35M out-of-court financial restructuring of paper company Vipap Videm Krško’s debt
■ Acted for 6 banks and the Slovenian Bank Asset Management Company in the out-of-court financial restructuring of Cimos Group and later in the compulsory settlement proceedings of EUR 450M overall debt
Contact: Uroš Ilić Email: [email protected]