LAW FIRM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Estonian Bar Association
- Partner / Estonia
- Partner at COBALT
Aivar Taro is a Partner at COBALT and head of the fields of real estate, construction and energy. Aivar has long-term experience in large-scale real estate transactions with both domestic and international companies, including the acquisition and sale of commercial, industrial and other types of real estate as well as development projects. He also has extensive experience in advising real estate developments, which renders him able to offer valuable counsel to clients during the entire course of the development process, including the planning procedure, construction process, matters pertaining to lease, financing, and the completion of the project. Aivar has participated in advising numerous lease transactions, including sale and leaseback transactions, leasing build to suit lease objects and managing the lease portfolios of shopping centres. He additionally has impressive experience in the energy sector, including advising renewable energy projects, acquisition transactions of energy companies and projects for creating new generation capacity. Some of his works include advising the sale of the Baltic real estate portfolio of Geneba Properties N.V to Laurus S.a.r.l, development and sale of Mustamäe Centre to East Capital, acquisition of Solaris and Bauhof by Partners Group, and advising Nelja Energia, the leading renewable energy company in the Baltics, upon the acquisition, construction and operation of various wind farms.
Aivar has been a member of the Estonian Bar Association since 2004.
Job Titles:
- Junior Associate With COBALT Estonia, Supports Lawyers in the Fields of Banking and Finance
Anna Daniel, a Junior Associate with COBALT Estonia, supports lawyers in the fields of banking and finance.
Anna holds a Master's degree from the University of Tartu's Law Faculty. She gained professional experience from completing an internship in the Estonian court system. Before joining COBALT, Anna worked as a lawyer at another law firm, focusing on the fields of data protection, corporate law, and transactions.
Augustinas Petkevičius is an Associate in the M&A practice group of COBALT Lithuania. He specialises in corporate law, commercial law, mergers and acquisitions. Augustinas also has extensive experience in energy law, labour law, and dispute resolution. He obtained a master's degree in law from the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University and studied at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Prior to joining the COBALT team, Augustinas worked for seven years at an international law firm advising foreign capital companies and investors.
Job Titles:
- Legal Counsel
- Associate at the Banking
Aurelija Balčiūnė is a Managing Associate at the Banking and Finance Practice Group. She has over 10 years of legal experience. Her main areas of expertise include compliance, anti-money laundering (AML), financial regulatory and structured-finance. Aurelija has extensive experience in AML matters and has counselled international and local banks, fintech and other companies on AML and compliance issues. Her professional interest also covers aviation and aircraft finance which originates from her previous work experience at an aviation group of companies and the Civil Aviation Administration.
Aurelija Balčiūnė is a legal counsel with a business-driven mindset. During her legal practice, Aurelija has counselled international and local banks and companies on various regulatory and compliance matters, participated in the most renown market deals and M&A transactions, acquisition of large-scale debt portfolios and structured financing transactions. She regularly upgrades her knowledge on AML matters by participating in international conferences and events and is a regular speaker and lecturer on the AML topic.
Aušrys Šliavas is a Managing Associate with over 17 years of experience in the fields of Real Estate and Construction, Public Law and Privatization and M&A. He has been involved in numerous complex assignments requiring creative and unconventional solutions.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Assistant Lawyer / Estonia
Chris Oliver Rahumägi is an Assistant Lawyer with COBALT Estonia whose day-to-day responsibilities consist in supporting the attorneys of our real estate team in their work.
Chris Oliver has acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Tartu. Before joining COBALT, he acquired experience in law at Europark Estonia and at a law consulting firm.
Job Titles:
- Associate at COBALT Estonia
Christine specializes in banking and finance law, and mainly assists in various local and international financing transactions and capital markets projects, including public offerings and private placements of securities and admitting thereof to trading on a regulated market. She has diverse experience in assisting various Estonian credit institutions in developing their cross-border bond programs and related documentation.
Additionally, Christine has assisted credit and payment institutions, and other financial institutions in various matters relating to the establishment, licensing, management and supervision, and other regulatory questions. She has also participated in several merger and acquisition transactions.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner / Latvia
- Managing Partner of COBALT Latvia
Dace Silava-Tomsone is the Managing Partner of COBALT Latvia and one of the best known and widely recognized Real Estate and Construction, M&A and Competition experts in the country. During more than 20 years of practice she has advised many governmental institutions, local and international companies on major real estate and investment projects, transactions, as well as in intricate cartel, dominance and merger control cases.
Job Titles:
- Associate at the COBALT Banking and Finance
Dominykas Lapinskas is an Associate at the COBALT Banking and Finance Practice Group. The main area of Dominyk's practice is the legal regulation of financial technologies. Prior to joining the COBALT team, Dominykas worked in the Licensing Division of the Bank of Lithuania. In 2019 Dominykas obtained a master's degree in law (Commercial law) at the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University and in 2020 he completed additional 1-year studies in economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner / Lithuania
Dr Juozas Rimas is a Partner and the Head of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Practice Group at COBALT Lithuania, specialising in the fields of M&A (Private Equity) and Corporate Law. Juozas Rimas holds a PhD in Law (2010), which he received from Vilnius University for a thesis on corporate law issues in private equity transactions. Dr Rimas has provided transactional and corporate advice to GE, Moog Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Gjensidige, Deutsche Bank, Samskip and many other clients.
Job Titles:
- Head of EU
- Partner / Estonia
Elo Tamm is the Head of EU and Competition practice in COBALT Estonia, heading Healthcare practice and co-heading the Energy. She is one of the most recognised professionals in Estonia in her practice areas.
She has represented leading local and international companies in Estonian Competition Authority in cartel and abuse of dominant position proceedings. Elo regularly assists companies in getting their transactions cleared by the Estonian Competition Authority to enable the mergers to go ahead. In state aid, Elo advises client on how to get state aid, what are the conditions attached to state aid and whether state aid is lawful. Elo has successfully represented clients in Estonian and EU courts and administrative bodies.
EU law is very familiar to Elo. She also excels in Estonian and EU energy law, healthcare and waste regulations. Elo advises clients on climate change.
Elo contributes to the development of her specialisation areas by participating in the work of the Competition Law Committee of the Estonian Bar Association and acting as a Chairwoman of the Healthcare Committee of American Chamber of Commerce in Estonia. She is a regular speaker on the conferences and seminars.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Professional Association for European Restructuring
Gatis is an active member of the Professional Association for European Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners (INSOL Europe) and the honorary advisor to the British Ambassador in Latvia on legal issues.
Job Titles:
- Legal Counsel at COBALT Estonia
Indrek Koolmeister is a legal counsel at COBALT Estonia, specializing in administrative law. Indrek Koolmeister was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia from year 2003 to 2018. He has also been a visiting professor, head of department and a member of the teaching staff at the University of Tartu throughout the years of 1985 to 2018.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner / Estonia
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Estonian Bar Association
- Partner at COBALT Estonia
Karina Paatsi is a Partner at COBALT Estonia and head of the fields of employment law and corporate law. Karina advises clients with regard to commencement of business activities as well as all legal matters related to the everyday business activities of companies, including the restructuring, merger and liquidation of companies, matters related to the liability of the members of management bodies and corporate governance. She has long-term experience in counselling clients in matters related to employment relationships, including the preparation of employment contracts and other documents pertaining to employment law, termination of employment relationships and labour disputes.
Karina has been a member of the Estonian Bar Association since 2000 and she is also a member of the Employment Law Committee of the Bar Association since 2014.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner / Latvia
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Adviser
- Co - Chair of the Banking & Finance Practice Group at COBALT Estonia
- Member of the Estonian Bar Association
Marina is the regular adviser to the largest local and international credit and financial institutions and, in addition to financing and capital markets transactions, her expertise also covers assisting with mergers, sale of loan portfolios and all regulatory aspects of the activities of banks and financial institutions. Marina's clientele also includes listed companies, local and international private equity houses and industrial investors whom she advises on capital raising and public M&A transactions and the variety of regulatory issues. Marina is also known for her vast experience in aircraft financing field.
Marina has been a member of the Estonian Bar Association since 2003.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Estonian Bar Association
- Member of the International Bar Association
Martin is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA).
Martin has been a member of the Estonian Bar Association since 1999.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Estonian Bar Association
- Partner / Estonia
- Partner at COBALT
Peeter Kutman, a Partner at COBALT, heads the mergers and acquisitions team. He has more than 20 years' experience representing clients in M&A transactions and private equity/venture capital investments. In addition to counselling in commercial law matters, Peeter has extensive experience in shareholder agreements, as well as in transactions in the field of information technology and in drafting specific service contracts.
Among others, Peeter has advised DNB Pank on combining its business activities with Nordea Bank in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, IT company Santa Monica Networks on sale of its business to Elisa, Finnish provider of defence, security and aviation life-cycle support services and technology solutions Patria OYJ on acquiring a majority of the largest defence maintenance contractor in Estonia Milrem LDM OÜ, and Yliopiston Apteekki OY on selling its pharmacy chain in Estonia to Euroapotheca.
Peeter's latest experience also includes advising BaltCap, the largest buy-out, growth capital and private equity infrastructure investor in the Baltic States, on the sale of the shares of Magnetic MRO to Guangzhou Hangxin Aviation Technology, MyInvest Estonia OÜ on selling the hardware store chain Bauhof to Lithuanian hardware store chain Ermitažas, a subsidiary of Vilniaus Prekyba Group, and Alexela on acquisition of Euro Oil's 24 petrol stations.
Peeter has been a member of the Estonian Bar Association since 1996 and was a member of the Commercial Law Committee of the Bar Association from 2013 to 2016. He is a member of the Board of the Estonian Bar Association since 2019.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Head of Real Estate and Infrastructure Department at COBALT Lithuania
- Partner / Lithuania
Job Titles:
- Partner and Head of the Transport
- Practice Head
Vaidas Mackonis is a Partner and Head of the Transport law practice group at COBALT Lithuania. Vaidas has a longstanding track record in the transport sector and representative experience in real estate and construction, environmental and infrastructure and dispute resolution areas. Vaidas constantly advises clients on sustainability and the implementation of renewable energy programs in companies and actively encourages them to implement environmentally friendly innovations and socially progressive management. Comprehensive knowledge of the mentioned areas of law, in the projects of which Vaidas Mackonis has represented many of the largest Lithuanian and foreign companies, is one of the strongest professional qualities of Vaidas.