Živković Samardžić Advises Credo Ventures on Investment in Startup Trickest
Friday, 13 August 2021
Živković Samardžić has advised Credo Ventures on its investment in Trickest, a Belgrade-based startup building a workflow automation and orchestration tool for bug bounty hunters, penetration testers, and enterprise security teams. Trickest has raised a EUR 1.4 million seed round and the round is led by Credo Ventures, with participation from Earlybird Digital East Fund, with Daniel Dines and Marius Tirca, CEO and CTO of UiPath also participating as angel investors. Proceeds from the round will be used to accelerate hiring and support the company’s early access launch.
Credo Ventures is a venture capital company focused on early stage investments in Central and Eastern Europe. It is on a mission to identify and back the most interesting early stage companies in the region, support them in their growth plans (including expansion to the U.S. / global market), and help to achieve their objectives. Credo Ventures is looking for opportunities to invest in high-growth potential companies with international ambitions and competence to execute and deliver, while its industry focus is IT, Internet, and health.
Trickest’s co-founders combined their security and data backgrounds to start Trickest in late 2019. The company’s cloud-based workflow editor makes it easy to build and automate tests in a drag-and-drop way, and while the platform supports starting from scratch, Trickest makes the best crowdsourced knowledge available to everyone thanks to a library of 100+ open-source tools. Additionally, more advanced users can also drop in their custom scripts for maximum flexibility and control. The company also takes care of infrastructure management – workflows can be run in the cloud with one click and are designed to support features like auto-scaling and cost controls out of the box.
Živković Samardžić’s scope of work consisted of performing due diligence of Trickest, drafting and negotiating of transactional documentation, structuring the transaction, as well as all-encompassing legal advisory regarding post-closing activities for Credo Ventures. The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Credo Ventures on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski and included Partners Slobodan Kremenjak, who advised on intellectual property matters and Ana Popović, who advised on employment matters.
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IFLR1000 recognizes Branislav Živković and Miloš Milošević as Highly Regarded Lawyers and Igor Živkovski as Rising Star
Thursday, 29 July 2021
IFLR 1000, a guide to the world’s leading financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, has once again ranked Živković Samardžić, one of Serbia’s leading law firms, for its financial and corporate practice as well as recognized Branislav Živković as Highly Regarded lawyer in M&A, Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Acquisitions, Miloš Milošević as Highly Regarded lawyer in Restructuring and Insolvency and Igor Živkovski as Rising Star in Corporate and M&A practice areas in Serbia.
Directory, released by International Financial Law Review, the market-leading financial publication for lawyers specialising in international finance in financial institutions, corporates and private practice, feature tiered rankings of the financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, recognized by their peers and clients to be the leading figures in their specialist areas, in more than 235 jurisdictions across the globe. The editorial for Serbia is available here.
Branislav Živković has been practicing law since 1988 and is a founding partner of Živković Samardžić. His wide-ranging experience covers mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, privatizations, acquisition and corporate finance, transactional tax aspects, complex commercial contracts and real estate and project finance.
Miloš Milošević joined Živković Samardžić in 2010. He graduated at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 1995 and spent 15 years in the judiciary, as a judicial clerk at the Commercial Court in Belgrade and the Supreme Court of Serbia, Judge at the Fourth Municipal Court in Belgrade and a Civil Law Appellate Chamber Judge at the District Court in Belgrade.
Igor Živkovski graduated at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 2010 and has been with Živković Samardžić since 2013, after six-month internship at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and two years with another reputable law firm in Belgrade.
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Živkovic Samardžić Advises on Eurobank a.d. Beograd Merger with Direktna Bank a.d. Kragujevac
Friday, 02 July 2021
Živković Samardžić, one of Serbia’s leading full-service independent law firms, has advised on the merger of Eurobank a.d. Beograd (“Eurobank Serbia”), a Serbian subsidiary of Eurobank S.A. (“Eurobank”), subsidiary of “Eurobank Ergasias Services and Holdings S.A.” (Eurobank Holdings), with Direktna Banka a.d. Kragujevac (“Direktna”), with absorption of Direktna by Eurobank Serbia (the “Transaction”).
The Eurobank Group is a dynamic banking group active in six countries, with total assets of €67.7 billion and 11,394 employees. Established in 1990, the Group expanded through organic growth to become a leading force in Greek banking sector. In Serbia, Eurobank (after two successful acquisitions – Poštanska banka and Nacionalna štedionica) is today among the leading foreign investors and financial institutions.
Direktna is a modern, domestic and universal bank, whose business strategy is focused on business with the population and the economy. It was created by the purchase of KBM Bank, then Findomestic BNP Paribas and Piraeus Bank a.d. Beograd, which formed a strong and stable financial institution.
The combined bank (“Eurobank Direktna”) will have total assets in excess of €2bn, total equity above €300m and, accounting for the expected fully-phased synergies, pre-provision income and net income in excess of €50m and €35m respectively.
The combined bank’s market share will exceed 6.5%, in terms of total loans, making the bank the seventh largest in Serbia.
After the completion of the Transaction, Eurobank will control c. 70% of the combined bank while Direktna’s shareholders will own the remaining 30%. Both parties have committed to a growth-oriented business plan, incorporating ambitious expansion targets that will allow the combined bank to finance the Serbian economy and grow profitably in the next few years. Part of the Transaction is the payment of a dividend/capital return to Eurobank. The Transaction is capital neutral for Eurobank and earnings per share (EPS) accretive by 3% post synergies.
Completion of the Transaction is subject to customary approvals by the competent regulatory and supervisory authorities and is expected to take place during the last quarter of 2021. The Živković Samardžić team provided legal assistance and advice both involved banks on the Transaction. This deal was led by Partners Branislav Živković, Uroš Đorđević, Igor Živkovski and Sava Pavlović.
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Igor Živkovski Selected as a Juror for the 2020 CEE Deals of the Year Awards
Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Živković Samardžić Corporate and M&A Partner Igor Živkovski has been selected as a juror for the 2020 CEE Deals of the Year Awards — the most prestigious and sought-after peer-selected awards for the legal industry in Central and Eastern Europe.
The CEE Deals of the Year Awards were created in 2017 by CEE Legal Matters, the leading source of news and information about the lawyers and legal industry in Central and Eastern Europe, to celebrate the transactions, financings, IPOs, and other deals that underpin growth throughout the reason — and the lawyers and law firms who make them happen. Five jurors are selected by CEE Legal Matters for each of the 24 jurisdictions in the region based on their reputation, expertise, knowledge, and established commitment to their markets.
CEE Legal Matters’ Executive Editor David Stuckey, who oversees the selection of the jurors each year, was pleased that Igor Živkovski agreed to commit his time and effort to the process of evaluating and ranking the many submissions made by law firms in Serbia. “Jurors were selected based on our personal interactions with them, their reputation among their peers, and the kinds of deals they have ushered to completion themselves over the years,” Stuckey said. “It is difficult to imagine a more skilled or knowledgeable panel of legal experts in Serbia, and a significant part of that comes from Igor. We are delighted and honored that he agreed to participate, and the process is more trustworthy and reliable as a result.”
Igor served as a member of the Shortlist Selection Panel for the 2019 CEE Deals of the Year Awards and led Živković Samardžić team which won the 2018 CEE Deal of the Year Award for Serbia.
The finalists for CEE Deals of the Year will be listed in the March 2021 issue of the CEE Legal Matters magazine, and winners will be announced at the annual CEE Deal of the Year Banquet, scheduled for London on June 3, 2021. More information about the awards and the banquet can be found at doty.ceelegalmatters.com.
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IFLR1000 recognizes Branislav Živković and Miloš Milošević as Highly Regarded Lawyers and Igor Živkovski as Rising Star
Thursday, 01 October 2020
IFLR 1000, a guide to the world’s leading financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, has once again ranked Živković Samardžić, one of Serbia’s leading law firms, for its financial and corporate practice as well as recognized Branislav Živković as Highly Regarded lawyer in M&A, Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Acquisitions, Miloš Milošević as Highly Regarded lawyer in Restructuring and Insolvency and Igor Živkovski as Rising Star in Corporate and M&A practice areas in Serbia.
Directory, released by International Financial Law Review, the market-leading financial publication for lawyers specialising in international finance in financial institutions, corporates and private practice, feature tiered rankings of the financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, recognized by their peers and clients to be the leading figures in their specialist areas, in more than 170 jurisdictions across the globe. The editorial for Serbia is available here.
Branislav Živković has been practicing law since 1988 and is a founding partner of Živković Samardžić. His wide-ranging experience covers mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, privatizations, acquisition and corporate finance, transactional tax aspects, complex commercial contracts and real estate and project finance.
Miloš Milošević joined Živković Samardžić in 2010. He graduated at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 1995 and spent 15 years in the judiciary, as a judicial clerk at the Commercial Court in Belgrade and the Supreme Court of Serbia, Judge at the Fourth Municipal Court in Belgrade and a Civil Law Appellate Chamber Judge at the District Court in Belgrade.
Igor Živkovski graduated at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 2010 and has been with Živković Samardžić since 2013, after six-month internship at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and two years with another reputable law firm in Belgrade.
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Živković Samardžić Advises APIS Assay Technologies Ltd on Serbian Aspects of Acquisition of BeoGenomics
Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Živković Samardžić has advised Manchester-based biotech firm APIS Assay Technologies Ltd, a company combining outstanding In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) experience with integrated AI to develop biomarker-based diagnostic assays, on Serbian aspects of its acquisition of BeoGenomics, a specialised software developer with major expertise in Bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence (BIOX).
BeoGenomics has been developing both on-prem and secure cloud-based data analysis solutions – helping customers design, build and run custom tailored genomics & proteomics pipelines. The start-up with amazing capability will be integrated into Manchester-based APIS, supporting the launch of a new BIOX Service Line as part of the company’s ongoing Biomarker Research and Development activities.
APIS develops new tests for the prediction, prevention, and diagnosis of disease from discovery to regulatory approval. The company’s business model is based on three pillars: biomarker diagnostics development, molecular diagnostic contract development, and applied bioinformatics.
Živković Samardžić’s scope of work consisted of performing due diligence of BeoGenomics, drafting and negotiating of transactional documentation, structuring the transaction, as well as all-encompassing legal advisory regarding post-closing activities for APIS Assay Technologies Ltd.
The Živković Samardžić team that has advised APIS Assay Technologies Ltd on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski and included Partner Ana Popović, who advised on employment matters.
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Živković Samardžić lawyers and practice groups recognized by Legal500 EMEA 2020 legal directory
Friday, 17 April 2020
Živkovic Samardžić is humbled and proud of our rankings in the Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2020 directory. The firm has been ranked across diverse set of practice areas and our partners recognized as professional and well organised lawyers with extensive knowledge and analytical skills.
Miloš Milošević, Partner has been recognized as a Leading Individual, and Ivan Ljubisavljević as a Rising Star, for their Dispute resolution work. Both are praised by clients as “co-operative and excellent lawyers.” Their team is commended for handling complex and high- value commercial cases and investment treaty arbitrations.
Ana Popović, Partner has been recognized as a Next Generation Partner for her Employment work and her team praised for its broad experience in handling redundancy, reorganisation management, union negotiations, employment dispute resolution, executive terminations, and for being capable to help clients achieve compliance commercially. Legal 500 directory quotes some of the client testimonials, according to which Ana “demonstrates impressive knowledge as well as the ability to negotiate the client’s best interest during delicate relations with employees.”
Other ranked practice areas include Commercial, Corporate and M&A and Competition.
Commercial, Corporate and M&A team is described as the one that advises frequently on complex business transactions, and experienced in M&A, joint ventures and privatisations. According to some of the quoted client testimonials, the team, led by Partners Branislav Živković, Nebojša Samardžić and Igor Živkovski “is highly professional, responsive and understands business”, with “creativity and experience, combined with prompt response times” as key qualities. Igor Živkovski, Partner is lauded for being “an exceptionally talented lawyer and someone that clients can always rely on”, “extremely professional, always available” and as “always very pragmatic and goal oriented.”
Živković Samardžić Competition team is described as a team “known for abuse of dominance and cartel proceedings and investigations,” with “particular strengths in regulated industries, such as electronic communications, broadcasting, energy and financial services”. Directory quotes client testimonials praising the team for being “highly professional” with reputation “based on an acknowledged technical excellence and ability to provide commercial and practical advice and an in-depth understanding of markets and regulatory regimes.” Practice head, Slobodan Kremenjak, Partner is lauded for being “creative and insightful.”
Humbled and immensely grateful to our clients for the feedback provided to Legal 500 researchers, Živković Samardžić will continue to strive for excellence as client’s trusted Partners in Law.
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Živković Samardžić Advises Sizmek on Serbian Aspects of Business Acquisition by Amazon
Monday, 02 March 2020
Živković Samardžić has advised Israeli company Sizmek Technologies Ltd. on local implementation of the Transition Services Agreement and Asset Purchase Agreement concluded with Amazon.com, Inc.
As Amazon has already announced, it acquired Sizmek’s ad serving and dynamic content optimization businesses. Sizmek has been searching for a buyer for Sizmek Ad Server and Sizmek DCO and sale to Amazon was a logical solution since these two companies have many mutual customers. The deal will bring an ad server, which is a tool to actually place advertisements around the web, to Amazon.
Živković Samardžić’s work comprised advising Sizmek on employment, corporate and taxation matters of this deal in Serbia, as well as providing all-encompassing legal advisory to Sizmek Serbia on post-closing activities.
The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Sizmek on this deal consisted of Partners Ana Popović and Igor Živkovski.
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Živković Samardžić Advises B92 on the Transformation of a Joint Stock Company into a Limited Liability Company
Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Živković Samardžić has advised Serbia’s national commercial broadcaster B92, subsidiary of Kopernikus Corporation, on the transformation of a joint stock company into a limited liability company. This transformation was a challenge, considering the complex legal framework governing joint stock companies and lack of local practice.
B92 was established in 1989 as radio broadcasting to Belgrade audiences and has since grown into a company which includes a national radio and television network and websites. B92 and its journalists have won numerous prestigious international awards for journalistic courage and advocacy of human rights.
The transformation marks the completion of the takeover process, with the company Astonko as the only remaining shareholder and introduces a simpler governance system without the Management Board. The simplified governance will allow more efficient management and decision-making within B92, thus enabling it to respond promptly to the challenges and changes in the harsh business environment.
The Živković Samardžić team that has advised B92 on this transformation was led by Igor Živkovski, Corporate and M&A Partner.
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IFLR1000 recognizes Branislav Živković and Miloš Milošević as Highly Regarded Lawyers and Igor Živkovski as Rising Star
Thursday, 26 September 2019
IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate 2020 directory has once again ranked Živković Samardžić, one of Serbia’s leading law firms, for its financial and corporate practice as well as recognized Branislav Živković as Highly Regarded lawyer in M&A, Real Estate Acquisitions and Real Estate Finance, Miloš Milošević as Highly Regarded lawyer in Restructuring and Insolvency and Igor Živkovski as Rising Star in Corporate and M&A practice areas in Serbia.
Directory, released by International Financial Law Review, the market-leading financial publication for lawyers specialising in international finance in financial institutions, corporates and private practice, feature tiered rankings of the financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, recognized by their peers and clients to be the leading figures in their specialist areas, in more than 120 jurisdictions across the globe. The editorial for Serbia is available here.
Branislav Živković has been practicing law since 1988 and is a founding partner of Živković Samardžić. His wide-ranging experience covers mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, privatizations, acquisition and corporate finance, transactional tax aspects, complex commercial contracts and real estate and project finance.
Miloš Milošević joined Živković Samardžić in 2010. He graduated at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 1995 and spent 15 years in the judiciary, as a judicial clerk at the Commercial Court in Belgrade and the Supreme Court of Serbia, Judge at the Fourth Municipal Court in Belgrade and a Civil Law Appellate Chamber Judge at the District Court in Belgrade.
Igor Živkovski graduated at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 2010 and has been with Živković Samardžić since 2013, after six-month internship at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and two years with another reputable law firm in Belgrade.
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