Ellex Valiunas Makes Another Step Forward
December, 2017 - Vilnius, Lithuania
This has been a special year for Ellex Valiunas. We celebrated our 25th Anniversary and introduced numerous changes. In the beginning of the year we announced four new partners in Lithuania and one in Estonia, Ellex merged with Glimstedt in Latvia, we have recently issued a notice of the merger of Primus and our team in Estonia, and now, when the year is about to end, we are making yet another step forward in Lithuania.
New partner in the M&A team
On 1 January 2018, M&A Partner Paulius Gruodis will join the Ellex Valiunas team. His knowledge and experience perfectly complements our Corporate Law and M&A Practice Group. Paulius will be the head of the Strategic M&A and Private clients’ subgroup. Before joining Ellex Valiunas, Paulius led Glimstedt’s Corporate and M&A Practice Group in Lithuania. Over the past 15 years of his professional career Paulius has been involved in numerous large and complex M&A transactions while advising such international clients as IKEA Group, E.ON Ruhrgas International, Ripplewood Inc., Allianz Capital Partners, Bank of America affiliate companies and various private equity funds.
New Tax Practice Group
Tax matters are fast becoming some of the most important issues to businesses in Lithuania. As a result, we have launched a separate Tax Practice Group. It offers not only exceptional expertise in tax disputes but also tailors the scope of its services by advising clients on the matters of tax structuring of transactions, tax planning, as well as international taxation.
The team of tax experts at Ellex Valiunas is led by Partner Dr Aistė Medelienė and comprises eight lawyers and tax consultants. This is the largest tax practice of any law firm in Lithuania.
Tandem of leaders
In order to achieve its strategic aims and be more active in sharing its experience, assisting in training young partners and bringing together experience and enthusiasm, the firm is moving to the ‘co-chair’ management structure as of 1 January 2018. This move, is intended to demonstrate a high sharing culture in the practice groups and throughout the entire firm. The management model will be implemented in two practice groups.
Dr Jaunius Gumbis, Head of the Commercial Practice Group, specialising in commercial and regulated industry and IT law, will be joined by Laura Ziferman, who became a partner this year and who has over 10 years’ consulting experience in different complex infrastructural projects. Her main areas of professional activities are competition law, public procurement, and PPP.
The Dispute Resolution Practice Group will be co-chaired by partner Ramūnas Petravičius and Attorney at Law Giedrė Aukštuolienė. Ramūnas is highly experienced in the areas of energy, infrastructure, EU law, employment relations, company mergers and acquisition law. Over the last several years Giedrė Aukštuolienė has emerged as a leading expert in dispute resolution and arbitration, holding the highest qualifications not only at national courts and courts of arbitration levels but also at the international dispute resolution forums.
Partner Vilija Vaitkutė Pavan, who chaired the Dispute Resolution Practice group for 15 years and has 20 years’ experience as an Attorney at Law, will now focus solely on representing our clients in complex disputes before Lithuanian courts and international and national arbitration hearings.
The New Head of Real Estate and Environmental Practice Group
Associate Partner Indrė Jonaitytė-Gricė, who currently chairs the Real Estate Transactions Subgroup will take over the management of the whole Real Estate and Environmental Practice Group. Tomas Milašauskas, who was chairing the Group for 12 years, has decided to seek new professional and personal challenges. The extensive experience of Indrė Jonaitytė-Gricė and Associate Partner Dr Evaldas Klimas, Chairman of the Construction and Environment Subgroup, together with our team of 11 experts will ensure the group continues to lead the Lithuanian market.
