Category: News

The International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference is the leading conference for legal professionals worldwide to meet, share knowledge, build contacts and develop business. This year it was held in Miami from October 30 till November 4th, attended by more than 6,000 lawyers and legal practitioners from around the world.

TARK partners Tanel Tark and Hannes Küün participated in this event.

The working days of the conference were filled with many discussions and in-depth analyses of various legal issues. Discussions related to the war in Ukraine, cyber security, competition for talent and wage growth, innovation and hybrid work and many other topics were also resounding at the conference. All evenings were filled with get-togethers organised or supported by leading law firms from many countries.

“Participating in the work of the various legal sections provided new insights and good practical experience. There were a lot of interesting networking events where we met good friends from around the world and made a lot of new contacts” Tanel Tark commented on the event.

“Working days and evenings were so busy on a daily basis that it was sometimes difficult to choose which event to attend. However, international cooperation is necessary for the usual cross-border transactions”, said Hannes Küün.

The International Bar Association was founded in 1947 and has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community, and through its global membership it influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world. IBA has more than 80,000 members from 170 countries.

The lawyers of TARK Law Office have participated in major IBA events since 1992.

For several years now, law office TARK has participated as one of the representatives of Estonia in compiling the “World Justice Project Rule of Law Index”. The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent organization that annually compiles an important publication – the Rule of Law Index. Based on the index, countries are ranked according to how the rule of law is experienced and perceived based on the experience of representatives from 140 countries.

An important contribution to the development, strengthening and promotion of the Estonian rule of law.

Although the rule of law seems to be the domain of lawyers, everyone is affected by everyday issues of safety, rights and justice, and government decisions. Therefore, all persons have an important role to play in the functioning of the rule of law.

Law office TARK was chosen by the WJP as one of the representatives of Estonia in compiling the “Rule of Law Index 2022” because we have a vast experience in many fields of law. During this cooperation, we advised the WJP on questions regarding constitutional law, civil liberties and criminal law. As far as the WJP is aware, many national governments are using this unique report to develop changes to their regulatory environment.

The joint efforts of Estonian representatives and society in creating a strong rule of law are bearing fruit, and last year Estonia qualified for a very strong 10th place out of 128 countries.

The team advising WJP included senior partner Aare Tark and partner Tauno Tark.

You can find the latest WJP report for 2022 here: Rule of Law Index 2022.

Klaus, the AI-powered customer service platform, raised  €12 million in Series A round of equity funding led by Acton Capital. Joining the round were previous venture capital investors Icebreaker, Creandum, and Global Founders Capital.

Founded in 2018, Klaus has found traction with hundreds of global enterprise customers, among them household names such as Glovo, SoundCloud, and Epic Games. Klaus has raised more than €19 million in total and the new round of funding will deepen Klaus’ core focus on product and engineering teams while bringing new growth through sales and marketing.

TARK’s team advising the transaction included partner Hannes Küün and lawyer Tarvi Salu.

See more:

https://www.eu-startups.com/2022/09/tallin-based-klaus-raises-e12-million-to-scale-its-ai-based-customer-support-platform/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/29/klaus-secures-fresh-capital-to-automatically-categorize-and-score-customer-interactions/

IFLR1000 published the 2022 financial and corporate law rankings, in which the law firm TARK received a high Tier 3 recognition.

Also named IFLR1000 two TARK attorneys and partners, Hannes Küün and Tanel Küün, as ‘highly regarded’ professionals on the Estonian law market.

In the 2022 IFLR1000 rankings, Tanel Küün was named as a ‘highly regarded’ in financial and banking law and mergers and acquisitions, while this leading global law publication gave Hannes Küün a similar title in the fields of mergers and acquisitions and banking law.

IFLR1000 is one of the most authoritative law publications, leading the way amongst the world’s best financial and civil law attorneys and law firms. The leading legal advisors’ ranking was first published in 1990. Today, IFLR1000 ranks the best legal advisors in more than 120 countries. Attorneys and law firms are ranked based on market transaction analysis and in-depth interviews.

For more information about the IFLR1000 and rankings can be found here: www.iflr1000.com

JT IoT, the Jersey based global IoT Connectivity player backed by Perwyn, has acquired Top Connect, an international MVNO and global roaming provider. The acquisition of this IoT and roaming connectivity provider and its expert team will accelerate JT IoT’s plan to build a stronger global IoT ecosystem and to expand into new markets and use cases.

Top Connect is an Estonia-based connectivity player with a 25-year track record of successfully serving over 100 international customers and distributors. With proprietary core infrastructure and a wide range of connectivity suppliers, Top Connect will provide important diversification of the JT IoT portfolio.

The merged business will serve over 500 enterprises and governmental organisations across the globe and will manage over 10 million IoT connections.

Partners Tanel Tark, Marit Savi, Tanel Küün and associates Katri Tšesnokov and Tarvi Salu from TARK transaction team advised JT IoT on the acquisition process of Top Connect in Estonia.

Some months ago TARK transaction team advised AS Barrus, Estonian largest manufacturer of laminated wood components, on the acquisition of Baltiklaas (the largest manufacturer of glass packages, laminated glass and tempered glass in Estonia) from Saint-Gobain group. Last week the subsidiary of AS Barrus OÜ Polar Glass (Baltiklaas), and AS Klaasimeister owned by Livonia Partners signed a merger agreement to jointly push for faster growth in new markets.

The transaction is subject to the approval by the Estonian Competition Authority.

According to the merger agreement, the current owner of AS Klaasimeister, the Baltic private equity fund Livonia Partners, will become the majority shareholder of the joint venture, and AS Barrus, the current owner of Polar Glass, will continue as a minority shareholder.

The aim of the merger is to expand the product offering and customer portfolio and to grow into a major provider of building glass solutions in Europe.

Companies justify the merger as a way to grow faster in new markets: According to Karla Agana, CEO of Klaasimeister, the company has recently entered the UK market, and also sees growth opportunities in wider Europe, as well as North America. The new group will have a total of around 400 employees and four factories, three in Estonia and one in Latvia. Martti Kork, the chairman of the management board of AS Barrus, said that cooperation is the best way to expand in the international market and offer customers complete glass solutions.

Partners Marit Savi and Tanel Tark advised AS Barrus and OÜ Polar Glass on the merger.

Read more:  https://majandus.postimees.ee/7523543/klaasimeister-ja-polar-glass-uhinevad-valisturgude-vallutamiseks

https://www.aripaev.ee/uudised/2022/05/16/lohmuse-fondi-ja-barruse-klaasiarid-uhinevad

https://www.toostusuudised.ee/uudised/2022/05/16/klaasimeister-ja-polar-glass-uhinevad

TARK transaction team advised the merger of two Estonian building materials market leaders – Paekivitoodete Tehas and Saare Dolomiit-Väokivi.

Saare Dolomiit-Väokivi has been the largest producer of natural decorative stone in Estonia which is mainly made of materials from their Saaremaa dolomite mine. Paekivitoodete Tehas has been the largest producer of limestone fragments in Estonia for many years.

The merged entity, Limestone Factories of Estonia, will be able to value limestone to the largest extent. A new plant is planned to be built in Väo quarry to produce for the Scandinavian market. Production is also planned to reach other parts of Europe and, in the long run, North America.

The merged was advised by managing partner Tanel Tark and associate Katri Tšesnokov from TARK transaction team.

Read more:

https://arileht.delfi.ee/artikkel/96601979/kasulik-tehing-ehitusmaterjalide-turul-pandeemia-viis-turuliidrite-liitumiseni

The Legal 500, an international publishing company assessing law firms and lawyers global has published the results of its 2021 research.

This year Law Firm TARK was again recognized in seven rateable categories and all our partners has been named.

The Legal500 awarded with the nomination of Next Generation Partners Tanel Tark in the field of EU and Competition, Tauno Tark in the field of Dispute Resolution and Tanel Küün in the fields of Real Estate and Construction and in Banking, Finance and Capital Markets.

In the Commercial, Corporate and M&A field partners Hannes Küün and Marit Savi recognized as Leading Individuals in Estonia.

For over 30 years, The Legal 500 has been ranking the quality of legal service providers by analyzing the capabilities of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions across the world. The rankings are based on a series of criteria, among others long-lasting experience in the field of legal services, reviews of experienced independent experts, and feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide.

And the best is to get feedback and recognition from our customers and partners by their own words:

‘It a small but agile team covering everything that our business needs and probably more.’

‘I think they walk that extra mile. I have received some updates from them what is happening in local market even during the times they are not having any assignments from us.’

‘Quick reaction, always available. People really helpful and active.’

All Legal 500 rankings can be viewed here.

Our partner Tauno Tark has received a Certificate of Appreciation from the World Bank Group for contributing to the research of The Global Indicators Group.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.

The World Bank Group is formulating a new approach to assessing the business and investment climate in economies worldwide following the discontinuation of the Doing Business project.

Congratulations to our Partner Tauno Tark!

Read more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/business-enabling-environment