Kinstellar creates Croatia presence

Kinstellar creates Croatia presence

Kinstellar maintains its presence in the Western Balkans with the addition of 22 lawyers from Žurić i Partneri

In an effort to establish a presence in Zagreb, Central and Eastern European firm Kinstellar has successfully teamed up with Croatian law firm, Žurić i Partneri (ZiP).

In the deal, 22 lawyers from ZiP, including five partners, will join Kinstellar's network. It will allow the firm to expand its range of legal services to new and existing clients in the west Balkans.

Kinstellar's new division in Zagreb will be managed by Duško Žurić and Miroslav Plašćar, the current ZiP co-managers. Plašćar has been in the firm for more than two decades and specializes in offering legal and financial advice regarding investment and land transactions in Croatia's energy, infrastructure and real estate sectors.

In the meantime, Plašćar has joined the firm's litigation group in 1997, then expanded his practice to include advising international clients on investment-related matters.

Žurić pointed out that the acquisition was in line with ZiP's goal of building an organization with "genuine international profile", adding that Kinstellar's global reach added "new value to a long tradition of pioneering the market".

"With Kinstellar, we are confident to strengthen our position in Croatia and the regional market," he said.

As a result of its establishment in 1995, ZiP has built up a stable client base that consists of multinational corporations, investment funds and private equity firms. It offers support to large international and domestic companies seeking investments in Croatia or extending their footprint across the region, according to the firm.

With this tie-up, Kinstellar will have its eighth office in the European Union after having offices in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria. Besides, offices in Turkey, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the firm also has its presence in Asia.

Founded in 1992 in Prague, Kinstellar became a fully independent business in 2008 when it spun off from its parent firm Linklaters. The firm set up its base in Ukraine in June 2021 after absorbing DLA Piper's offices in Kiev at the time of that firm's exit from the Ukrainian market.