Member Profiles

Damien specialises in commercial litigation and international arbitration. His day to day practice involves a wide variety of contractual claims, complex cross border debt recovery and damages claims, international trade and sale of goods disputes, shareholders and joint venture disputes, and enforcement of Judgments and Awards in the PRC and in Hong Kong. Damien also has significant experience with ship mortgage enforcement work, and with pursuing claims In Rem on behalf of unsecured parties. The firm is currently advising a venture capital fund in connection with recovery of its investment in corporate bonds by way of enforcement against shipping assets / vessels owned by a financially ailing issuer. Damien's team regularly advices in relation to in team relief applications and when necessary liaises with lawyers in other jurisdictions to achieve a coordinated outcome and to maximise client benefit. The firm's arbitration practice requires Damien to advise in relation to drafting and construction of arbitration references, and enforcement of Awards in the PRC and in Hong Kong. Damien is on the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre Panel of Arbitrators and sits as an arbitrator. Laracy & Co. services a diverse range of institutional, corporate, and private clients, both in Hong Kong/ Greater China and globally. In addition to our recognised expertise in the areas of commercial litigation, international arbitration, contentious shipping and intellectual property, the firm also has strengths in the areas of general commercial practice and employment related disputes.

Bán, S. Szabó & Partners is a full service Hungarian law firm, primarily with international clients, their Hungarian subsidiaries and prominent Hungarian companies. Its practice includes M&A and other transactions as well as a well balanced corporate law practice. Its particular areas of expertise include Hungarian and EU competition law, telecommunications, labor, real estate, banking and finance, intellectual property, energy and utilities and complex contract negotiations in major IT procurement projects. The firm has developed a well balanced corporate law practice advising clients in contracts, company and labor law, intellectual property law, litigation and other areas of civil and commercial law. BSP has seven partners and several qualified Hungarian associated lawyers. All of our lawyers are fluent in English. Several of our lawyers work in German, while some of our attorneys speak French as well.

Domain: construction law, FIDIC-contracts, corporate law, law of real property, litigation and arbitration in high value lawsuits, labour law, immigration law; Construction experience and publications Education: Law Faculty of JATE Szeged University, 1983-1988; graduated with summa cum laude, 1988; Juris Doctor, admitted to the bar in 1991, member of the Budapest Bar. Postgraduate course on the “American Legal System” at the University of South Carolina, US 1989; special course on the “Legal system of the European Community” at the University of Trier, Germany, 1991; scholarship at “La Sapienza University”, Rome, Italy, 1989, 1990, 1991; course on “International Business and Financial Law” at the Academy of American and International Law, Dallas, US, 1992; courses in legal Russian, Saint-Petersburg 1984 and 1988. FIDIC-Contracts Seminar (Rome, 2011, Cornerstone Seminars); Honorary professor of Eötvös Loránd University (2019). Other professional activities: Honorary professor at the Law Faculty of ELTE Budapest University; regular member of the Academy of American and International Law of Dallas since 1992; member at the Deutscher Anwaltverein since 1999 (a member of the section of construction law and of the group of international construction law); he has about 70 professional publications. He is a lecturer at the Budapest University of Technology. He takes part in writing studies and giving lectures in connection with EU-law. He is a member at the Arbitration Court of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (Warsaw). President of Eastern European Lawyers’ association, EAST LEGAL TEAM EEIG (2008-2012); Languages: fluent in German, Italian, English, Russian, Spanish and Hungarian

Joined Lagahvoll slf. in January 2014. Prior to joining Lagahvoll slf.  Mr. Sigurðsson worked at MP banki as Head of Legal and Compliance from 2006 and then head of Corporate Development from September 2011. Before joining MP banki, Mr. Sigurðsson worked as Head of Legal and Compliance at Icebank from 1999. He has a LLM degree in Corporate Law from New York University Law School and passed the Icelandic Bar Exam in 2002 and the New York Bar Exam in 2003. Mr. Sigurðsson has served as board member for a number of Icelandic and international companies. He is also a certified stock broker and a committee Member on Complaints Committee on Transactions with Financial Firms. Jóhann Tómas Sigurðsson of Lagahvoll holds strong corporate and financial expertise and is also experienced negotiating mergers. He is "swift," "accurate" and "effective," clients report. Practice areas Banking law Financial law Securities law Corporate law Fund services – including UCITS and AIFs Bankruptcy law, Contract – and Obligation law Commercial law Restructuring and Finance Consumer law Dispute Resolution, including on transactions with financial firms Recent transactions Lagahvoll adviced and litigated, on behalf of Mr. Sigmar Vilhjálmsson and Sjarmur and Garmur ehf., the case against Stemma hf. and majority shareholders of Stemma hf. The matter concerned the minority shareholder claim that the majority shareholders sold Stemma´s rights in Lava Centre at a price which does not reflect the value being sold. The Distict Court of Reykjavik Ruled on 20 June 2018 in favour of our client. Lagahvoll advised ibot ehf. on the sale of company´s own shares to an investment fund (start-up fund) from Germany, next media accelerator GmbH, which purchased a small stake in the overall share capital of the company. Lagahvoll adviced Dophop in negotiations with easyJet regarding a convertible loan agreement. Lagahvoll provided Félagsbústaðir (Reykjavík Social Housing) with legal advice on its recent issue and listing of bond framework of up to ISK 50 billion. The acquisition of 69% of shares in Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson hf., the largest and oldest producer of beer and soft drinks in Iceland. Lagahvoll provided all legal advise to the group of buyers, which included inter alia Akur fjárfestingar slhf. And Horn III slhf., which are both amongst the largest private equity funds in Iceland. Lagahvoll provided Verðbréfamiðstöð Íslands legal advice from before incorporation and through the regulatory application process,including reviewing new CSDR EU regulation, both as a CSD as well as with the Icelandic Competition Authorities. This is one of the first, if not the first, substantial license process being completed towards the Icelandic government after the financial crash of 2008. Lagahvoll has advised Lífríki to advise regarding its drafting of international agreements and financing, including private equity and debt funding. The work included reviewing and drafting on international agreements and financing documents as well as shareholders agreements. The work also included a review of possible structures, including the setting up of fund services, for future operations. In 2018, Lagahvoll was approached by the World Bank to contribute to the Doing Business projects of the World Bank by participating in the World Bank´s Doing Business 2019 report as experts in the area of insolvency and access to credit in Iceland, http://www.doingbusiness.org/. Advising, negotiating and drafting a proposed composition agreement for a financial institution in winding-up proceedings. Advising, negotiating and drafting documents regarding restructure and finance of a conglomerate with operations and offices outside of Iceland. Advising and negotiating a corporate settlement with and between financial institutions. Various legal advices for financial institutions, including review of internal rules and documentation. Legal advice related to corporate restructuring and refinancing. Legal advice and documentation for the incorporation and launch of the first private equity fund in Iceland. Legal advice on various issues related to Non-UCITS funds.