Schönherr snares rival's team in CEE expansion

Austrian firm Schönherr is poised to take the entire real estate team of local rival Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati (CHSH) as it targets massive expansion across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

The team at CHSH, which has offices across the CEE region, is headed by partners Alfred Nemetschke and Walter Anderl, who will both join Schönherr along with one fixed-share partner and as many as all 11 assistants.

Schönherr managing partner Christoph Lindinger said: "This project will give us a credible presence in Hungary and position us to move into our other targeted CEE markets."

Schönherr has offices in Belgrade, Brussels, Bucharest, Kiev, Ljubljana, Sofia and Zagreb, as well as Vienna. The firm is looking to open offices in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia within 18 months.