Moving in-house

Jelisaveta Folic Joins Max Bet as Legal Associate

Interview with Milan Lomic of L’Oreal

General Counsel of L'Oreal Adria & Balkan at L'Oreal shares how his role has changed in the 13 years with the company, discusses the impact of changing consumer expectations on the legal strategy, explains his approach to ensuring smooth collaboration with other C-level executives, and more.

Featured

Turkiye’s In-House Community Comes Together in Istanbul for the 2025 General Counsel Summit

The event brought together legal teams from across Turkiye to discuss the changing role of in-house counsel, from cross-border dealmaking and technology adoption to regulatory compliance and risk management.

Inside Insight: Interview with Marek Kundrat of Corwin

Corwin Head of Legal Services Department discusses balancing legal precision with business agility, the realities of cross-border in-house work, and the shifting regulatory landscape in Slovakia’s real estate sector.

Interview with Hasan Doruk Ozdemir of Hitay

Hitay’s Legal Counsel discusses his nearly-decade career at the organization, what regulatory themes come up often across the group’s portfolio companies, and more.

CEE Legal Matters

Winter Gala

November 20, 2025

Budapest

Judit Gulyas-Kovacs Returns to Private Practice by Joining Partos & Noblet

Before the move, Gulyas-Kovacs spent 12 years at Erste Bank Hungary, where she worked as Legal Counsel, Head of Corporate Work Out and Restructuring Legal Department, and, finally, as Head of Corporate Legal Department.

Interview with Milan Lomic of L’Oreal

General Counsel of L'Oreal Adria & Balkan at L'Oreal shares how his role has changed in the 13 years with the company, discusses the impact of changing consumer expectations on the legal strategy, explains his approach to ensuring smooth collaboration with other C-level executives, and more.

UiPath Appoints Diana Tatulescu as Global Employee Relations & HR Compliance Director

Tatulescu has been with UiPath since 2019, joining as Senior Employment Legal Counsel (EMEA). In 2023, she was appointed Legal Counsel Director.

Turkiye’s In-House Community Comes Together in Istanbul for the 2025 General Counsel Summit

The event brought together legal teams from across Turkiye to discuss the changing role of in-house counsel, from cross-border dealmaking and technology adoption to regulatory compliance and risk management.

Inside Insight: Interview with Marek Kundrat of Corwin

Corwin Head of Legal Services Department discusses balancing legal precision with business agility, the realities of cross-border in-house work, and the shifting regulatory landscape in Slovakia’s real estate sector.

Inside Insight: Interview with Martina Ondrasova of Heineken Slovakia

Heineken Slovakia Legal & Compliance Director discusses her career, the realities of moving in-house, and the challenges and opportunities shaping the GC role in Slovakia.

Interview with Hasan Doruk Ozdemir of Hitay

Hitay’s Legal Counsel discusses his nearly-decade career at the organization, what regulatory themes come up often across the group’s portfolio companies, and more.

Crowdfunding in Kosovo: The Next Step After Capital Markets Legislation

Kosovo has no shortage of entrepreneurial talent. What remains limited is access to finance, especially for early-stage businesses that are too risky for traditional lending.

Interviews

Interview with Milan Lomic of L’Oreal

General Counsel of L'Oreal Adria & Balkan at L'Oreal shares how his role has changed in the 13 years with the company, discusses the impact of changing consumer expectations on the legal strategy, explains his approach to ensuring smooth collaboration with other C-level executives, and more.

Inside Insight: Interview with Marek Kundrat of Corwin

Corwin Head of Legal Services Department discusses balancing legal precision with business agility, the realities of cross-border in-house work, and the shifting regulatory landscape in Slovakia’s real estate sector.

Inside Insight: Interview with Martina Ondrasova of Heineken Slovakia

Heineken Slovakia Legal & Compliance Director discusses her career, the realities of moving in-house, and the challenges and opportunities shaping the GC role in Slovakia.

Interview with Hasan Doruk Ozdemir of Hitay

Hitay’s Legal Counsel discusses his nearly-decade career at the organization, what regulatory themes come up often across the group’s portfolio companies, and more.

Interview with Anton Petrov of First Investment Bank

Chief Compliance Officer at First Investment Bank shares his professional journey, what challenges are most pressing for the banking sector in Europe, how the role of compliance leaders will evolve, and more.

Interview with Baris Ozturk of Teleperformance

Head of Legal at Teleperformance shares his views on leadership, the decision-making process on engaging outside counsel, and the regulatory challenges that are most pressing for the BPO industry.

Interview with Minerva Ionita of Beko Romania

Beko Romania's Head of Legal & Compliance shares how she facilitates collaboration across a geographically dispersed legal team, the role of legal and compliance leaders in driving ESG initiatives, and more.

Interview with Baris Ozturk of Teleperformance

Head of Legal at Teleperformance shares his views on leadership, the decision-making process on engaging outside counsel, and the regulatory challenges that are most pressing for the BPO industry.

Get the memo – every week

Essential in-house updates, straight to your inbox.

Commentary

Future-Proofing Legal Operations: Insights into AI, LLMs, and Next-Gen Tools

Below is an excerpt from the Legal Automation Book: From Bottlenecks to Bots by Vasile Tiple, former General Counsel and Head of Legal Automation at UiPath Inc.

Crowdfunding in Kosovo: The Next Step After Capital Markets Legislation

Kosovo has no shortage of entrepreneurial talent. What remains limited is access to finance, especially for early-stage businesses that are too risky for traditional lending.

3D Chess: GCs on the Challenge of Multitasking

Taking a closer look at all the Deal 5 interviews, we sought to map out the biggest challenges that got in the way of smooth sailing.

Old Faithful: GCs on Returning to the Same Legal Advisor

Approximately two-thirds of GCs said that the reason behind choosing a specific legal counsel was their successful cooperation in the past.

Out Shopping: GCs on Picking a New Law Firm

We analyzed the fundamental factors that play a role in GCs’ decision-making process in terms of choosing a new law firm to work with.

2022 Corporate Counsel Handbook: Risks and Compliance

describe what is at the top of the agenda for their compliance and risk functions and how they nurture a culture of compliance within their companies

Corporate Counsel Handbook

your go-to guide for all things in-house legal

Packed with insights from GCs all over CEE, this issue covers everything from team leadership and budget hacks to risk management, compliance, working with external counsel, and so much more. Whether you’re an in-house pro looking to shake things up or a law firm eager to get inside the minds of your corporate clients, the 2024 CEE Legal Matters Corporate Counsel Handbook has something for everyone!

Internal moves and promotions

UiPath Appoints Diana Tatulescu as Global Employee Relations & HR Compliance Director

Tatulescu has been with UiPath since 2019, joining as Senior Employment Legal Counsel (EMEA). In 2023, she was appointed Legal Counsel Director.

Agata Dymel Appointed to Director of Investment Banking Legal at PKO Bank Polski

Dymel has been with the organization since 2023, previously working as Legal Counsel – Coordinator of Legal Services for Investment Products.

Sylwia Raszplewicz-Czyzewska Appointed Legal & Compliance Manager for Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary at Chubb

Raszplewicz-Czyzewska has been with the company since 2002, previously working as Legal Counsel CEE.

Cristina Pintilie Promoted to Senior Legal Counsel East EMEA at DS Smith

Pintilie has been with the company since 2023, previously working in the role of Legal Counsel for South East Subregion.

Luka Pavlekovic Appointed Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs at INA Grupa

Pavlekovic has been with the organization for more than 16 years, originally joining as Contracting Specialist II in 2008 – a role he held until 2009.

Mirko Lalatovic Appointed as Head of Compliance for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Lalatovic has been serving as the Head of Compliance for South Eastern Central Europe at the company since 2020. He first joined the company in 2015.

Andrea Simandi Appointed Regulatory Lead in Microsoft’s EMEA Legal Affairs Team

Simandi has been with the organization for over 13 years, joining in 2012 as Legal and Corporate Affairs Director for Hungary – a position she held until 2017.

Victoria Chekova Promoted to General Counsel of OfficeRnD

Chekova has been with the organization since 2024, previously working as Head of Legal.

Timea Halko Appointed Legal Counsel Expert, Global Network at Richter Gedeon

Halko has been with the organization since 2005, previously working from its Lisbon office as International Network Counsel and Expert between 2024 and 2025.