Law Office Ana Kolarevic has been recognised for years as the leading corporate law firm in Montenegro and as one of the best law firms in south-east Europe. Ms Kolarevic personally has been recognised as the best lawyer in Montenegro, and was awarded The New Economy legal award for Best Business Lawyer in Montenegro, 2009, and the World Finance legal award for Best Lawyer in Montenegro for 2010, 2011 and 2012. Her firm was named the World Finance Best Corporate and Commercial Firm in Montenegro for 2011 and 2012, and was awarded the Acquisition International legal award for the Best Corporate Law Firm in Montenegro for 2011. It is worth mentioning that these awards were granted by people outside of Montenegro who certainly have a more objective and more realistic view than those inside its small system.
Ana Kolarevic’s law firm continued developing along the well-paved path of assisting important foreign clients who are investing in the Montenegrin economy, and who make up the bulk of the firm’s clients.
Dynamic legal framework
Montenegro is a state going through a period of transition: it is making fast progress towards EU and NATO membership. In such dynamic conditions, where institutions of the system are constantly adapting to Euro-Atlantic standards and where legislation is constantly changing accordingly, foreign clients need adequate legal assistance with their investments.
High professionalism, permanent learning, understanding the culture of foreign clients and excellent understanding of the circumstances in the country, with an absolute dedication to its clients, are the factors that give Ana Kolarevic’s law firm a unique position in the Montenegrin market and, more widely, in south-east Europe.
The feature that makes Law Office Ana Kolarevic special is the diversity and quality of the services Ms Kolarevic and her firm provide to their clients, as well as her several-decade-long experience that she gained in law practice and in the judiciary, holding as she did one of the highest judicial offices of state in Montenegro. The Law Office team is composed of young professionals that Ms Kolarevic transfers her experience to. They analyse every legal matter thoroughly in order to understand every aspect and to make risk assessments which are necessary for their clients’ success.
Ana Kolarevic’s firm provides a wide range of services in the field of administrative law, commercial law and all branches of civil law. It also hires external consultants in the field of finance, tax policy, urbanism and architecture. The key services the firm offers include:
Representation before the courts;
• Assistance in establishing companies, drafting internal documents of the companies, and changes within companies;
• Legal counselling and assistance in the field of labour;
• Assistance in privatisation processes, acquisition and due diligence processes;
• Preparing contracts in the field of civil law and commercial-legal relations;
Activities related to zoning and planning;
• All other legal services for legal persons and private individuals.
EU report
Montenegro is a small Mediterranean country which aspires to become a full EU and NATO member. Last year Montenegro achieved some foreign policy success. In October 2011 Stefan Füle, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, after meeting with the European Parliament Committee for foreign policy, stated that after hard work Montenegro has made significant progress, and proposed to the European Council that a date be set for opening accession negotiations with Montenegro.
Füle said that Montenegro had worked hard, and that the European Commission is satisfied that progress has been made in all fields. Accordingly he recommended Montenegro for the beginning of negotiations, noting only that this is not the end, but the beginning of a very demanding process.
The European Commission said that the institutional and legal framework has been improved and that the Montenegrin parliament did a good job, particularly by adopting election legislation harmonised with the EU constitution, and that it is successfully implementing EU legislation. Progress has been noted in the economy as well, in terms of achieving macroeconomic stability.
The report also said that it is necessary to continue structural reforms and it partially criticised the high unemployment rate and recommended a reduction in structural weaknesses.
The European Commission reported positively because Montenegro has strengthened institutions such as the rule of law – important in creating a sense of security, and one of the key preconditions for attracting FDI.
Removing business barriers
Foreign investments are of vital importance to the Montenegrin economy; therefore, by assisting important foreign companies present in Montenegro, Ana Kolarevic’s firm gives its modest contribution to the development of Montenegro’s economy.
It is obvious that a lot has been done lately in removing business barriers and in creating an even more favourable environment for foreign investments. Lawyers like Ms Kolarevic have contributed to the effort by indicating to the institutions the existence of certain business barriers that had to be removed.
Due to constant changes in legislation, Law Office Ana Kolarevic has to interact constantly with the institutions of the Montenegrin state, with a view to developing clear and efficient legislation and creating better market conditions. Ms Kolarevic and her team of lawyers provide advice to their clients about newly adopted national legislation, particularly in their interpretation.
One of the preconditions for attracting foreign investments is security. Security is particularly important for investing in such a frequently unstable territory as south-east Europe. In order to ensure security, Montenegro set the NATO membership as one of its foreign policy priorities and made significant reforms not only in the field of defence, but also by adopting Euro-Atlantic standards and values so that it can become a NATO member.
In the period after submitting the Annual National Plan within the first Membership Action Plan cycle, Montenegro continued implementing comprehensive reforms, with a view to further democratisation of its society, and achieving its strategic priorities in European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Encouraged by the positive reactions to its Annual National Plan, presented in Brussels in October 2010, and by the wording of the Declaration of the NATO Lisbon Summit, Montenegro continued intensive implementation of reforms, going fast towards full membership in NATO.
As the country approaches full EU and NATO membership, the number of foreign and international law firms in the Montenegrin market increases. Of course, competition is not something to be afraid of: it is a precondition for higher-quality service, and the presence of foreign law firms will lead to the establishment of more objective and more realistic parameters.
Integration processes will affect the aspiration of an increasing number of law firms to specialise in certain fields. That is something that will be determined by the market. Law Office Ana Kolarevic has already made a kind of specialisation, since it does not deal with any criminal law.
Company vision
Following the integration processes, Law Office Ana Kolarevic established a cooperation agreement with Lansky, Ganzger & Partner, one of the most reputable law firms in Austria; and in so doing became part of an international network of law experts with both strong international experience and sophisticated local knowledge.
Ms Ana Kolarevic and her team work consistently on their training and follow all developments thoroughly. In a transition society like Montenegro, legislation is constantly changing due to the need to adhere to European standards. It is therefore necessary to follow the developments and to be aware of all these changes.
High professionalism, hard work, trust and absolute dedication, alongside providing security to its clients and a commitment to continued education, are the fundamental values the firm is based on. Numerous awards received by Ms Kolarevic and her firm confirm that they are both going in the right direction.
Law Office Ana Kolarevic remains faithful to the fundamental principles it is based on, but it will also be flexible enough to adapt to new conditions and circumstances. The plans for the future include further development and extension of the firm, which means bringing new young professionals on board.
The team of lawyers led by Ms Kolarevic will continue developing along the same path, and will continue providing highly professional services to local, international and foreign companies helping them to enter the Montenegrin market, and to stay there.
