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Lakatos Köves & Partners

Hungary

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Key contacts
Partner: Viktória Szilágyi
Quick facts
# Partners

12

# Total number of practitioners

57

Languages

English, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish

Network memberships

Clifford Chance LLP; International Bar Association (IBA); Three Seas Legal Alliance; Hungarian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (HVCA); AIJA; INSOL; VIAC; Omnia Network; ICLN; Budapest Bar; Lex Mundi; Multilaw; Interlaw; Loan Market Association; Association of European Lawyers; Global Leaders Forum; SIPAC

Key practice areas
Banking and finance
Capital markets
Capital markets : Debt
Capital markets : Equity
Financial and corporate
M&A
Project development
Firm overview
Lakatos, Köves and Partners is Hungary's leading independent law firm of 12 partners and more than 50 feeearners dedicated to providing high-quality legal services to local and global clients. We are recognized as a top firm in guiding international investors through the complexities of Hungary's and the European Union's economic landscapes. With over 30 years in the market, we combine a rich tradition of legal excellence with innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients. Our firm was formerly the Clifford Chance office in Hungary until 2009.
Key practice areas
  • Asset finance
  • Banking
  • Capital markets: Debt
  • Capital markets: Derivatives
  • Capital markets: Equity
  • Competition
  • Financial restructuring
  • Financial services regulatory
  • Investment funds
  • M&A
  • PPP/PFI
  • Private equity
  • Project development
  • Project finance
  • Real estate finance
  • Real estate funds
  • Restructuring and insolvency
  • Securitisation
  • Structured finance/securitisation
  • Trade finance
Sector expertise
  • Agriculture
  • Aviation
  • Automotive
  • Banking
  • Construction and materials
  • Consumer goods and services
  • Energy
  • Financial services
  • Food and beverage
  • Government and public policy
  • Healthcare
  • Industrials
  • Insurance
  • Investment management
  • Media
  • Pharmaceutical and life sciences Real estate
  • Social infrastructure
  • Technology and telecommunications
  • Tourism
  • Transport
  • Utilities
Address:
Madách Imre út 14
Budapest, 1075
Hungary
Tel:+36 14 291 300 Email:Contact Us Web Address:https://www.lakatoskoves.hu/
2026 Edition
Banking and finance
24 firms ranked
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Tier 1

Andrékó Ferenczi Kinstellar Ügyvédi Iroda
7 practice areas
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Bird & Bird
7 practice areas
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CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang
8 practice areas
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DLA Piper Hungary
7 practice areas
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Lakatos Köves & Partners
7 practice areas
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Tier 2

A&O Shearman Kádár Ügyvédi Iroda
10 practice areas
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Dentons Réczicza
7 practice areas
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Schoenherr Hetényi
10 practice areas
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Wolf Theiss
10 practice areas
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Tier 3

Deloitte Legal Göndöcz and Partners Law Firm
6 practice areas
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Erdős ● Partners
9 practice areas
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Jalsovszky
5 practice areas
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Szecskay Attorneys At Law
8 practice areas
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Tier 4

CERHA HEMPEL
5 practice areas
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Gárdos Mosonyi Tomori
7 practice areas
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HP Legal | Hajdu & Partners
6 practice areas
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LeitnerLaw Szabó és Társai
3 practice areas
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Moore Legal Kovács
8 practice areas
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Oppenheim
8 practice areas
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Notable

EY Law Hungary
2 practice areas
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Nagy és Trócsányi
9 practice areas
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Szabó Kelemen & Partners Andersen Attorneys
7 practice areas
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Taylor Wessing e|n|w|c
4 practice areas
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Capital markets
14 firms ranked
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Tier 1

A&O Shearman Kádár Ügyvédi Iroda
10 practice areas
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Andrékó Ferenczi Kinstellar Ügyvédi Iroda
7 practice areas
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Bird & Bird
7 practice areas
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DLA Piper Hungary
7 practice areas
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Lakatos Köves & Partners
7 practice areas
View full profile

Tier 2

Wolf Theiss
10 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

Deloitte Legal Göndöcz and Partners Law Firm
6 practice areas
View profile
Dentons Réczicza
7 practice areas
View profile
Erdős ● Partners
9 practice areas
View profile
Gárdos Mosonyi Tomori
7 practice areas
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Schoenherr Hetényi
10 practice areas
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Notable

Jalsovszky
5 practice areas
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Nagy és Trócsányi
9 practice areas
View profile
M&A
29 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Andrékó Ferenczi Kinstellar Ügyvédi Iroda
7 practice areas
View profile
Bird & Bird
7 practice areas
View profile
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang
8 practice areas
View profile
DLA Piper Hungary
7 practice areas
View profile
Dentons Réczicza
7 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Lakatos Köves & Partners
7 practice areas
View full profile
Oppenheim
8 practice areas
View profile
Szecskay Attorneys At Law
8 practice areas
View profile
Wolf Theiss
10 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

CERHA HEMPEL
5 practice areas
View full profile
Deloitte Legal Göndöcz and Partners Law Firm
6 practice areas
View profile
Jalsovszky
5 practice areas
View profile
Schoenherr Hetényi
10 practice areas
View profile

Tier 4

A&O Shearman Kádár Ügyvédi Iroda
10 practice areas
View profile
Bán S Szabó Rausch & Partners
3 practice areas
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Erdős ● Partners
9 practice areas
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Forgó Damjanovic & Partners
4 practice areas
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Moore Legal Kovács
8 practice areas
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Nagy és Hollós Law Firm (NH Partners)
2 practice areas
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Nagy és Trócsányi
9 practice areas
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bpv Jádi Németh
5 practice areas
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Notable

D'Ornano Partners
2 practice areas
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Gárdos Mosonyi Tomori
7 practice areas
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Martonyi Law Firm
6 practice areas
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Peterka & Partners
2 practice areas
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Szécsényi and Partners
4 practice areas
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WTS Legal
2 practice areas
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Project development
20 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Andrékó Ferenczi Kinstellar Ügyvédi Iroda
7 practice areas
View profile
Bird & Bird
7 practice areas
View profile
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang
8 practice areas
View profile
Dentons Réczicza
7 practice areas
View profile
Lakatos Köves & Partners
7 practice areas
View full profile
Wolf Theiss
10 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

CERHA HEMPEL
5 practice areas
View full profile
DLA Piper Hungary
7 practice areas
View profile
Oppenheim
8 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

Erdős ● Partners
9 practice areas
View profile
Paksi Law Firm
3 practice areas
View profile
Réti Várszegi and Partners Law Firm PwC Legal
2 practice areas
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Schoenherr Hetényi
10 practice areas
View profile
bpv Jádi Németh
5 practice areas
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Notable

Budapest Law Firm No. 5000
2 practice areas
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Dr Horváth Z Péter Ügyvédi Iroda
3 practice areas
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Nagy és Trócsányi
9 practice areas
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Rátky and Partners
3 practice areas
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Szabó Kelemen & Partners Andersen Attorneys
7 practice areas
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Linked Reviews
Financial and corporate
Based in Budapest, Lakatos, Köves and Partners is an independent local firm established in 1991. As one of the larger firms on the Hungarian market, it employs over 30 lawyers, including nine partners. This year, the banking and finance team, led by John Fenemore, advised the Steering Committee of RCF Lenders on Hungarian law matters in the debt restructuring of Intrum. The deal won Restructuring Impact Deal of the Year at the 2026 IFLR Europe Awards. The team also provided legal assistance to an ad hoc group of international financiers on the financing of ACCELL Group, involving numerous lenders and a multi-jurisdictional security package. The firm was awarded Hungary Law Firm of the Year at the 2026 IFLR Europe Awards. Key clients of the firm include Indotek, Deutsche Bank, KKR, HPS, Svedbank,Nitrogenművek, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan, Erste Bank, Citigroup, Vodafone, Viessman, Uber, PPF Group, tamboran Resources, Green Power Investments, DVM, Bunge, Mars, DAF, Nippon Paper, and Ceva-Phylaxia.

Testimonials
'We found the firm to be very knowledgeable and responsive.' (Asset Finance)
'We appreciate the firm's speed, accuracy, and customer-focused approach.' (Banking & Finance)
'They are extremely responsive, helpful and commercial.' (Capital Markets: Debt)
‘They delivered highly responsive, concise and practice‑oriented advice. Their team demonstrated strong technical expertise and a clear familiarity with cross‑border financial services frameworks, enabling them to provide commercially relevant guidance rather than purely theoretical input. We particularly valued their ability to distil complex regulatory issues into clear, actionable conclusions.’ (Financial Services Regulatory)
'The cooperation was friendly, quick and responsive and they were available when needed. The scope of the engagement was rather specific, and they did a great job in providing us with a well-founded legal opinion.' (Financial Services Regulatory)
'We appreciate that they find all possible actions to reach the aim of ours, even mentioning the possible risks.’ (M&A)
'The team is very responsive and knowledgeable.' (M&A)
'They can provide comprehensive legal support on the complicated cross-border transaction, including but not limited to negotiation, foreign investment screening, anti-trust, employment, and IP protection. The whole team worked closely together and were dedicated to the project. Their senior partner Ivan Solyom directly participated in the two-week long on-site negotiation which greatly helped to close the cultural gap between the transaction parties by leveraging his transactional experience and personal charisma.' (M&A)
'Nora Kertai provides sound advice and responsive service.' (Asset Finance)
'Ágnes Ábrahám is very good at defining client requirements, conducting negotiations, and drafting requirements in legal language.' (Banking & Finance)
'Ágnes Ábrahám is very helpful, enthusiastic, and responsive.'(Capital markets: Debt)
'Eszter Zsófia Szakmáry has assertive communication, negotiation skills, quick thinking, ahigh level of expertise, and a strategic approach.' (Banking & Finance)
'John Fenemore is commercial and pragmatic.' (Capital markets: Debt)
'Szabolcs  Mestyán is a market leading expert.' (Capital markets: Debt)
‘Szabolcs Mestyán stands out for delivering regulatory advice that combines strong technical precision with a clear and structured analytical framework. He is particularly effective at ensuring that the legal analysis remains both accurate and accessible. In addition, he demonstrates a reliable ability to identify key regulatory risks and articulate them in a balanced and measured manner, supporting well‑reasoned decision‑making.’ (Financial Services Regulatory)
‘Gergely Kántor stands out for his exceptional responsiveness and his ability to engage very effectively on follow‑up queries. He consistently provides clear feedback, addressing questions with precision and without unnecessary elaboration. In particular, he demonstrates a strong ability to quickly grasp the underlying context and intent behind questions, accurately assessing where they originate from and tailoring his responses accordingly. His combination of responsiveness, contextual understanding and precise feedback makes him especially effective in iterative, client‑driven regulatory advisory work.’ (Financial Services Regulatory)
'Pál Rahóty has good communication and is responsive.' (Financial Services Regulatory)
'Ádám  Mattyus has a prompt reaction to every email.' (M&A)
'Antal Harsányi has a wide specialization. He is able to help with commercial and administrative matters with the counterparty.' (M&A)
'Iván Sólyom directly participated in the on-site negotiation and transaction documents finalization in the deal, which did great help to accelerate the project based on his experience.' (M&A)
'Kornél Dirner is very dedicated to the project and coordinate the internal team very efficiently.' (M&A)
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Deal Highlights
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