Rob Irving is the head of White & Case's Private Equity practice in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). He has been resident in the Budapest office since 1997 and co-head of the office since January 1, 1999.

In the last three years, he has led our office's work on landmark transactions in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Austria and Turkey.

Rob has recently led or is leading White & Case's teams advising:

• In the second-largest private equity exit of the year in the CEE region, a consortium of investors 75% controlled by funds managed or advised by a leading private equity firm, in its auction sale of 100% of the major provider of broadcasting and telecommunications tower infrastructure in the Czech Republic to three funds managed by a global financial institution for total consideration of approximately €574 million;
• In the largest corporate deal in Slovenia in 2010 and the first large-scale international sale between former Yugoslavian countries, a financial holding company based in Slovenia, with respect to its €382 million sale of a Southeastern European food and beverage company, to a Croatian food and healthcare company;
• One of Hungary's leading telecommunications providers in connection with:
  • The auction sale of its leading international wholesale business with operations in 15 countries, for €221 million;
  • The acquisition by a leading CEE private equity firm of a 65% stake in the company and the complex restructuring of the company's debt;
  • Its €90.5 million purchase of 95.7% of the outstanding equity in one of the leading alternative infrastructure providers in CEE;
• The largest investor in the private healthcare industry in CEE in connection with:
  • the €485 million sale of a kidney dialysis business to the world's largest dialysis services provider; and
  • In what was one of Europe's largest private equity transactions of 2008, in the auction sale of the company to a private equity consortium, for €800 million.
• A leading CEE private equity fund in connection with its €45 million growth equity investment, in exchange for an initial 32.11% and up to a 41.5% stake in a leading cable and Direct-to-Home operator in Romania;
• The sellers of a preeminent Bulgarian consumer credit company, including its majority shareholder, a major CEE private equity fund, in connection with the auction sale of 100% of the shares of the consumer credit company;
• A leading independent private equity investment firm and a leading private equity fund focused on investments in the communications industry, on all aspects of their investment in the second largest fixed-line telecommunications service provider in Hungary, including:
  • Their €325 million acquisition of the telecommunications service provider;
  • In a $30 million "bolt-on" acquisition of the Hungarian and Romanian internet communications subsidiaries of a U.S. publicly traded company;
  • The shareholders in the telecommunications company in the sale of the company to a U.S. publicly traded holding company for a total consideration of €470 million;
• A private equity player in CEE in connection with its €0.45 billion acquisition of a Baltic's mobile operator; and
• The shareholders in the second largest Czech cable television company, including a leading private equity firm, in the company's €322.5 million sale to two investment banks (which concluded an equity derivative agreement to sell the company to the leading regional cable company).

Rob has been selected in the four most recent editions of PLC Which Lawyer? as a "Leading Lawyer" among the lawyers at the Global 50 law firms. In the most recent edition of Chambers Global, he has been singled out as "one of the most knowledgeable lawyers in CEE, and combines his extensive experience in the region with outstanding negotiation skills."

Bars and Courts
Budapest Bar, Foreign Legal Advisor, 1999
New York State Bar, 1992

Education
JD, University of Miami School of Law, 1990
CIAM, Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris, 1987
BA, History, Yale College, 1985

Awards and Recognition
Chambers Europe, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012
Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012
Chambers Global, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012
International Financial Law Review 1000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012
PLC Which Lawyer?, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012
Who is Who Legal, 2011
Best Lawyers, 2010
European Legal Experts, 2010

Languages
English
French
Spanish

Citizenship
United States