International and English-language business law
- drafting and reviewing English-language contracts, preparing bilingual Hungarian–English instruments
- legal due diligence and the preparation of a due diligence report in English in the course of an acquisition
- the legal handling of loan and security agreements and of project finance documentation
- handling the Hungarian matters of foreign clients, summarising the Hungarian regulatory environment in English
English-language and bilingual instruments
In an international transaction the language of the contract is rarely a merely formal question. In the case of a bilingual instrument the parties must also agree which version is to prevail in the event of a discrepancy — the absence of such an agreement gives rise to a separate legal dispute later on.
In the course of my professional activities as an attorney-at-law I draft and review English-language contracts and prepare bilingual Hungarian–English instruments for foreign clients doing business in Hungary. I completed the master’s programme in European and international business law at Eötvös Loránd University in English.
Legal due diligence
Before the acquisition of a corporate shareholding or of a group of assets, it is legal due diligence that reveals what the purchaser is buying: which contracts bind the company, what encumbrances subsist, whether the employment relationships are in order, and how matters stand with the real estate. I prepare the due diligence report in Hungarian or in English, according to the client’s requirements.
Finance and security documentation
The legal handling of loan and security agreements and of project finance documentation — typically by adapting English-language template documents to the Hungarian legal environment and by reviewing the security structure.
The Hungarian matters of foreign clients
Where the client lives abroad or has its registered seat abroad, two practical questions arise regularly.
The first is whether an instrument issued abroad may be used. In the real estate registration procedure an authentic instrument issued abroad may, as a general rule, be used where it has been provided with diplomatic legalisation or with an Apostille certificate — save where a binding legal act of the European Union, an international agreement or a practice of reciprocity grants an exemption.
The second is signature. In the case of an electronic instrument drawn up in the IT system of the real estate register, electronic authentication may be carried out on behalf of a party not using an electronic signature at an administrative office, at a diplomatic or consular mission, or before a notary public. In practice this means that a seller living abroad need not necessarily travel back to Hungary.
Frequently asked questions
In what languages can we communicate?
In Hungarian and in English. English is recorded as my language knowledge in the Bar Association’s register.
Is an English-language contract sufficient for a Hungarian matter?
That depends on where it has to be used. In Hungarian administrative or court proceedings a Hungarian-language version or a translation is usually required, and a bilingual instrument is therefore often the more practical solution. We clarify this at the outset of the matter.
Do you prepare a due diligence report in English?
Yes — in Hungarian or in English, according to the client’s requirements.