Karel Petržela

Local Partner, Prague

Biography

“An extraordinary lawyer and a very good negotiator - he takes a practical approach but can also be tough when needed.”
Chambers Europe, 2024

Overview

Karel Petržela is a Czech- and English-qualified transaction lead and local partner in the EMEA Private Equity team of our Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice, focusing on transactions in regulated sectors, particularly healthcare, infrastructure and energy, and real estate.

Over the past decade, Karel has led transactional teams on a great number of high-profile transactions in the CEE region, including strategic joint ventures in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, and domestic as well as cross-border M&A in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe.

Bars and Courts
Czech Bar Association
England and Wales, Solicitor
Education
Cardiff University
School of Law, Cardiff, The United Kingdom
Mgr., Faculty of Law
Charles University

Prague, Czech Republic

Ing., Faculty of Management
University of Economics in Prague

Czech Republic

Languages
Czech
English
French

Experience

Actis, a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure, on its acquisition of a newly carved-out tower portfolio from leading Central & Eastern European telecommunications operator Telekom Srbija.

CTP Group, continental Europe's largest owner, developer and manager of logistics and industrial real estate in terms of gross leasable area, on its initial public offering (IPO) and listing of its shares on Euronext Amsterdam – the largest real estate IPO in Europe since 2014.

CTP Group on the EUR 450 million sale of a Czech logistics portfolio to Deka Immobilien. This represents one of the largest-ever real estate transactions in the Czech Republic.

CTP Group on its acquisition of a Polish logistics project portfolio from 7R, a Polish developer specializing in innovative and environmentally friendly warehouses and production spaces.

TPG Real Estate Partners, TPG's dedicated opportunistic real estate equity investment platform, and Contera Real Estate, developer and investment group focusing on commercial properties in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on several joint ventures.

HB Reavis ón the sale of its interest in Cambridge Innovation Center, a company providing shared workspaces for entrepreneurs and emerging companies, to third party funds.

Avast (Gen Digital), one of the world's largest cybersecurity companies, on the carve-out divestment of its Family Safety Mobile Business to Smith Micro Software for US$66 million.

Trigea on its acquisition of Arkády Pankrác, a prime shopping center situated in Prague, from real estate company G City.

Smithfield Foods, one of the world's largest meat producers and processors, on its acquisition of MECOM Group, a meat processing company operating two meat processing plants in Slovakia and two in Hungary.

Crestyl, a Czech developer and investor, in relation to the acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in one of Poland's largest residential developers, Spravia (formerly Budimex Nieruchomości) from Cornerstone Partners, giving it full control of the company.

Awards and Recognition

Ranked for Real Estate in the Czech Republic
(Chambers Europe, 2024)

Next Generation Partner in Real Estate in the Czech Republic
(Legal 500, 2024)

"an extraordinary lawyer and a very good negotiator - he takes a practical approach but can also be tough when needed"
(Chambers Europe, 2024)

"an excellent attorney who understands the business of his clients and can provide complex and tailored services"
(Legal 500, 2023)