At the 30-year mark, Karanovic & Partners Managing Partner Milos Vuckovic reflects on the firm’s early days, its evolution over the years, and its goals going forward.
CEELM: Congratulations on the huge milestone! What’s the main feeling you’d say you have around it?
Vuckovic: Thank you! We feel humbled by the loyalty of our clients and blessed to work alongside such talented and dedicated people. We feel a great sense of pride and gratitude, and most importantly, we feel excitement about what the future will bring.
CEELM: Tells us a bit about the early days – how and when was the firm founded?
Vuckovic: We started in 1995, at a time filled with historical and economic challenges across our region, filled with divisions and missed opportunities. At the time, corporate law as we know it today barely existed here, but we saw that as an opportunity. From day one, our goal was to be pioneers: to build a modern legal practice, set new standards, and help shape the practice of law with international law firms as our role models.
CEELM: If you had to pick one, what would you say was the one make-or-break deal that the firm worked on in its early days?
Vuckovic: It was probably the merger between Sintelon and Tarkett. It was the first major M&A transaction that involved a series of complex corporate and legal decisions in an environment without major precedents, where all the laws evolved in an environment untouched by international legal standards. Sintelon entered this strategic partnership in late 2002 as a privatized and well-structured company, with modern systems already in place and strong growth potential. For us, this deal marked not only a milestone in terms of the legal work we had done up to that point, but also the moment when we realized the scale and impact our own firm could achieve.
CEELM: What would you say were the three most important moments in the firm’s growth/evolution over the years?
Vuckovic: Three key moments stand out in our evolution.
The first was establishing a regional cooperation with local lawyers. Today, we cooperate closely with lawyers across seven jurisdictions, which allows us to support clients seamlessly throughout Southeast Europe.
The second was the formation of our specialized practice and industry groups. With 10 practice and 14 industry groups, we’ve built deep, focused expertise that helps us provide tailored advice in increasingly developing sectors.
The third was the modern approach to succession planning. By adopting a corporate mindset, we created a scalable structure that ensures consistency, excellence, and collaboration across our teams, one that we feel will be resilient for years and decades to come.
CEELM: What were the main growth spurts of the firm, and what were the driving forces behind them?
Vuckovic: We are one team. This short statement drives our vision. It closely mirrors what I shared earlier: regional cooperation, specialization, and internal transformation were the major accelerators. More recently, growth has been shaped by our focus on innovation and talent development, with a strong emphasis on building expert teams in emerging practice areas and fostering a culture of continuous learning. What has truly driven each of these shifts, however, has been the same constant: a clear vision, a dedicated team, and trust – both within the firm and with our clients.
CEELM: The firm has been a trailblazer in terms of regional expansion. What was the thinking behind this strategic choice?
Vuckovic: We understood early on that we needed to follow our clients. From the start, we saw that business could – and should – transcend political divides. Being amazed by what our clients had been able to build, we followed suit. Founded in the aftermath of the wars, our vision was to look beyond boundaries and foster regional cooperation through the idea of one team. We saw that, despite political differences, there were no real barriers to doing business. Legal work, to us, has always been a way to build bridges, fostering dialogue, trust, and long-term partnerships across borders.
CEELM: Can we expect the firm to expand into any other markets in the near/mid-future?
Vuckovic: Our current setup is well-balanced, and our priority is to maintain the strength of what we’ve built so far. At the same time, we continuously monitor the market and remain open to opportunities that align with our long-term strategy. Expansion of cooperation is never a goal in itself; it has to make sense for our clients and the way we work.
CEELM: What can we expect from the firm in the next five years? What about the next 30 years?
Vuckovic: In the next five years, we’ll continue doing what we do best – being the trusted advisor to our clients in complex, local, and cross-border matters on one side, and investing in our people on the other. We’re focused on staying adaptable, consistent, and relevant in a fast-changing environment.
We’ve just entered our thirties, and as people often say, that’s when the best years begin. It’s a time of maturity, clarity, and ambition – the peak of one’s career and the moment to take on bigger goals with confidence. That’s exactly the spirit and the mindset we’re taking into the next 30 years: grounded in experience, driven by vision, and ready for what’s next.
This article was originally published in Issue 12.6 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, you can subscribe here.
