Schoenherr is strengthening its dispute resolution practice in Hungary and across Central Eastern Europe with the additions of Balázs Kutasi as a new Partner and János Joós as a new Associate in Budapest, effective 1 September 2026. Balázs joins Schoenherr from his own law firm, which he built and led between 2018 and 2026, and will now lead the firm's Dispute Resolution and Insolvency practice in Hungary.
"I am delighted to welcome Balázs and János to our Budapest office," said Gábor Pázsitka, Office Managing Partner of Schoenherr's Budapest office. "Balázs's deep litigation, international arbitration and sanctions experience, together with János's strong track record in cross-border litigation matters, means we are now building a dedicated dispute resolution, sanctions and insolvency practice in Hungary. Together, they significantly reinforce our capabilities and our ability to support clients in their most demanding disputes."
Balázs Kutasi has extensive experience in dispute resolution, including litigation and international arbitration. He holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from Eötvös Loránd University, an LLM from Heidelberg University, and has pursued further studies in Intellectual Property Law and EU Law at Paris-Pantheon-Assas University. He began his career at an international law firm before joining another, where he headed the dispute resolution group and served as Local Partner. Between 2018 and 2026, he built and led his own law firm, advising numerous international and domestic companies and financial institutions on litigation matters and specialising in domestic and international disputes. He lectured on civil procedure law between 2018 and 2020 and regularly speaks at conferences. He is fluent in Hungarian, English, German and French.
János Joós joins Schoenherr as an associate. Before joining the firm, he worked closely with Balázs on cross-border litigation, international sanctions law, compliance matters, insolvency proceedings and white-collar crime, as well as commercial and corporate law and cross-border transactions. He began his career as a legal intern in 2021 and became an associate in 2023 after completing his law degree. During his studies, he also served as Deputy President of the Student Union of the Faculty of Law at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE).
Schoenherr advises corporates, financial institutions, sponsors and public sector clients on litigation, international arbitration, regulatory investigations, insolvency and white-collar crime across Central Eastern Europe.
"There are currently significant opportunities in Hungary for dispute resolution and insolvency expertise," said Balázs Kutasi, Partner Responsible for Dispute Resolution and Insolvency at Schoenherr Hungary. "Hungary's insolvency regime scored only 65.8 out of 100 in a 2024 World Bank study, highlighting substantial room for improvement, which is part of what is driving the government's ongoing reform efforts. At the same time, the construction and real estate sector has recently seen a marked rise in high-profile insolvency and restructuring cases, reflecting just how complex these situations have become. Cross-border commercial disputes also remain a constant feature of the CEE region. All of this is generating strong, sustained demand for experienced litigation, arbitration and restructuring expertise – and we are ready to seize this opportunity and build a leading dispute resolution and insolvency practice for Schoenherr in Hungary."
Gábor Pázsitka
Office Managing Partner, Hungary
E: ga.pazsitka [at] schoenherr.eu
T: +36 20 478 3370
Anita Nóniusz
PR & Marketing Manager
E: a.noniusz [at] schoenherr.eu
T: +36 70 708 6648