THE OFFICE
01 / THE OFFICE’S APPROACH
Raguž Law Office in Mostar combines legal advice and representation with an understanding of business relationships, financing and property interests.
The office is led by Damir Raguž, mr. sc., whose professional experience spans the ombudsman institution, legal and court practice, legal and management roles in the financial sector, and independent legal practice.
This experience shapes the approach to each legal issue: rights, obligations and available protection are considered alongside investment value, financial exposure, liquidity, costs and implementation requirements. A legal conclusion should be useful in negotiations, a contract, proceedings or the next business decision.
02 / PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Attorney-at-law
From 1998 to 2000, while studying, he worked as an assistant at the regional Ombudsman Office in Mostar for Herzegovina.
His practical training included one year as a trainee lawyer at Kolovrat Law Office and one year as a volunteer trainee at the County/Cantonal Court in Mostar.
He joined Hypo Alpe Adria Leasing d.o.o. Sarajevo as a lawyer on 1 January 2005. He soon took charge of the recovery department and, from 2007, managed the branches in Mostar, Trebinje, Livno and Bihać.
His financial-sector work covered legal matters, debt recovery, branch management and cooperation with major companies and business clients. He remained in a management role until 1 September 2009.
This experience connected legal analysis of obligations with their financial and operational consequences: the ability to perform, recovery, exposure of assets and preservation of business relationships.
From September 2009 to 2012, he worked at the law firm ‘Milas, Martinović & Partneri’ d.o.o., which focused on insurance law. Immediately after leaving the firm, he continued practising independently through his own office in Mostar.
Since 2012, he has developed an independent practice advising and representing clients in business, financial and property relationships and protecting rights in judicial and administrative proceedings.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Mostar, on 20 July 2000.
At the same faculty, he obtained the scientific degree of Master of Science on 5 July 2007, with the thesis:
‘The Institution of the Ombudsman in the European Union and its Member States (with Particular Reference to Ombudsmen in Bosnia and Herzegovina)’.
English — fluent.
03 / AREAS OF EXPERIENCE
Legal analysis of ownership structures, equity transfers, member and shareholder rights, business contracts and investments. Particular attention is given to the relationship between decision-making rights, company obligations, dealings with capital and protection of the client’s economic interests.
Representation in commercial, contractual and property disputes, damages claims and insurance matters. The work includes preparation of claims and defences, evidence strategy, legal remedies, negotiation and settlement.
The legal merits are considered alongside evidential risk, procedural costs and the ability to secure effective relief.
Legal due diligence of real estate, land registry and cadastral matters, continuity of title, encumbrances and conditions for disposal of property. Advice and representation concerning acquisition, use, co-ownership and investment.
The property’s legal position is connected with project implementation, financing conditions, additional costs and risks to investment value.
Financing agreements, assignment and recovery of claims, security instruments and protection of creditor and debtor rights. Analysis addresses the obligation’s terms, calculation of the claim, participants’ liability, available assets and recovery options.
Experience in debt recovery and the financial sector is particularly relevant when distinguishing a claim’s nominal amount from its actual recoverability.
Legal analysis and representation in administrative and property-related administrative matters, and protection of rights before public authorities. Particular emphasis is placed on decisions and proceedings affecting business operations, use of property and implementation of investments.
Alongside the legal options, the assessment considers procedural duration, compliance costs, the consequences of restrictions and the risk of delaying a business decision.
04 / HOW WE WORK
We start with the client’s objective, the participants’ legal positions and the documentation on which the decision is based. We distinguish what has been established, what is disputed and what remains to be proved.
We compare legal options by their implementation requirements, risks and financial consequences. For contracts, this includes considering non-performance; for disputes, the ability to enforce the relief awarded; and for investments, restrictions that may affect the use or disposal of assets.
Where a decision requires financial, surveying, technical or other expert input, we connect the legal analysis with the relevant information and findings, clearly distinguishing professional roles.
Advice, negotiation and representation are combined according to the needs of each matter — from initial assessment to implementation of the chosen legal step.
05 / PRACTICE AND KNOWLEDGE
05 / CONTACT
Ante Starčevića 32 C, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina