PhD Monika Petkeviciute – Strucko
Associate

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Education

2010 – Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree obtained from Mykolas Romeris University
2012 – Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree obtained from Mykolas Romeris University
2022 – Doctor of Economics (PhD) degree obtained from Mykolas Romeris University

Professional activities

Secretary General at Lithuanian National Association of Forwarders and Logistics – LINEKA since 2010
Lector at The Faculty of Public Governance and Business, Mykolas Romeris University since 2018
Lawyer at the Law Office of Attorney Mindaugas Šimkūnas and Partners VERUM since 2020
Associate at the Law Office of Attorney Mindaugas Šimkūnas since 2023

Areas of Legal Practice

Transport Law, Corporate Law, Labour Law, EU Law

Languages

Lithuanian, English and Russian

Experience:

Successfully represented a foreign-registered carrier in a legal dispute with a Lithuanian client over alleged cargo loss and related damages. In court, it was demonstrated that the plaintiff’s claim for damages was unfounded, as the carriage of goods had been interrupted due to the enforcement of international sanctions. The Court of First Instance ruled in favor of the client, dismissing the plaintiff’s claim. However, it declined to order the opposing party to cover the client’s legal costs, reasoning that parties acting in bad faith in their dealings cannot expect reimbursement for incurred expenses. Following an appeal filed by the firm’s lawyers, the Court of Appeal reversed the lower court’s decision regarding cost allocation. Based on the firm’s arguments, the appellate court ordered the opposing party to cover the costs of the proceedings before the Court of First Instance. The firm successfully argued that the substantive legal relationship between the parties did not reflect their procedural behavior during the litigation. Therefore, it could not have influenced the initiation, outcome, duration, or associated costs of the proceedings.
Successfully represented a Lithuanian forwarding company, part of one of the world’s largest logistics groups, in a dispute with a Lithuanian carrier over compensation for losses caused by cargo damage. Upon delivery, the entire cargo (aluminum sheets) was found wet, corroded, and unusable. The carrier's insurer, after reviewing the incident, reduced the insurance payout by 50%. Through litigation, the client recovered the remaining €19,139.53 from the carrier.
Successfully represented passengers (consumers) in a dispute against one of Europe’s largest airlines, securing compensation for canceled flights, reimbursement for significant delays, and damages for material and non-material losses (dispute value: €5,023.55). The case was resolved through a settlement favorable to the clients.
Drafted procedural documents and, together with colleagues, successfully represented a transport company in an employment dispute against a former employee over unpaid wages. The former employee's claim for unpaid wages was rejected. The employment case ended with the company proving that the damage was caused by the actions of the former employee and therefore the deductions from the wages due were justified.

Drafted procedural documents and, together with colleagues, successfully represented an accounting firm in a legal dispute concerning a EUR 11,514.42 debt for financial accounting services rendered. The action was fully satisfied.
Prepared transport and logistics companies' operational and organizational documents (e.g., protocols for identifying cargo damage/shortages, descriptions of cargo transfer procedures to carriers, acceptance of delivered cargo from carriers and descriptions of identified cargo damage or shortages and formalization procedures, descriptions of contract creation, signing, and execution procedures, daily allowance payment procedures, drivers' official regulations, etc.).
Assisted an Israeli citizen in identifying individuals who fraudulently lured 16,320.00 Euros of our client's funds through the Booking.com platform.
Prepared procedural documents and successfully represented a Lithuanian logistics company in a legal dispute regarding a 5,591.96 Euros debt for the granted services of goods storage, securing a court decision in favour of the company.
Provided consultation and, along with colleagues, represented a foreign transport company in a pre-trial dispute concerning 3,600.00 Euros, where the freight forwarder in Lithuania included unjustified cargo damage losses in a counterclaim. The Client's debt of 3,600.00 Euros was fully paid.
Provided consultation and, together with colleagues, represented a Lithuanian transport company in a pre-trial dispute regarding damages of 22,732.41 Euros incurred due to the sender's failure to fulfil the obligation to provide our client, the carrier, with comprehensive information about the true nature of the transported cargo. The dispute concluded favourably for the Client with a settlement agreement.
Prepared procedural documents and successfully represented the Client in resolving a dispute in court where the debtor unjustly invoked the European Union International Sanctions regime to evade fulfilling the existing obligation. The Client's debt of 15,418.85 Euros was fully paid.

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