Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal, recognized again by Legal 500 rankings as a leading law firm for nine practice areas

Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal has been recognized once again as a top law firm by the independent international publication Legal 500 in nine practice areas, namely real estate and construction, banking and finance, commercial, corporate and M&A, employment, tax, dispute resolution, EU and competition, PPP and procurement and TMT. The ranking analysing the capabilities of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions based on feedback from 300,000 in-house lawyers, on information submitted by law firms and on interviews with leading lawyers.

Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal’s Real Estate and Construction practice has been confirmed as Tier 1 for the fifth year in a row. The “very professional team” offers their domestic and international clients full service and is extremely active in transactions as well as in development projects. Irina Dimitriu, Partner and leader of the practice, who is described by clients as “a top notch lawyer with great negotiating and technical skills”, continues to be acknowledged as a Legal 500 Leading Individual. Senior Managing Associates Simona Iacob and Larisa Popoviciu are also mentioned among the individually recognized lawyers.

The Banking and Finance team is praised for its “very good industry and market knowledge (both in Romania as well as at EU level) and its experience in financings, loan portfolio deals, financial sector M&A, regulatory matters, fintech and payments services. Andrei Burz-Pinzaru, Partner and practice head, is considered an “excellent professional, offering solutions even to the most complicated issues”, and Andreea Serban, Senior Managing Associate, is mentioned among the Legal 500 Rising Stars.

The Commercial, Corporate and M&A practice provides a “great experience” for clients who appreciate “the ethic they display when interacting with clients, with counterparts” and the overall positive impact across all corporate and M&A issues. The team is recommended as very experienced in assisting companies and private equity funds and for having worked on major deals in transportation, manufacturing, retail and IT. They also assist in major and complex group reorganisations and corporate governance projects, the clients finding high value in the coordinated inter-disciplinary activity of Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal as a unique provider of this service for Corporate M&A. Georgiana Singurel, Partner and practice head, is praised for her personalised service, while Diana Fejer, Senior Managing Associate, is recommended as a key lawyer.

Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal’s Employment law team is recognized by Legal 500 for its ability to provide a strong support on domestic and cross-border employment issues, proactive approach and high standard of professional knowledge and reliability. The practice is also experienced in collective bargaining negotiations with unions, redundancy procedures, international employment strategies and transactional-related integrations and reorganisations. Florentina Munteanu, Partner and practice head, is acknowledged for her broad experience, and Gabriela Ilie, Senior Managing Associate, is recommended as a Legal 500 Rising Star and a key lawyer.

The firm’s Tax Controversy practice, which was recently involved in high-profile cases for major energy and financial services companies, is recognized as a “strong Tax practice” and is recommended for its international credentials enhanced by its membership of Deloitte, for its experience in direct and indirect tax claims, as well as in transfer pricing, customs, environmental and claw-back taxes. The practice head is Mihnea Galgotiu-Sararu, Partner. Bogdan Marculet, Senior Managing Associate, is recognised for his “vast experience” and recommended among the Legal 500 Rising Stars and key lawyers in this area, while Laura Epure (Spiridon), Senior Associate, is mentioned among the individually recognized lawyers.

Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal’s Commercial and Administrative Dispute Resolution practice’s growing reputation is acknowledged by a promotion to Tier 3. The team is recognised as being “large and experienced”, but also noted for its multidisciplinary approach, based on its “close collaboration of other departments from the law firm or Deloitte”. The clients also note the team’s capacity to handle a wide range of dispute types, including international arbitration and administrative litigation, as well as competition litigation and broader commercial claims such as joint venture disagreements and shareholder disputes. Mihnea Galgotiu-Sararu, Partner and practice head, is praised by clients for its focus on their strategy and commercial objectives and for his vast experience, while Managing Associates Alina Stan and Ana Galgotiu-Sararu are among the individually recognized lawyers for their contribution that brought the finest results in the clients’ high-stake cases.

The EU and Competition practice of the firm represents clients in heavily regulated industries such as life sciences and financial services and is praised for its “highly professional attitude and great collaboration skills” and notable successes in the past year. The team also provides support on strategic measures, including merger clearance procedures for corporate transactions or advise on internal compliance and distribution agreements. Florentina Munteanu, Partner and practice head, has almost 20 years of experience in the field, while Andrea Grigoras, Senior Managing Associate, is recommended as a key lawyer.

The firm’s PPP and Procurement team has a diverse experience in public projects and procurement procedures and works both with traditional private sector players and construction companies, as well as with multilateral agencies, such as the World Bank, and NGOs, such as Dăruiește Viață Association. The practice works on key projects in healthcare, oil and gas and other utilities. Georgiana Singurel, Partner, leads the team.

The TMT practice is considered by the clients as “very talented, dedicated and focused to provide the best solutions” and is recognized for its work on financial institutions on digitization projects, including regulatory advice and assistance on e-commerce, compliance and data privacy. Notably, the clients particularly appreciate “the broader offering that goes beyond legal and comes with being part of the Deloitte network” as well as the legal knowledge, professional approach, continuous feedback and support on the projects. Georgiana Singurel, Partner, leads the practice, which also advises high profile retailers, telecoms and energy companies on related issues, while Silvia Axinescu, Senior Managing Associate, is singled out as an individually recognized lawyer for “her proactive attitude and ability to interact and transmit the key legal messages”.

Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal is recognized as a leading law firm in Romania for the quality of services and ability to deliver solutions on complex legal matters. The areas of practice include banking and finance, competition law, employment law, energy and environment law, insolvency law, legal management consulting, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, public sector, real estate. The firm represents in Romania Deloitte Legal, a global network with more than 2,500 lawyers in 80 countries.