The Legal 500

Work Department

International Arbitration; Corporate and Commercial; Mergers, Acquisitions and Privatisations; Regulatory Legal Services.

Position

Levana Zigmund is partner at Ţuca Zbârcea & Asociaţii. She practices in the areas of public international arbitration/dispute resolution, corporate law, as well as mergers, acquisitions and privatizations. She is one of only a handful public international arbitration lawyers in Romania, having been involved in major international arbitration cases brought against Romania to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes – ICSID. Furthermore, she was part of the team representing the Romanian Government in no less than three ICSID international arbitration files. Her expertise also encompasses arbitration under the leading institution rules, including under the UNCITRAL Rules or the International Chamber of Commerce. She has acted in complex commercial, real estate, fiscal and administrative disputes. Levana Zigmund has represented public and private companies in joint-ventures, corporate governance matters, corporate and commercial transactions, business transfer projects, cross-border investments as well as shipping and transport projects.

Career

Levana Zigmund`s experience includes participation in some of the major public international law arbitration cases in which Romania was part. As such, she was part of the team of lawyers having successfully defended the Romanian Government in the only three such ICSID arbitration cases in which an award was rendered. Amongst the most important mandates in which Levana Zigmund was involved are: member of the legal team retained by the Government of Romania to ensure the defense of Romania in the public international law arbitration brought by Noble Ventures, an American investor, to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes with the World Bank, Washington DC, in relation to the performance of the privatization contract and alleged breaches of the obligations undertaken by Romania in its Bilateral Investment Treaty entered with the United States of America; lead legal advisor retained by the Government of Romania in a complex ICSID international arbitration initiated against Romania by EDF Services LTD claiming over USD 100,000,000; lead legal advisor retained by the Government of Romania in an ICSID arbitration case with S&T Oil Equipment & Machinery; lead legal advisor to Grup Servicii Petroliere in an international arbitration before ICC Paris in connection with drilling services agreements; lead legal advisor retained by Deutsche Bank providers, based in Germany in connection with the acquisition/privatization of Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR), the largest Romanian bank. She also offered legal assistance to the Ministry of Justice in the elaboration of the project to amend the Romanian Commercial Company Law No. 31/1990 with a view to, inter alia, accommodate corporate governance principles and introduce the two-tier management structure (directors’ committee and surveillance council). Furthermore, she was part of the legal team assisting the Romanian Ministry of Justice in relation to the project “Technical Assistance for the Preparation of the enforcement of the New Civil Code, Criminal Code, Civil Procedure Code and Criminal Procedure Code”, by conducting an assessment from institutional, human resources, fiscal and economic perspectives.

Languages

English.

Member

Bucharest Bar Association.

Education

University of Bucharest (LL.B., 1998).