Boyanov & Co. > Sofia, Bulgaria > Firm Profile

Boyanov & Co. > The Legal 500 Rankings

Bulgaria > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 1

The banking and finance team at Boyanov & Co. is especially well versed in handling financial transactions including bilateral bank loans, syndicated loans, corporate and public bond issues and M&A transactions. The firm has established strong relationships with Bulgarian and international financial institutions and corporate borrowers and has particularly strong relationships with key banks in Bulgaria, where they act as in-house legal counsel. Damian Simeonov heads the practice and has a strong track record of assisting with large financing transactions, and the team is further strengthened by Ralitsa Nedkova and Georgi Drenski.

Bulgaria > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

Transactional work is at the heart of the corporate, commercial and M&A practice group at Boyanov & Co., where the team is regularly mandated on high-value cross-border acquisitions. The team also advises its clients on corporate restructuring, greenfield investment projects and the related due diligence procedures, across a number of sectors including banking and finance, telecommunication and energy. Yordan Naydenov and Raina Dimitrova are co-practice heads, with the former focusing on the corporate and M&A work, while the latter is specializes in broad commercial advice. Other key team members include founding partner Borislav Boyanov whose expertise spans large scale M&A projects and advising investors on their entry to the Bulgarian market, while Alexander Chatalbashev focuses on corporate advice in the energy sector.

Bulgaria > Dispute resolution Tier 1

Major Bulgarian banks, aviation companies and energy, real estate and construction companies regularly turn to Boyanov & Co. in litigation cases, for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) advice and in international arbitration proceedings, where they have appeared before the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Supreme Administrative Court. Kina Chuturkova heads up the dispute resolution practice and is highly regarded for her knowledge of civil litigation, IP rights and arbitration proceedings, as well as her time serving as a Supreme Court judge. She is supported in the team by experienced litigator and employment law expert Radoslav Alexandrov and Boyko Voynov who specialises in litigation and ADR.

Bulgaria > Energy and natural resources Tier 1

The energy and natural resources department at Boyanov & Co. is noted for its capabilities in large renewable energy transactions and their financing, as well as regulatory matters and more recently advice on nuclear power projects. The firm excels across these mandates due to a multidisciplinary approach, wherein the firm draws on expertise across the finance, M&A and real estate practices. Alexander Chatalbashev is reputed for his ‘wide ranging experience and solid understanding of the Energy sector’ which covers M&A, regulatory and litigation matters. Nickolay Nickolov and Damian Simeonov also advise on the energy-related real estate and construction, and financing matters respectively.

Bulgaria > EU and competition Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. handles the full spectrum of competition law matters, ranging across merger clearance processes, cartels and unfair competition where the team frequently appears before the competition authority and the courts. It also assists clients with dawn raids and compliance advice. The firm’s impressive work portfolio recently included obtaining merger clearance for the acquisition BNP Paribas Personal Finance on the behalf of Eurobank, a high-profile matter in the consumer credit and personal finance area. The highly rated Peter Petrov leads the practice, which is further enhanced by litigator Kina Chuturkova and Dr. Nikolay Kolev  who combines corporate and competition expertise. Junior team member Adriana Bakalova is also noted.

Bulgaria > Healthcare and life sciences Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. is well regarded in the healthcare and life sciences space for its stellar client roster of pharmaceutical manufacturers, generics companies and pharmacies. The firm has extensive experience relating to Bulgarian and EU regulations in the pharma sector and is therefore well placed to advise on a broad range of market access issues, intellectual property protection and trade mark registration, patent litigation and commercial disputes regarding the sale of medicines and pharmaceutical price regulation matters. Dispute resolution expert Kina Chuturkova represents pharmaceutical clients in litigation and international arbitration proceedings, while Peter Petrov uses his regulatory and EU law expertise when advising landmark clients such as Pfizer, Merck and AbbVie on an ongoing basis. Nedyalka Novakova further strengthens the team's offering.

Bulgaria > Intellectual property Tier 1

The highly regarded intellectual property department at Boyanov & Co. is engaged by domestic and foreign clients from the technology, pharma, banking and finance, and food and beverages sectors. The firm offers a comprehensive range of IP services, including representing clients in alternative dispute resolution and litigation proceedings relating to the infringement of trade marks, patents, copyright and industrial designs, and in transactions related to IP agreements, IP licensing and the transfer of copyright. Practice head Stela Sabeva has extensive experience across a host of IP matters and leads on various patent prosecution cases for pharma clients. Other key practitioners in the practice area are expert litigator Kina Chuturkova and Marina Mollova, who covers a range of IP issues across the consumer goods, life sciences, industrial products and entertainment industries.

Bulgaria > Real estate and construction Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. stands out for its extensive experience of advising on major projects in the real estate and construction sector, where the team follows a multidisciplinary approach to cover all M&A, energy regulatory, financing and real estate aspects of the projects. Among the firm's impressive work highlights are advising on the acquisitions of shopping malls, the construction of large hotels, the acquisition and financing of office buildings, the construction of renewable energy projects and the development of residential property on greenfield areas. The team is led by property lawyer Nickolay Nickolov, who is well versed in the construction of renewable energy projects, lease agreements, ownership issues and acquisitions, and is supported on projects by Svetlana Tzvetkova.

Bulgaria > TMT Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. has a stellar client roster of telecoms service providers, cable operators, and TV and radio stations, as well as international tech companies, including names such as Meta and Apple. The firm is sought out by clients for support with financing large M&A transactions as well as the rolling-out of innovative technologies and services on the Bulgarian market. Further fields of focus for the practice are fintech, cybersecurity, data protection, AI and recently matters at the intersection of telecoms, technology and the automotive sector. Practice head Nikolay Zisov has various specialisms in this sector, including in IP, software licensing, cloud computing projects, fintech and cybersecurity matters. Ralitsa Nedkova provides support with various M&A and financing mandates in this space.

Bulgaria > Transport (including shipping) Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. advises across all aspects of the transport sector, with a high level of experience and knowledge in the air transport sphere, where the firm has recently been involved in aircraft leasing and acquisitions, and registration and deregistration issues. Other areas of expertise include the regulatory side of railway and road transport infrastructure projects, as well as public procurement procedures and the modernisation of infrastructure. Raina Dimitrova leads the practice group and has extensive experience in transport-related corporate and commercial matters and aircraft finance transactions. Trayan Targov provides key support.

Bulgaria > Projects and PPP Tier 2

The multidisciplinary approach of Boyanov & Co.‘s projects and PPP unit draws on expertise from the energy and natural resources, real estate and construction, M&A and banking and finance departments to advise on foreign investment projects and transactions, major privatisations, infrastructure projects, public procurement and concession agreements. The team has recently been involved in green energy projects, a natural gas pipeline project and various acquisitions involving real estate and telecoms assets. The practice is led by Alexander Chatalbashev, Nickolay Nickolov, Yordan Naydenov and Damian Simeonov.