The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Bulgaria > TMT

Boyanov & Co. counts telecoms companies, cable operators, TV and radio stations, and technology businesses as clients, which it advises on a range of telecoms and media regulatory matters. Clients single out the group for its 'exceptional knowledge and experience in the field' and 'prompt and high-quality services, which clearly demonstrate the lawyers' expertise'. Practice head Damian Simeonov and Nikolay Zisov focus on transactional work; Simeonov advised Société Générale as lender on PPF's €2.8bn acquisition of Telenors business in multiple CEE countries. Vivacom, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft Bulgaria and Samsung are also clients.

The 'responsive and business savvy' team at Dimitrov, Petrov & Co is 'unique in its devotion to its clients' interests and determination to find the best possible solution' with 'laser-focused advice and in-depth knowledge'. The TMT practice is divided into distinct groups, including the telecoms and media, information and communications technology, and privacy and data protection teams. Hristo Nihrizov, Prof Dr George Dimitrov and Desislava Krusteva lead the groups respectively; Nihrizov 'stands out for his professional approach and constant dedication to perfection', and Krusteva 'has unparalleled knowledge of e-identity, privacy and personal data law'. Key clients include Google and ContourGlobal; the team advised the latter on its GDPR compliance.

Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov has 'an ideal combination of technical and legal understanding' and is 'well connected in the Bulgarian market while also clearly understanding how global companies work'. Violetta Kunze heads up the telecoms and media practice group and Youliana Naoumova leads the data protection team; other key names include Omourtag Petkov, Kalina Tchakarova and senior associate Milka Ivanova, who is 'willing to think outside the box'. Kunze recently advised PPF on its acquisition of Telenor Bulgaria and also assisted Google with the regulatory and licensing requirements related to its technical infrastructure. Other clients include Amazon UK Services, Booking.com, Facebook and Spotify.

Wolf Theiss' 'responsive and easy-to-understand' team provides 'consistently reliable advice' to telecoms clients, which it acts for on cross-border mandates. Recent highlights include advising Mezzanine Management, Darby Private Equity and Tennenbaum Capital as minority investors in Vivacom on its sale to VTB Capital; and assisting FactSet with its acquisition of Bisam Technologies. Richard Clegg and Anna Rizova jointly lead the group; Clegg regularly handles the financing and development of telecoms and technology acquisitions, and Rizova focuses on M&A work.

At CMS, senior associate Veliko Savov heads up the TMT group, while senior associate Anna Tanova leads the IT and media practice; Tanova joined in 2018 from an in-house position. Savov focuses on corporate and commercial matters and also has experience in regulatory and compliance issues. Senior associate Nevena Radlova is also a key name to note and specialises in competition and merger clearance work. The department's client roster include PPF, IBM Bulgaria, HP and Siemens.

Georgiev, Todorov & Co handles the full range of issues in the telecoms industry alongside notable expertise in broadcasting, media and technology work. The group provides ‘an excellent level of service, accurate responses and exceptional knowledge' and is jointly lead by Ivan Todorov and Alexander Pachamanov; clients praise Pachamanov for his ‘deep understanding of competition law and regulatory legislation in the field’. Key clients include GPS Bulgaria and Vivacom; the group represented the latter before the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition in abuse of dominance proceedings.

The 'very thorough' team at Jordanov, Ignatov, Ivanov Law Firm is 'devoted to its work and able to cope under pressure while providing tailored business solutions in a professional manner'. Clients single out group head Rumen Ignatov and associate Nikolay Ignatov as 'first-class lawyers' with 'in-depth sector knowledge'. The team's recent work includes advising Turk Telekom on commercial contracts, fibre optic route leasings and network expansion issues; and assisting Transmetrics with its fund raising, licensing agreements and shareholder agreements.

Kambourov & Partners' team of 'fast-paced professionals' has 'excellent comparative analysis skills and a flexible approach', and regularly acts for clients in the technology, telecoms, big data, media and financial sectors; examples include Broadcom, Kaufland and Netflix. The group also recently advised Net Info on the implementation of its GDPR programme, and assisted Vodafone Global Enterprise with its launch in Bulgaria. Mitko Karushkov heads up the department, and associate Mario Arabistanov 'thinks outside the box while concentrating on the result'.

At Schoenherr (in cooperation with Stoyanov & Tsekova), team co-head Ilko Stoyanov handles M&A and restructurings for investment funds and international corporations, fellow co-head Stefana Tsekova is a key name for GDPR implementation projects, Katerina Kaloyanova focuses on transactional work, and Radoslav Chemshirov specialises in regulatory issues and media law. In a recent highlight, the group advised Telenor on the sale of its Bulgarian subsidiary to PPF.

Dessislava Fessenko leads the department at Kinstellar, which recently advised Micro Focus on the Bulgarian aspects of its acquisition of the software business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, assisted International Hotel Licensing Company with its entrance into the Bulgarian market, and handled Deichmann's GDPR compliance work. KBC Bank, United Bulgarian Bank and Old Mutual Property are also clients.

With 'very good technical knowledge', Tsvetkova Bebov Komarevski provides 'consistently good advice' across transactional work and compliance issues. Recent mandates include assisting Falcon.io with its acquisition of Komfo and its Bulgarian subsidiary, and handling Telerik's internal restructuring. Venelin Dimitrov leads the group, which also includes senior associates Dimitar Grozdanov and Eleonora Mateina.

Velchev & Co. Law Office counts government authorities and private sector companies as clients; notable examples include New Games, National Lottery and M&BM Express. Pavel Velchev heads up the group, which also includes Parvan Rusinov and Nadya Hambach. In a recent highlight, Valchev and Rusinov represented A1 Bulgaria in separate tax and competition proceedings, and also assisted the client with issues relating to a television project.