The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Bulgaria > Transport (including shipping)

Andrey Delchev and Partners - Eurolex Bulgaria’s transport practice chiefly acts on behalf of the government, advising municipalities and ministries on port operations, railway and metro refurbishment and extension, and road infrastructure projects. The team is jointly lead by the ‘first-class’ Stoyan Barzakov and Magdalena Valova, who has extensive experience in drafting PPP arrangements and structuring public tender processes. Outside of government work, it assisted in Manchester Airport Group’s bid for the €3.9bn concession to operate Sofia Airport, and the European Railways consortium on the performance of its contractual obligations as the winning bidder of a tender to construct a section of railway.

Boyanov & Co.’s transport practice is particularly active in aviation and aviation finance. In recent years, the firm has worked on aircraft lease arrangements and extensions, securitisation of a leased aircraft portfolio, and organising the transactional aspects of aircraft sales. The team, led by Raina Dimitrova, assisted Fraport with its concession bid for Sofia Airport, and counts WizzAir among its clients.

Danailova, Todorov & Partners’ core focus is providing advice to municipalities, ministries and municipal transport operators on tender procedures, financing options, and issues pertinent to planned works and expansions. For consumers, the firm advised on producing the SkyRefund platform, which assists customers in claiming refunds and compensation in the event of cancelled and delayed flights. Kaloyan Todorov  and Maria Danailova, joint practice heads, have expertise in public service contracts and public private partnerships, with experience drafting tender offers, structuring agreements with subcontractors, and evaluating bids.

Georgiev, Todorov & Co handles complex disputes for clients in the transport sector, including port operators, municipal transport authorities and engineering and construction firms engaged in infrastructure projects, and shipping and logistics firms concerning loss of or damage to cargo. The team is led by Ivan Todorov and Alexander Pachamanov, who acts for transport clients on regulatory, commercial, and competition law matters. Tsvetelina Dimitrova is a key contact, known for her ‘precision and detailed knowledge of EU law’, she acts for clients in aviation, urban transit, and railway construction.

Kambourov & Partners’ extensive transport practice counts engineering and construction firms, car manufacturers, bus fleet operators, airlines, and fee-collection subcontractors among its clients. It advises on M&A deals in the transport sector, tender participation, and ongoing contractual advice for winning bidders of infrastructural project tenders. The practice is jointly led by Stefan Tzakov and Atanas Shopov, both experts in public procurement, who have advised several winning bidders of concessions to build or operate major transport and shipping hubs.

Dimitrov, Petrov & Co’s transport practice acts for domestic and international freight and shipping services. The team drafts contracts, prepares consignment notices, and ensures compliance with environmental regulations. The firm also advises logistics clients on employment issues and assists with debt collection. Another key focus is transport infrastructure; the team advised Manchester Airport Group on its participation in the bid to operate Sofia Airport, and acted for the airport in abuse of dominance proceedings before the CPC. Practice head Donka Stoyanova focuses on air transport and airport operations and services, while associate Tsvetelina Georgieva acts in disputes.

Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov’s wide-ranging practice handles major infrastructural projects, advising participants in high-value public tender procedures for railway, airport, and road construction projects. On the transport services side, the firm’s client base includes vehicle manufacturers, airline operators, and shipping firms. It is also highly experienced in competition compliance, environmental regulation, litigation, contract amendment, distribution agreements, and financing. Zdravka Ugrinova and Milan Pandev jointly lead the team; they also head the firm’s corporate practice, and the energy practice, respectively.

Kinkin & Partners focus on maritime shipping and transport, advising on marine insurance, shipping finance, preparation of contracts of carriage, licence acquisitions for cargo transfer, and cross-border transport regulation. The firm is particularly experienced in contentious matters arising from breach of contract, ships arrest and cargo retention. Vladimir Kinkin leads the team, with Nikolay Radev advising on tax and insurance aspects.