Romania > Real estate and construction > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen is reputed for its ‘excellent knowledge of real estate and construction’ and ‘significant longstanding experience in the market’. The three-partner team, headed by Ioana Niculeasa, covers the full spectrum of real estate projects. Recent work highlights include advising Bluerose RO Corporation on selling a land plot totalling 16,000sqm and assisting AFI Europe with the due diligence, negotiation and €23m acquisition of land in Bucharest. The ‘professional’ and ‘commercial’ Vlad Tanase is a name to note, as is recently promoted partner Lavinia Ioniță-Rasmussen, who ‘stands out for her professionalism’.

Transactions, construction contracts, developments, project management and high-end leases are particular strengths for PeliFilip. The team recently assisted a local Romanian developer with the sale of three office buildings in Bucharest comprising a gross leasable area of over 100,000sqm. Also on the transaction front, practice head Oana Badarau advised Skanska on the sale of an office building in the Campus 6 office complex as well as on the development and leasing of future office projects in Bucharest. Recently promoted partner Ioana Roman is recommended alongside transaction specialist Francisc Peli.

Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii fields a ‘very responsive’ team whose ‘quality of advice is to the point’. Bogdan C. Stoica assists Immochan with Immochan Coresi Park Brasov, a €700m mixed-use real estate development project and urban regeneration programme. Another instruction in the development space came from Auchan and One United in relation to Bucharest's 125,000sqm One Floreasca City project involving an office tower, residential units and a shopping mall. The practice attracts a diversified caseload and, in addition to developments, regularly handles acquisitions, investments, asset management, and property disputes. Florian Niţu and Valentin Creața are the other names to note.

The ‘excellent professionals’ at Reff & Associates SCA are ‘flexible, equitable and innovative in identifying solutions’. Practice head Irina Dimitriu and Alexandru Reff, who ‘stands out through his care for clients and commercial approach', advised IKEA on general contractor agreements for its new 67,065sqm store. The duo also acted for MAS Real Estate on the €95m acquisition, by way of a share deal, of the Militari shopping centre. The team covers a broad range of matters and is active in the office, retail, residential, logistics and agribusiness sectors.

Ţuca Zbârcea & Asociaţii's client roster includes real estate developers, institutional and energy-sector investors, construction and infrastructure companies, public authorities and retailers. It assisted Speedwell with the acquisition of two plots of land, totalling 12,000sqm and 50,000sqm respectively. In another highlight, it carried out the due diligence on 500 locations in Romania on behalf of Vodafone in view of its acquisition of Liberty Global. Razvan Gheorghiu-Testa, Dan Borbely, Amalia Dumitru and Dragos Apostol are the names to note.

Biriş Goran SPARL hosts a ‘very professional team’, praised for its ‘experience in the field of real estate and construction’. Daniela Lazea heads the practice with Raluca Nastase and recently assisted One United Properties with its €16.8m acquisition of the North Gate office complex in Bucharest. The ‘impressive’, ‘polite and efficient’ Sorin Aungurenci acted for Hagag Development Europe on the acquisition of a six-hectare piece of land scheduled for a residential project.

Perry V. Zizzi and Bogdan Papandopol jointly head the team at Dentons. Zizzi specialises in real estate investment, financing, acquisitions and leasing matters, and Papandopol focuses on transactions. The pair advised Banca Comercială Română on amendments to the existing financing of CTP’s acquisition of a logistic properties portfolio and also acted for METRO Cash & Carry on a property sale and lease to a high-profile retailer.

DLA Piper Dinu SCA's team of 'experts' provides ‘a great client experience’. It handles the full range of real estate work and is particularly strong on transactions. Notable highlights include rendering ongoing advice to Nova Imobiliare, operator of the Colosseum retail park, including lease agreements and tenant notices. On the transaction front, practice head Alin Buftea assisted Rimo with its acquisition of several hundred hectares of agricultural land. Counsel Florin Tineghe is a key member of the team.

Eversheds Lina & Guia (a member of Eversheds Sutherland)'s ‘professional team’ ‘puts the client first’. ‘Very good real estate lawyer’ Cristian Guia represented Microsoft in negotiations with various Bucharest and Timișoara landlords for new office leases. Marks & Spencer is another high-profile client and received advice on exiting the Romanian market. Additional work highlights included real estate litigation, finance and construction matters. Senior associate Luiza Petrescu is highly rated.

Kinstellar's team adopts ‘an all-round, comprehensive approach in dealing with law matters’. Victor Constantinescu leads the practice, which excels in handling asset management and lease matters, transactions, as well as work in the agriculture and logistics sectors. Notable instructions included advising an Irish international property development company on the sale of a retail centre in Brașov and acting for Atrium in the €95m sale of its Militari shopping centre to South Africa-based MAS. Razvan Popa is an integral member of the team and possesses ‘vast experience in real estate matters’.

Praised for its ‘know-how in the field of real estate and construction’, Schoenherr şi Asociaţii SCA’s team of ‘extremely professional lawyers’ is well regarded for advice on transactions, developments, constriction agreements, on agriculture and forestry-sector matters, as well as litigation and arbitration. A notable instruction on the acquisition front came from Bosch Group in relation to a 7,000sqm plot of land in the centre of Cluj-Napoca. Riso Scotti received advice on the restructuring and sale of a real estate portfolio of approximately 3,500 agricultural land plots. The four-partner practice is jointly lead by Sebastian Gutiu, Simona Chirica, Oana Constantinescu and Eva Hegedüs-Brown.

Voicu & Filipescu SCA's practice is led by the ‘intelligent, competent and diligent’ Roxana Adina Negutu. Her team handles a wide range of matters including developments, leasing, sale and purchase negotiations, disputes and due diligence investigations.

Albotă Law Firm is praised for its ‘expertise regarding leasing contracts, acquisition of new sites, dispute resolution and real estate development’. The real estate and construction boutique is headed by Oana Albota, who is ‘one of the most prominent business lawyers in the practice area of real estate’. She advised Atenor Group on the Dacia One project development, consisting of a 12,500sqm class A office building in Calea Victoriei.

Bondoc si Asociatii SCA's team has been bolstered by Cosmin Stavaru joining from Bulboaca & Asociatii. He brings experience in handling acquisitions, financing, developments and construction work, representing Martifer in a construction contract dispute. Mihaela Bondoc heads the practice alongside Stavaru.

CMS possesses ‘detailed local knowledge’ and ‘great attention to detail’. The team is active in the retail, office, hotel, agriculture and forestry sectors. Practice head Roxana Fratila formed part of a team advising Orbis and AccorHotels on their acquisition of the Mercure Bucharest Unirii hotel. Footwear manufacturer CCC instructed the team in its acquisition of a franchised business owning 56 footwear stores throughout Romania.

Muşat & Asociaţii's ‘response times and technical abilities’ are ‘exceptional’. Practice head Monia Dobrescu is experienced in representing landlords, tenants, lenders and developers and recently advised Novares on its development of a new Romania-based facility. Senior associate Anca Simeria is ‘indefatigable’ and the overall team is praised for its ‘willingness to embrace commercial lateral thinking’.

Noerr's team, headed by Roxana Dudau, is ‘courteous, prompt and professional’. It advised Immochan Imobiliare on its acquisition, via share deal, of the Coresi business park. The practice specialises in a wide range of real estate matters including leasing, construction issues and greenfield investments.

Recent highlights for Alexandru Retevoescu’s team at RTPR Allen & Overy (Radu Tărăcilă Pădurari Retevoescu SCA in association with Allen & Overy LLP) include a number of leasing, litigation and financing matters. It advised Regus on leases with five different developers and represented Midtown Retail before the High Court of Cassation and Justice in relation to a restitution claim at a supermarket site.

Key areas of work for Wolf Theiss include transactions, construction and development, leasing, asset management, finance and dispute resolution. Practice head Ciprian Glodeanu advised Revetas Capital on its acquisition of a 86,000sqm Bucharest hotel. The group also assisted Peek & Cloppenburg with three lease agreement negotiations for retail space at the Iulius shopping mall in Timișoara.

bpv Grigorescu Ştefănică is particularly experienced in M&A transactions with real estate components. Practice head Anca Albulescu advised CTP Invest on its acquisition of real estate company Centura Property. A notable instruction on the leasing front came from Zitec in relation to the lease agreement at its new headquarters in Bucharest's city centre. Real estate litigation is another core strength.

At Bulboaca & Asociatii, 'sharp' senior associate Gianina Gavanescu ‘provides prompt and effective advice’. She recently joined from PeliFilip and serves as practice head following Cosmin Stavaru's departure to Bondoc si Asociatii SCA. The team assisted Kredyt Inkaso with acquiring a shopping mall from one of its debtors.

CEE Attorneys' team is ‘very professional and knows perfectly how to approach each case’, utilising its ‘good knowledge of the local legal and business environment’. Practice head Sergiu Gidei advises Olympian Group on a wide range of matters pertaining to the development and operation of a 120,000sqm industrial warehouse.

Nadia Badea’s team at Clifford Chance Badea excels in real estate-related financing and M&A projects. A noteworthy instruction came from China Investment Corporation in relation to its acquisition of Logicor, owner of 630 warehouses and logistics assets across 17 European jurisdictions.

Dragne & Asociaţii SCA is ‘well connected, businesslike, responsive and available’. Ioana Oprea is a ‘skilled litigator’ and heads the practice jointly with Delia Bosman and Andreia Dumitrescu. The recent workload features construction projects, disputes and lease extension matters.

Drakopoulos' core strengths include acquisitions, leasing, portfolio management, project development and financing. Adrian Roseti is the name to note and is acting on the Green Lake Residences project on behalf of client Green Lake Development; the team is handling all aspects of the high-value residential development in Bucharest.

Laurentiu, Laurentiu & Asociatii hosts ‘a professional team of smart, intuitive, creative and reliable lawyers’. The group assisted Soimeni Parc with a development project of approximately 600 houses in the Colina Nouă area. In addition to project management and developments, it also specialises in transactions, investments and financing. Practice head Ioana-Romana Laurentiu is an ‘intelligent lawyer with strong legal knowledge’.

Alexandra  Rîmbu and Dana Rădulescu head the practice at Maravela & Asociatii, which is recommended for transactions, developments and disputes. Highlights from the recent caseload include assisting a German medical and pharmaceutical device company with the cross-border acquisition of several dialysis centres and advising Betty Ice on the real estate considerations of its acquisition by Unilever.

Pavel, Margarit & Associates Romanian Law Firm's team features ‘exceptional lawyers’, who are ‘very knowledgeable and provide helpful recommendations’. ‘Client-friendly' practice head Radu-Catalin Pavel is a ‘very practical business lawyer’ and ‘regularly engaged in complex real estate transactions’. Other areas of expertise include real estate financing and construction projects.

Recent work highlights for POP & PARTNERS include advising China General Nuclear Power Group on the development and construction of units three and four of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant and acting for P3 in relation to the construction and leasing of an 80,000sqm logistics park. Claudiu Pop heads the team, which regularly advises on transactions, joint ventures, property management and financing matters.

The ‘professional’ team at STALFORT Legal. Tax. Audit. is praised for its ‘knowledge, business understanding’ and ‘high level of transparency’. Recent work highlights include advising Continental on the acquisition of the former UMT-Prompt industrial platform in Timiș county. The matter was led by joint practice heads Oana Somesan and Andrada Harangus; the latter is noted for her ‘analytical thinking’ and ‘strong judgment’.

Stratulat Albulescu Attorneys at Law grew its team through Corneliu Popa joining from TMO Attorneys at Law in association with KPMG Romania. He now heads the practice jointly with Silviu Stratulat, who is praised for his ‘huge professionalism, involvement and deep understanding of clients' needs’. The team is noted for its ‘deep real estate knowledge’ and assisted First Property Group with its acquisition of the Maestro Business Centre office building in Cluj-Napoca.

‘Impressive lawyer and consultant’ Iulia Vass heads the ‘proactive and result-oriented’ team at VASS Lawyers. Areas of focus for the group include real estate-related public procurement, litigation, and the conclusion, performance or termination of construction and rental agreements.

Zamfirescu Racoţi & Partners possesses experience in handling transactions, developments, litigation and due diligence on titles. Practice head Anca Danilescu assisted Kika Mobilier and Immokik with the acquisition of various plots of land. She also advised Jantzen Group on the necessary farm lease agreements for the operation of its agriculture business.