Reff & Associates SCA > Bucharest, Romania > Firm Profile

Reff & Associates SCA Offices

Reff & Associates SCA
THE MARK TOWER,
82-98 CALEA GRIVITEI,
DISTRICT 1, 010735
Romania
Visit website 40 21 222 1661 40 21 222 1660

Reff & Associates SCA > The Legal 500 Rankings

Romania > Real estate and construction Tier 1

The real estate offering from Reff & Associates SCA provides comprehensive sell-side and buy-side transactional assistance, leveraging its global reach as a part of Deloitte Legal to support major multinational clients. Its integrated urbanism and construction specialist team is involved in all phases of project development, and spearheads legislative change in the area. It is noted for its specialised compliance review support and regulatory expertise. Irina Dimitriu heads the team and has longstanding experience in both real estate consultancy and construction: the drafting and negotiating of FIDIC agreements stands out as a particular area of expertise. Simona Iacob and Larisa Popoviciu are also recommended.

Practice head(s):

Irina Dimitriu

Other key lawyers:

Simona Iacob; Larisa Popoviciu

Testimonials

‘Their strategic alliance with Deloitte and pan-European presence allow complex multijurisdictional projects to be addressed quickly and efficiently.’

‘ The team gives client-oriented, innovative advice.’

Key clients

Speedwell (Wellman BV)

MAS Real Estate

Alinso Group / Allianso Park Management

Studium Green

Knauf Insulation

Henkel Romania S.R.L

Veraltis Asset Management S.R.L.

African Industries Group

Prime Kapital

Expo Market Doraly

NEPI Rockcastle

IKEA Romania

Metav Business Park

adidas Romania SRL

Arcade Property

UE Furniture

Demetra Group

Atlas Corporation

Work highlights

  • Assisted Veraltis Asset Management with preparing, revising and negotiating a lease agreement for the new centralized headquarters for B2Kapital Group.
  • Provided legal assistance to NEPI Rockcastle in relation to the acquisition of 50% of the participation in Ploiesti Shopping City, from Carrefour group.
  • Assisted Studium Green with the sale of an office building located in the Northern part of Bucharest, part of the client’s extended real estate portfolio.

Romania > Tax Tier 1

‘No matter the issue, Reff & Associates SCA always provide the best and most specialised advice.’ Working as part of the Deloitte legal network, the firm regularly collaborates with tax experts internationally, and advises on numerous market-leading matters. Team head Alex Slujitoru joined the firm in February 2023 from Bancila, Diaconu si Asociatii SPRL, and has experience representing clients in both Romanian and wider European courts and institutions. Mihnea Galgoţiu-Săraru heads the firm’s dispute resolution team, and Bogdan Marculet specialises in complex fiscal litigation cases. Emanuel Bondalici is also recommended.

Practice head(s):

Alex Slujitoru

Other key lawyers:

Emanuel Bondalici; Bogdan Marculet; Mihnea Galgoțiu-Săraru

Testimonials

‘No matter the issue, Reff & Associates always provide the best and most specialised advice. They make sure you are being provided important and relevant information in order to achieve the best outcome.’

‘The uniqueness of Reff & Associates comes from their prompt and proactive approach to all the legal & tax issues we are faced with. They are our go-to team when we want things done right and fast. They seem very knowledgeable, forward, and deeply connected with the latest legal updates.’

‘What we appreciate most is how they do not try to push litigations on us, as they try to reason with the authorities, rather than litigate on every minor aspect.’

‘The collaboration with the team was a very good one. The efficient communication was one of the most important factor of our good collaboration.’

‘I’ve mostly collaborated with Bogdan Marculet, who stands out through his professional way of organising the whole process.’

‘Emanuel Bondalici truly made a difference for us in an ongoing litigation matter with his clear communication and legal drafting skills.’

‘Alex Slujitoru is always available for discussions, has very good client relationships, sound knowledge on legal matters (particularly on special re-assessment mechanisms of final and irrevocable court decisions related to VAT cases), and relevant experience on VAT matters.’

‘Mihnea Galgoțiu-Săraru is a business-oriented solutions-finder.’

Key clients

Catena

BCR Bank and BCR Banca pentru Locuințe

Berlin Chemie A. Menarini

Enel Group

Deutsche Leasing România IFN SA

Ingka Investments

adidas Romania SRL

Leroy Merlin

Agroexpert / Izamar group

Work highlights

  • Assisting BCR Bank and BCR Banca pentru Locuințe in a series of lawsuits in connection with an unprecedented assessment of budgetary liabilities made by the Romanian Court of Accounts.
  • Assisting Berlin Chemie A. Menarini in a dispute against the Romanian tax authorities that have assessed additional VAT under the argument that the foreign company has a fixed establishment in Romania.
  • Assisting several entities from the ENEL Group of companies in a series of disputes against the Romanian tax authorities that assessed additional liabilities (VAT and CIT).

Romania > Banking and finance Tier 2

Reff & Associates SCA‘s banking and finance department is particularly active in the technology sector, and the team fields expertise in transactional matters, loan portfolio deals, financings, and banking-related M&A. Practice head Andrei Burz-Pinzaru stands out as ‘one of the best strategic minds in the legal environment in Romania'. Andreea Șerban has 'tremendous knowledge'; Patricia Enache is another recommended practitioner.

Practice head(s):

Andrei Burz-Pînzaru

Other key lawyers:

Andreea Șerban; Patricia Enache

Testimonials

‘The strategic alliance with Deloitte Romania and the European network provides solutions to the most complex multijurisdictional projects.’

‘Andrei Burz – one of the best strategic minds in the legal environment in Romania. Andreea Serban – top tier banking lawyer, very thorough and fearless negotiator.’

‘We have been working with Reff’s team for years. Main reason for this is their unrivalled capacity to deliver highly competent advisory services and support for all complex problems and projects the company is facing. They achieve this by having multiple specialized teams, which can seamlessly work together and provide the required inputs at the right moment.’

‘Several individuals stand out. Among them, I can mention Andrei Burz-Panzaru, which is arguably the best advisor on the market, with a unique commercial mindset and huge knowledge of the market. Then is Andreea Serban, who is our saviour when it comes to acquisition projects. She has tremendous knowledge, skills and stamina to manage, push and deliver the projects in very tight deadlines.’

‘In depth and up-to-date legal knowledge with sound commercial sense.’

‘Their in-depth understanding of the market and their willingness to go extra-mile and find solutions for their customer.’

‘Andrei Burz-Panzaru in particular was a revelation. He’s so good that I ended up recommending him to literally every single tech company that is trying to build an innovative business model.’

Key clients

Banca Comercială Română

ING Bank, Bucharest Branch

Bank of Cyprus Public Company Limited

BLIK Romania S.A. and Polski Standard Płatności Sp. Z o.o.

Public Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania (ADR)

CEC Bank S.A.

Banca Comerciala Intesa Sanpaolo Romania S.A.

Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. (PKO Bank Polski)

European Digital Exchange S.A.

MetaWealth Platform S.R.L.

Despec International S.A.

LeanPay LTD

Kredyt Inkaso Investments RO S.A.

Kruk Romania S.A.

Nordensa Football S.R.L.

Work highlights

  • Advised Bank of Cyprus and its subsidiaries on the disposal of all its assets and operations in Romania.
  • Advised Blik Romania on the set-up and authorisation by the National Bank of Romania of a local payment system.

Romania > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2

Reff & Associates SCA is very well known for assisting major multinational companies and investors operating in Romania, often with high-value transactions. The practice is also active in complex group reorganisations, corporate governance, and joint ventures, to name a few areas. The commercial and corporate department is led by the triumvirate of managing partner Alexandru Reff, Georgiana Singurel, who is well versed in handling demergers, and Diana Fejer, who is adept at acting for clients on the buy and sell side of mandates. Iulian Maier and Fraga Varadi are names to note.

Practice head(s):

Georgiana Singurel; Alexandru Reff; Diana Fejer

Other key lawyers:

Iulian Maier; Fraga Varadi

Testimonials

‘Georgiana Singurel is very well up to speed. A talent in the team is Fraga Varadi, she has high performance and always very detailed.’

‘The team members each bring their own complimentary skills and knowledge set. They also have a good team hierarchy where this complimentary skills and knowledge is effectively combined into a better service to the client.’

‘While I have dealt with numerous legal firms on multi-disciplinary legal issues in the past, the combination of this team in the extremely complex commercial and statutory environment in the combination of private and state-governed activities within the volatile and dynamic Romanian environment is quite unique.’

‘Each of the individuals has excellent general legal knowledge, exceptional subject knowledge in the area of specialisation, and the ability to listen to they client, but more importantly to each other. This was evident across multiple subjects, issues, and cases we dealt with them on, with varying teams on the varying subjects.’

‘I noticed the insight and sensitivity to the legal dynamics and interpretation within the Romanian environment.’

‘The team is very experienced and connects easily with other internal specialized departments every time in order to offer a complete picture to client demands. An answer/opinion/advice will always approach all angles, not only M&A.’

‘I found my assigned lawyers very empathetic and involved. I was glad to see involvement not only cold legal advice.’

‘During the course of our relationship, the corporate M&A team represented us with highest level of integrity and professionalism, provided thoughtful insights and exceeded our expectations in every way. We truly value their expertise, devising innovative strategies, utilizing negotiation, expert determination, mediation, and other alternatives, to achieve a favorable resolution to your company’s disputes. We have been hugely impressed with their professionalism, attention to detail, ability to deliver to a brief and work in a timely manner.’

Key clients

Tinmar Energy

RetuRO SGR

Hatboru Romania

APC Universal Partner

Marcos Provit

Knauf Insulation Holding GmbH

Adidas

IKEA

LIDL

Haier Tech

Leroy Merlin Romania SRL

Alfasigma

Work highlights

  • Advised Tinmar Energy on the establishment of a strategic joint venture with CE Oltenia.
  • Assisted APC Universal Partner with its acquisition of a business from Profelis C&V.

Romania > Employment Tier 2

The ‘collaborative and proactive’ employment team at Reff & Associates SCA, part of the Deloitte legal network, supports clients across a range of industries, including IT, automotive, transportation, construction and real estate with both contentious and non-contentious employment matters. Employment matters arising out of M&A transactions are a particular area of strength for the team, which is also highly experienced in complex reorganisation processes including those which involve collective dismissals and voluntary leave plans. Team head Florentina Munteanu has longstanding expertise regarding sensitive employment matters: transaction structuring, white-collar dismissals, and mutual agreement separations. Gabriela Ilie is also recommended.

Practice head(s):

Florentina Munteanu

Other key lawyers:

Gabriela Ilie

Testimonials

‘A collaborative and proactive team’

‘There is a good understanding of the challenges at the practice. Gabriela Ilie provides very good, professional support.’

Key clients

IKEA Romania

AVON Cosmetics Romania

Stanley Black & Decker Romania

SES Services Romania SRL

Logicom Information Technology Distribution

Betfair Development

Paddy Power Betfair

Motorola Solutions Romania

HP Inc. Romania

Qualicaps Romania SRL

Work highlights

  • Assisted Grupo Bimbo with labour law due diligence for its acquisition of the baker Vel Pitar (having almost 2,000 employees) from the private equity fund NCH Capital.
  • Assisted one of the biggest companies active in shipbuilding, with the negotiating of a new collective bargaining agreement with its trade union.

Romania > EU and competition Tier 2

Reff & Associates SCA's practice stands out for its 'in-depth understanding of Romanian competition law', and houses a team lauded for its 'vast experience in the field'. Practice head Florentina Munteanu is well versed in advising clients on RCC investigations, and is sought after by major multinational companies to assist with day-to-day competition law compliance matters. Andrea Grigoras is very experienced in handling matters within the real estate and retail sectors. Mihnea Radu and Diana Ivan are singled out for their contributions.

Practice head(s):

Florentina Munteanu

Other key lawyers:

Andrea Grigoras; Mihnea Radu; Diana Ivan

Testimonials

‘The Reff team I have worked with is very dynamic, flexible, well trained and documented, shows high availability to the client’s needs and inspires confidence in success. They managed very well the projects carried out together and provided support in all matters within their area of expertise, even exceeding the strict scope of contract.’

‘I would describe the individual lawyers I have worked with as as highly qualified, reliable professionals, and at the same time with a pleasant relaxed and informal way of dealing with the client.’

‘They have a dedicated department for the field of competition, with well-trained people with vast experience in the field, they know how to organize and manage projects very well, they are dedicated and helpful.’

‘We were pleasantly surprised by the extensive knowledge in the field of competition possessed by Florentina Munteanu and Andrea Grigoras and by the position adopted by them in this field. They showed a positive attitude towards our problems and offered us immediate help, identifying pro business solutions.’

‘What sets them apart other firms is the remarkable expertise of their team. Each member we have been in contact with, possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in the EU and competition law, making them a formidable partner in this field.’

‘I always appreciated their commitment to any of our cases. They go above and beyond to understand our needs and to deliver solutions that meet our expectations and move us to a desirable outcome. Their track record of successful cases make them one of the industry leaders in this field.’

‘A client focused, fast, reliable and solution oriented approach is what makes the people we work with stand out. Our two main collaborators are Florentina Munteanu and Andrea Grigoras.’

‘What truly sets the firm’s Competition Law practice apart is their business-oriented approach, unwavering commitment to efficiency, and dedication to building enduring relationships. They don’t just possess an in-depth understanding of Romanian competition law; they apply that knowledge in a way that delivers immediate business benefits to clients. The team provides swift and efficient solutions, further nurturing long-term trust-based relationships with clients. Their commitment to diversity and transparent billing practices completes this client-centered approach, resulting in strong and lasting partnerships.’

Key clients

Fildas Trading

Orkla Foods

Ciprian Bara

Tinmar Energy

Brantner

Hatboru Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi

Almer Technologies AG

DM Drogerie Markt

Proinvest

Returo SGR

Work highlights

  • Assisting Fildas Trading with a range of competition law matters.
  • Advising Tinmar on EU compliance matters pertaining to its joint venture with CE Oltenia.
  • Assisting Proinvest with updating its competition law compliance program.

Romania > TMT Tier 3

The TMT team at Reff & Associates SCA stands out for its experience navigating regulatory matters in regard to digitalisation and the implementation of new technologies, with expertise in privacy, digital content, consumer rights, and e-commerce. It handles a range of data protection and privacy risk matters for large multinational companies and startups alike, knowledgeable regarding GDPR and EU level requirements. Georgiana Singurel heads the team, bringing together experience in IP law and matters relating to corporate and M&A.

Practice head(s):

Georgiana Singurel

Other key lawyers:

Andreea Zaharia

Key clients

ING N.V.

Orkla Foods Romania S.A.

CEC Bank

Eplus Smart Energy S.A.

B2Kapital part of B2 holding ASA

NEPI Rockcastle PLC

LC Waikiki

adidas Romania

Up Romania

IKEA Romania

Lendrise Marketplace INC.

HP Inc.

Authority for the Digitalization of Romania

Zebrapay S.A.

Untold S.R.L.

Credit Express.

Avon Cosmetics (Romania)

Superbet Interactive (Romania) Limited

BLIK ROMANIA S.A.

Nordens

Work highlights

  • Assisted in the set-up of a new application developed as part of a technology innovation initiative by ING.
  • Assisting Orkla Foods Romania S.A. with respect to launching its wellness application on the Romanian market.
  • Assistance to the Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania.

Romania > Dispute resolution Tier 4

The dispute resolution practice at Reff & Associates SCA has a solid track record in handling tax litigation, as well as real estate and construction disputes, competition litigation and contentious regulatory matters. Practice head Mihnea Galgoţiu-Săraru and Ana Galgoţiu-Săraru are the key names.

Practice head(s):

Mihnea Galgoțiu-Săraru

Other key lawyers:

Ana Galgoțiu-Săraru

Testimonials

‘Young, professional team, willing to learn about new businesses, new legal situations, friendly and have good communication skills.’

‘All the members of the dispute resolution team are very good professionals regardless of whether you work with a partner or with a junior. They have the ability to give very prompt responses in urgent matters and they have the ability to mobilize at short notice.’

‘They are very open, have a vast experience, they seek to find original solutions and from the client’s perspective.’

‘On dispute resolution we have the pleasure to work with Ana Galgotiu Sararu and Mihnea Galgotiu Sararu. I can declare that they were extremely involved in the cases managed, and the results were good. During the collaboration, they showed total availability, submitted research work and proposed new solutions, a fact that increased the chances of success.’

‘The team has a very strong knowledge and experience and understand the core business.’

‘The team delivers what it is expected or above expectations. The deadlines set are met on a regular basis. The team members are easy to be approached. The people involved in providing the professional services demonstrate strong technical knowledge and relevant prior experience. Moreover they demonstrate appropriate knowledge about the particularities of our group.’

‘Mihnea Galgotiu-Sararu: always available for discussions, very good client relationship, sound knowledge on legal matters, reliable when providing fee estimates, relevant experience demonstrated when providing assistance on assessing risks.’

‘Reff & Associates SCA dispute resolution team consistently delivers top-tier service. Their dedication to ensure open communication and collaborative solutions results in a less stressful and more efficient resolution process. Their ability to adapt and navigate unforeseen challenges showcases their expertise, they are a highly skilled, commercially-focused and results-oriented dispute resolution team.’

Key clients

Damen Holding BV

Tinmar Energy S.A.

Vastint Romania

AFI Europe Romania

BCR and BCR BpL

Catena

Enel Group

Ikea Romania SA

Banca Transilvania

Speedwell Group

Alexandrion Grup Romania

Nepi Rockcastle Group PLC

Berlin Chemie A. Menarini

Deutsche Leasing România IFN SA

Lidl Discount SRL

Prime Kapital Group

Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. Z.o.o.

Gránit Polus

LikeIt

Transport Urban Sinaia SRL

B2Kapital Portfolio Management SRL/Ultimo Portfolio Investment (Luxembourg) SA

Arcade Group/Estrada Management

Mulberry Group (Take Project SRL and MTInv Holding BV)

adidas Romania SRL

Frasinul SRL

Anil Mantra Group of Companies

Chemfor Balkan SRL

Independent Oil Tools

Emergy Stribog

Studium Green SRL

Auchan Romania SA

Fepra International

Ingka Investments

Allianso Park Management SRL

Romania > Energy and natural resources

The Reff & Associates SCA energy and environment team is headed by Georgiana Singurel, handling a range of regulatory and transactional matters.

Reff & Associates SCA > Firm Profile

The firm: Reff & Associates is one of the largest Romanian law firms by headcount with over 70 lawyers, and is a member of the Deloitte Legal network, which counts more than 2,500 lawyers, in more than 75 countries. A full-scope business law firm, Reff & Associates assists large local and multinational investors, through high-quality legal services powered by a commercial and pragmatic approach to legal matters, leveraging the multidisciplinary expertise of Deloitte colleagues in areas such as tax, finance or business consulting. From assisting some of the largest transactions in Romania and CE region, to managing risk and compliance, to litigation, Reff & Associates handles projects in the range of hundreds of millions EUR every year.

Areas of practice
Corporate and commercial:  The team advises on the structuring and restructuring of investments, transfers of activity, mergers, demergers, joint ventures, including formation, corporate governance, minority rights and exit. In addition, the firm advises clients on various consumer and data protection aspects (including GDPR readiness), as well as other regulatory matters, such as environmental, food safety and IP.

Mergers and acquisitions: The firm’s lawyers assist either the buy-side or the sell-side during the entire M&A cycle: MoU, due diligence and transaction structuring, drafting, negotiation and execution of the transaction documentation, transaction implementation and post-acquisition work.

Banking and finance: The firm assists clients in loan finance, debt restructuring, securitization, workouts, NPL deals and transfers of performing loans portfolios. Having acted for both lenders and borrowers/ sponsors, the firm regularly works on structuring complex finance transactions, drafting and negotiating finance documents.

Capital markets: The firm provides assistance to publicly traded companies, securities firms and investors, covering securities compliance (market manipulation and insider dealing issues included), listing requirements, corporate governance, shares/ rights prospectuses and assistance on stock option plans.

Real estate: The firm assists with structuring of real estate transactions, transaction support, title verifications, title insurance, zoning and urban planning advice, compliance review, construction (including FIDIC based) assistance, acquisition, disposals and divestments, and has advised in most of the largest real estate deals in the country over the last five years).

Insolvency: The firm advises both creditors and debtors in various insolvency matters, during pre-insolvency and actual insolvency procedure, from entitlement to opening the procedure, to structuring deals in insolvency procedure, to possibilities to close the insolvency, assessments of existing options, preservation of rights, defending against other parties’ claims or challenging their rights.

Competition: Reff & Associates advises on a wide range of competition issues, including competition and antitrust compliance, investigations by the competition authority, analysis of distribution agreements, etc the firm has a detailed understanding of law matters related to economic concentrations and provides representation in front of the Competition Council.

Employment: The practice helps companies deal efficiently with labor law matters by providing customized contractual solutions, clear and effective internal regulations and compliant procedures in restructuring, compliance and litigation.

Energy:The firm has acquired vast experience in providing legal services for large national and international projects in the energy sector, dealing both with all regulatory aspects and the related legal and commercial aspects of the respective contracts.

PPP and public procurement: The team provides legal assistance to both public and private entities on a wide variety of public procurement, concession, PPP and EU funded projects. The firm has a vast experience gained through various complex assignments, including drafting the toolkit for applying the concession legislation in Romania, as well as preparation of a model concession agreement for InterModal Terminals under a European Investment Bank assignment.

Dispute resolution: The firm represents clients in general commercial, civil and employment litigation, including corporate disputes, recovery of debts, real estate litigation, settlements and forced execution. In tax litigations, the firm leverages the cooperation with Deloitte tax team, ensuring that all tax and legal issues are successfully covered.

Business criminal law: The firm offers specialized services ranging from general consultancy, prevention and compliance in criminal law matters, to assistance during the criminal investigation or in front of courts of law.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Banking and finance Andrei Burz-Pinzaru
Banking and finance Andreea Serban
Business integrity Andrei Burz-Pinzaru
Capital markets Andrei Burz-Pinzaru
Competition Florentina Munteanu
Competition Andrea Grigoras
Consumer, data protection and intellectual property Georgiana Singurel
Consumer, data protection and intellectual property Silvia Axinescu
Corporate, commercial and M&A Alexandru Reff
Corporate, commercial and M&A Georgiana Singurel
Corporate, commercial and M&A Diana Fejer
Employment Florentina Munteanu
Energy and environment Georgiana Singurel
Energy and environment Ovidiu Balaceanu
Insolvency Florentina Munteanu
Dispute Resolution Mihnea Galgoțiu-Săraru
Public sector Georgiana Singurel
Public sector Adrian Coman
Real estate Alexandru Reff
Real estate Irina Dimitriu
Tax Litigation Alex Slujitoru
TMT Georgiana Singurel
TMT Silvia Axinescu
Intellectual property Georgiana Singurel
Intellectual property Silvia Axinescu

Diversity


 

At Deloitte, we understand that our diversity is a key driver of our effectiveness in the market. That’s why, in FY2018, we re-committed to progressing our already strong culture of inclusion and increasing gender representation at all levels across Deloitte.
Our deeply embedded, ongoing initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion at Deloitte have proven effective.

  • Deloitte member firms have adopted progressively advanced talent initiatives—including workplace flexibility, and family leave and return-to-work policies—that attract women, parents and employees of all generations.
  • Many Deloitte member firms offer their people opportunities through global business resource groups (BRGs) to connect and build networks with others who share affinity indicators such as gender, race, religion and sexual orientation. Some member firms have also established councils that bridge gaps between single-identity workplace groups.
  • Deloitte leaders in Australia, Canada, UK, US and other countries have been recognized externally for inclusion efforts and/or serve on boards of organizations that promote inclusion.
  • Globally, Deloitte creates a safe work environment for all people through its strong policies against misconduct, inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment.

These are some of the significant reasons why Deloitte is recognized as a desirable workplace by organizations that include
Great Place to Work, LinkedIn, National Association of Female Executives (US), The Times (UK), Glassdoor.

While we are proud of the accolades we have earned and the policies and programs we have implemented, we understand that we must change as the market and world around us change. To lead in the areas of inclusion and diversity, we must achieve more. That is why we are focusing many of our current efforts on gender representation and why we will continue to seek and hire qualified women, provide ample developmental and promotional and leadership opportunities, and remain committed to fair pay for all.

 

Client Testimonials


BANKING & FINANCE
CLIENT: MIHAI ROTARU (Deputy Head of Legal)
COMPANY/FIRM: BANCA TRANSILVANIA S.A. (the largest bank in Romania)
TESTIMONIAL: Throughout our journey of becoming the largest bank in Romania, for the
last couple of years, we collaborated with Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania on various important matters, from transactions to expansion, innovation and regulatory projects. Their Banking & Finance practice is extremely mature, knowledgeable and reliable and my key contacts, which I would definitely recommend, are Andrei Burz-Pînzaru, Andreea Șerban and Lorena Roșia. I value a lot their responsiveness, pragmatic approach, deep and thorough legal reasoning, as well as the out of the box manner in which they connect the dots every time and manage to accommodate our business constraints.

Andrei Burz-Pînzaru, Managing Partner, is a well-known voice and a trendsetter in the Romanian legal market, with a vast and long-standing expertise in classical fields such as banking, finance, M&A and capital markets. He is also a researcher and a pioneer in fringe eclectic areas such as emerging fintech market, where he proved to be a great navigator and aggregator in the slalom among regulatory constraints, innovation drivers and opportunities and digital revolution disruptive factors. Leading by example, besides legal expertise, Andrei has nurtured and imprinted in his team essential qualities that make the difference when facing complex legal issues, such as sharp business acumen, fairness in relation to all stakeholders and diplomacy when approaching sensitive subjects.

Andreea Șerban is a dynamic and business-oriented banking & finance transaction lawyer who dialectically explores the commercial side of each deal, in order to anticipate what solutions fit best the client’s objectives and how can be put in practice in a way that takes into account and satisfies the strategic needs of all the stakeholders involved. Each time Andreea brought value in our projects and we benefited of her broad experience and in-depth knowledge of the financial services industry, in particular of the non-performing loans market, gained upon coordinating over years many high-profile transactions in this sector. Once you started a project with Andreea by your side, be sure that she will always be there for you, very proactive, insightful and available for additional brainstorming that will upscale the initially desired outcome of the project.

CLIENT: IOANA VOINESCU (Head of Construction Large Corporate Department) and IULIAN CEZAR CRET (Legal Department)
COMPANY/FIRM: BANCA COMERCIALĂ ROMÂNĂ (BCR), member of Erste Group, one of the most important financial groups of Romania
TESTIMONIAL: Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania supported us on several specialized finance transactions and provided our teams with reliable and unparalleled advice needed in structuring the deals, understanding the complexities and identifying viable solutions. They are an innovative law firm, determined in focusing on their clients’ needs. They have involved highly knowledgeable people from Deloitte Legal Romania and Deloitte Audit international network and brought into discussions different perspectives which enabled us to design & fulfil our objectives.

Andrei Burz-Pînzaru and Irina Dimitriu proved excellent expertise, very good leadership of the projects in which they were involved, provided prompt and specialized advice and showed due care in organizing the projects.

CLIENT: RALUCA GALCHIS (Chief Legal Officer)
COMPANY/FIRM: CREDIT EUROPE BANK (ROMANIA) SA
TESTIMONIAL: Being proficient in regulated areas of business is like cooking. Anybody can read a cookbook, yet not everybody can bake the delicious macaroons. Understanding the sense, the needs, the challenges, capturing the perspectives and growing the potential in a business area requires that deep know-how built in years of experience consolidated by the questions, doubts, researches, surprises, frustrations and victories earned with each and every assignment.

Andrei Burz-Pînzaru is definitely one of the most adroit banking experts who very naturally brings together the best mix of specialists in order to easily meet your expectations of getting the same professional grasp on identifying the challenges, setting the priorities and designing the roadmap of a project that an equivalent team of experienced in-house specialists conveys you. Beyond these, you also feel the confidence of a wider perspective solutions’ validation and of a sophisticated approach brought on by an inclusive and passionate team of professionals.

The sound knowledge of the regulatory environment as well as the deep understanding of the business reveals the most pragmatical yet founded approach which takes further the premises of beneficial and reliable synergies when interacting with other industries and players on the market.

CLIENT: CIPRIAN CHIOREAN (Coordinating Director Legal Support)
COMPANY/FIRM: VISTA BANK (ROMANIA) SA
TESTIMONIAL: I started my collaboration with Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania more than 15 years ago and I can say that throughout all this period they remained the same excellent professionals and kind humans. I had the chance to meet and work with many members of the team and a constant characteristic of all is the proactive attitude combined with very good technical skills. They provided always excellent legal services and they assisted in complex cases, including assistance and legal representation in very sensitive litigations with very good results, taking into consideration that the Banking & Finance industry is a permanent source of very interesting situations.

Alex Reff and Andrei Burz-Pînzaru are among the best professionals in the market with an outstanding capacity to understand client needs and always focused in giving, with diplomacy and accuracy, the best advises even in extremely challenging situations. The actual very good image of Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania is due to their permanent efforts and contributions, many times exceeding the borders of their organization and “contaminating” the whole industry.

Especially in these difficult period generated by the pandemic, Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania team demonstrated to be very altruistic and stayed very close to the legal professionals in the financial services industry, including by organizing a series of very interesting events. It was always a pleasure for me to participate in such events perfectly organized, representing a very good source of information and ideas to think of.

I consider that Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania has all the necessary ingredients to continue to remain one of the most reputable law office in the market, offering the best legal services to their clients.

CLIENT: DUTU FLORIN (Head of Legal)
COMPANY: B2KAPITAL PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (distressed bank loans investor and leader of the debt management market)
TESTIMONIAL: I have collaborated with Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania in the last 15 years, as a peer in my previous legal practices, in some of the most complex banking, real estate, capital markets, white-collar investigation projects in the local market. In the last 2 years I had the opportunity to experience working with Reff & Associates team as a client while coordinating the legal department with a multi-national recovery and collection agency.

The Banking & Finance team continues to hold a very special place in the top tier of the industry. Highly respected by both clients and peers, the team is recognized for being sharp, responsive and resourceful. A special thank you to Andreea Șerban, the banking-lioness, and to Andrei Burz-Pînzaru, for being a role model of balance and diplomacy in what is maybe one of the most competitive areas of practice.

Finally, I would like to emphasize a quite unique feature to Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania and the law firms part of the Deloitte Legal network: the multi-jurisdictional presence at the highest professional standards. B2Kapital Portfolio Management has been involved in projects covering several European jurisdictions, where Reff & Associates provided a safe harbor for the entire project by coordinating the complex feed-back on the banking and the real estate due diligence process executed by the legal teams associated with Deloitte Legal in the relevant jurisdictions.

CAPITAL MARKETS
CLIENT: AUREL BERNAT (CEO)
COMPANY/FIRM: BT ASSET MANAGEMENT SAI, an investment management company licensed by the Romanian FSA and managing 14 funds, part of Banca Transilvania financial group
TESTIMONIAL: Partners in every step. Business and product development is a long process, with questions and answers arising from both sides. Andrei Burz-Pînzaru has the excellent quality of making things look easy and the entire journey seems to be a perfect partnership. Excellent business understanding, along with his global view and experience made our new product development an easy task. Human approach, positive thinking, meanwhile performant risk assessment led us to a successful outcome.

COMMERCIAL, CORPORATE AND M&A
CLIENT: BOGDAN DOICESCU (Director of Development)
COMPANY/FIRM: BOG’ART Holding Management
TESTIMONIAL: Our company has been working with Reff & Associates through the Corporate M&A team led by Georgiana Singurel for 2 years on a complex project with the scope of implementing corporate governance and cross-border mergers in our group of more than 10 companies with a total turnover of approximately EUR150M. Bog’Art Holding Management required an inter-disciplinary approach that Reff & Associates and Deloitte could provide, comprising HR-driven KPI’s for management alignment, transfer pricing, fiscal considerations, as well as drafting of corporate governance and legal documents for implementation. The team effort of Reff & Associates is held together by Mrs. Singurel who oversees the legal aspects but covers full-spectrum requirements adapted to suit our holding’s optimal corporate governance systems. We highly value the coordinated inter-disciplinary activity and find Reff & Associates to be a unique provider of this service for Corporate M&A.

CLIENT: FLORIN ZECA (CFO)
COMPANY/FIRM: Siemens Energy SRL
TESTIMONIAL: The collaboration with Reff was connected to a very complex project we initiated under a re-organisation plan. They showed flexibility in finding the right set-up, understood our needs and were always able to gather the full competences required for a complete and in-depth review of the topics.

As for individuals, Diana Fejer is a complete professional, the type of lawyer which finds solutions vs identify problems. I was impressed by the variety of business know-how, and the quality of the deliverables under discussion.

I was very pleased with the outcome of our project and look forward to the next one.

CLIENT: MIHAELA STRATILA
COMPANY/FIRM: HS TIMBER PRODUCTIONS SRL
TESTIMONIAL: We have been working with Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania since 2019. Their know-how is really sharp and their engagement is going an extra mile to make sure that all the client’s needs are successfully answered. We have always found the expected support in Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania and received top quality tailor-made solutions. We are very pleased with the support provided by entire team, especially by Georgiana Singurel (Partner) and Diana Fejer (Senior Managing Associate), their solid knowledge and experience in projects dealing with corporate M&A aspects.

CLIENT: MIRELA METEA (Head of Legal)
COMPANY/FIRM: PLATFORMA ROCA SA, private equity
TESTIMONIAL: We take the opportunity of this testimonial to thank you once more for the support you have provided and continue providing to our business. Reff & Associates is our first choice when it comes to M&A transactions for a long list of excellent qualities. Just to name a few, besides the high standards and professionalism, we highly appreciate the goal oriented and client friendly approach, and last but not least, we see in Reff & Associates not only a law firm, but a long-term partner that is a key success factor in any M&A project.

CLIENT: Pablo Martínez
COMPANY/FIRM: GRUPO ANTOLIN, global supplier of technological solutions for car interiors with the most complete and wide range of solutions on the market
TESTIMONIAL: We are very pleased with the quality of the legal advice we have received from Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania so far over the last six years. We have collaborated with different lawyers all way through on different fields such as real estate, corporate, and recently in a complex M&A transaction led by Diana Fejer. The entire Deloitte team has been really dedicated and focused, with a remarkable understanding of the internal needs of our business. They have proven to be very flexible, with an in-depth knowledge of technicalities, and I would point out with a great personal commitment with the success of the transaction.

CLIENT: VALENTIN HEREA, Owner
COMPANY/FIRM: Enigma Trading 2000 S.R.L., one of the most appreciated suppliers for polyethylene and polypropylene household products in Romania
TESTIMONIAL: Ms. Singurel and Mr. Balaceanu proved to be very professional, always there for us, helping us in every step of the way. We’ve been more than happy in our collaboration with Reff & Associates. We built up a solid and trustful relationship and we look forward to working together with them in the future as well.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION
CLIENT: CRISTIAN STROE (Legal Manager IKEA Southeast Europe)
COMPANY/FIRM: IKEA ROMANIA, Scandinavian chain selling ready-to-assemble furniture
Testimonial: We work with Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania on various legal topics including Dispute Resolution, on a variety of maters (real estate, consumer and data protection etc). I am very pleased with their work, as we built up a solid and trustful relationship. The litigation partner working for us, Mihnea Galgoţiu-Săraru, has a business approach and a strategic vision, that helps us resolve the matter in line with our commercial interest and with as little disruption as possible.

CLIENT: LAURENȚIU ZAHARIA (General Manager)
COMPANY/FIRM: DEUTSCHE LEASING ROMANIA IFN S.A, part of Deutsche Leasing Group, one of the largest and strongest financial organisations in the world
TESTIMONIAL: In 2020, I had the chance to start a collaboration with Reff & Associates – Deloitte Legal Romania in an intricate cross-border taxation issue. Our collaboration was later extended to several other tax related projects and disputes in which their prompt and knowledgeable help was instrumental in finding early solutions, which were later endorsed by the tax authority. Emanuel Bondalici is a dynamic and proactive lawyer, whose client-oriented approach has proven to be essential in anticipating the best available legal solutions. I strongly recommend Reff & Associates’ team, for their deep expertise in tax litigation, insightful advice, their willingness to explore solutions and their commitment to the success of our projects.

CLIENT: LAJOS CSISZER (General Manager)
COMPANY/FIRM: GRÁNIT PÓLUS ROMANIA
TESTIMONIAL: I have been working for many years on various and very complex litigation matters with Mihnea Galgotiu-Sararu and Ana Galgotiu-Sararu, from Reff & Associates, that helped our company in many challenging projects. They proved excellent litigation know-how, strategic vision and a commercial approach, that made them one of our trusted advisors.

CLIENT: Steluta Olaru (CFO)
COMPANY/FIRM: Berlin Chemie
TESTIMONIAL The Reff & Associates’ team working on our tax disputes has been hands-on in dealing with litigations which were both intricate and requiring a high degree of specialisation. I would like to mention Emanuel Bondalici, who is an up-and-coming attorney with a pragmatic approach in the disputes his team is handling for us. As mentioned above, Emanuel makes a great team with his Deloitte colleagues. They have become our go-to people whenever we are dealing with any tax related issues and disputes.

CLIENT: Valentin Timis (Legal Manager)
COMPANY/FIRM: BT Leasing, member of Banca Transilvania Group
TESTIMONIAL: I have been working with the Reff & Associates litigation team run by Mihnea Galgotiu-Sararu for the past two years and their legal services are exceptional, combining thorough legal expertise with business approach and industry insight based on their integration in the Deloitte network. They are in contact with our most senior management and deliver clear and strategic directions in very delicate disputes. Ana Galgotiu Sararu is the manager of the litigation project and she is efficiency-driven, pragmatic and very responsive.

EMPLOYMENT
CLIENT: SEBASTIAN CHOMIAKOW (HR Generalist GTS CZ/SK/HU/RO/BG/SR/SL)
COMPANY/FIRM: STANLEYBLACK & DECKER ROMANIA S.R.L.
TESTIMONIAL: I like to work with Reff & Associates because of their comprehensive approach to the work. I can always be sure that every angle of a legal topic is covered and they point out topics to take into consideration even not directly connected with situations we discuss. This makes me feel secure when I make decisions for my company.

CLIENT: ANTOANETA VACAROIU (Legal Consultant Romania & Moldova)
COMPANY/FIRM: AVON COSMETICS (Romania), the fifth-largest beauty company and the second largest direct-selling enterprise in the world
TESTIMONIAL: The employment team of Reff & Associates, led by Florentina Munteanu and having Gabriela Ilie coordinating the day-to-day assistance, is very professional and responsible. The team is highly dedicated, committed to find the right answers for our needs. We are very satisfied with the professionalism the team constantly displays, their understanding of our business and their capability to adapt. We truly value the timely, sound and objective advice and the day-to-day involvement provided in every step of our activity. We would definitely recommend and look forward to continue working with them.

EU AND COMPETITION
CLIENT: VALENTIN TIMIS (Head of Legal)
COMPANY/FIRM: BT LEASING TRANSILVANIA IFN S.A., part of the largest Romanian banking group
TESTIMONIAL: We have been assisted by the competition team during the investigation of the Romanian Competition Council on the market for financial leasing and consumer credit, whereby three of the companies from our group (Banca Transilvania group) were investigated for an alleged cartel on exchange of sensitive information. They managed very professionally the defense, the team was fully involved in understanding the industry/activities and to find creative explanations. We praise Florentina for being very pragmatic, she adapts the theoretical advice to our business needs. We appreciate very much Andrea’s commitment and dedication to our project; she is also a very nice person to work with.

REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION
CLIENT: OVIDIU SANDOR
COMPANY/FIRM: Mulberry Group, real estate development firm
TESTIMONIAL: Reff & Associates team has been our “go-to” legal advisor in the past years and we have counted on the real estate team for assistance on our most complex projects. In particular, Irina Dimitriu and her team offered their support on a variety of legal situations and provided sound legal reasoning and substantiation to the unexpected developments occurring on our project. Their significant contribution on the matters entrusted to them always indicated a thorough understanding of the real estate industry and it has proven to be an invaluable support to us over the past years.

CLIENT: VIVIANA PAVEL (Real Estate and Development Manager)
COMPANY/FIRM: IKEA ROMANIA, Scandinavian chain selling ready-to-assemble furniture
TESTIMONIAL: Reff & Associates team has been our trustworthy legal advisor for almost a decade now. Irina and her team assisted us with a wide range of legal services during our expansion on the Romanian market, starting with due diligence analysis, continuing with the acquisition phases and last, but not least, with complex construction and operational matters.

They are our “go-to” consultant. Irina and her team gained our confidence with their in-depth legal and technical knowledge as well as their commercial oriented approach while providing us with innovative solutions on complex aspects of law.

Working with Irina and her team all along these years was an outstanding experience I truly enjoyed because beyond their focus on high professionalism, instilling a culture of perfectionism in all their deliverables and a top-notch work, the empathetic approach and invaluable in depth risks overlooking and analysis, Irina and her team helped IKEA to have a 360 degrees coverage of all possible situations encountered into the IKEA complex projects life span.

I trust continuing being assisted by Irina and her team in our IKEA ambitious expansion plans for upcoming years, will strengthen even more the successful contribution of Irina and her team to IKEA projects.

CLIENT: VOICHITA LEFTER (Policy & Changemaking Partner)
COMPANY/FIRM: Matei – Borbely + Partners, Public Affairs
TESTIMONIAL: Ms. Irina Dimitriu is an outstanding legal professional, with a very strong record of successfully closed transactions. Ms. Dimitriu excels in her ability to navigate intricate legal matters and due to her vast experience in real estate law, acquisitions, financing, business environment regulation, she enjoys a very solid profile in delivering large-scale projects. With her tenacity and indisputable competence, she is actively engaged in the most relevant and impactful public policy initiatives, contributing with her expertise and presenting the business perspective, thus enabling to advance the voice of the industry across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from the Prime Minister office to regional cities mayors. I strongly recommend Ms. Dimitriu as being a truly gifted strategist and one of the top legal and real estate professionals in Romania.

Interviews

Burz Pinzaru Andrei, Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Reff & Associates SCA from your competitors?

We are different from our competitors in several ways:

  • For the last 5 years we have consistently been the fastest growing law firm in the Romanian market;
  • With more than 70 lawyers, we are one of the top 5 largest firms in Romania, which allows us to achieve high levels of specialisation per each area of practice, gives us resources to invest in developing our people and permits us to handle in the same time multiple complex projects without making any compromise on quality.
  • We are global, yet grounded. Being part of Deloitte Legal (over 2,500 lawyers in 85 countries) and the broader “Deloitte family”, we not only have access to legal international best practices but we are distinctive in our ability to combine legal expertise with financial, tax and accounting expertise, handling multidisciplinary projects at a uniquely superior level, to the benefit of our clients. Given the consistent cooperation with other professionals in Deloitte, our lawyers have tax, financial or accounting knowledge superior to other law firms, allowing them to better understand the business needs and issues of the clients and come up with innovative solutions. This combination is appreciated by the clients as being particularly powerful in areas like M&A, Tax Controversy, NPL and finance transactions.
  • While we are a mature and leading legal practice in all areas of business law, we are also at the forefront of transformation of the legal profession. For example, we have launched a new service offering, Legal Management Consulting (LMC), a service dedicated to helping General Counsels overcome the challenges that legal departments are facing today. In developing this approach, we brought together leading experts in law, operating model transformation, business and technology to focus on how business could modernize the way legal needs are addressed. As of now, we are the only law firm delivering such services in Romania.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

We contemplate growth across all practice areas of the firm, with Corporate M&A and Litigations as key drivers, followed by Real Estate, Banking and Competition Law. In addition to our long standing track record in transaction work which is fueled by the economic environment, we see a growth in demand for legal risk management services in various areas of practice (e.g., white collar crime, GDPR, personal liability of top management, tax evasion and money laundering risks). Companies are navigating an increasingly risky legal environment, triggering both risks of material fines as well as reputational risks, and we are ideally positioned to assist in these areas given the ability to combine our legal expertise with the broader risk management capabilities in Deloitte.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

There are four pillars on which we focus to the ultimate benefit of our clients: attracting, developing and retaining top talents, dedication of our senior people to addressing our clients’ demands, incorporation of technology in our day to day work so that we can deliver more effectively to our clients and working closely with the global Deloitte Legal network to serve our clients across geographies and put international best practices at work for the benefit our clients.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

We are embracing technology in various ways, from implementing contract automation tools to embedding A.I. and robotics in the way we deliver our work to the clients. Our approach is not limited to only embracing technology, but also tried-and-tested ways of improving processes, which allows us not only to deliver our legal services in a more effective way to our clients, but also help legal departments improve efficiencies and increase the value they deliver back to their business.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

Reff & Associates assisted a real estate fund recently in the acquisition of a portfolio, which, at EUR113 mln deal value, is one the largest executed in Romania in 2019. The project was not only highly complex, involving multiple teams (real estate and banking), but also a cross-border project and had to be executed under extremely tight deadlines. Besides the complexity of the transaction per se, has tested our strength, endurance and capacity to work under harsh time constraints which proved once again our ability to deliver at the highest standards.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

We have been growing fast for the last six years and are now one of the largest five law firms in Romania (by headcount). We have a strong foundation based on well-structured service lines, a broad client portfolio and a strong reputation.

We see growth continuing on a platform which was never stronger: the well-structured service lines, the client portfolio and reputation, the close integration with Deloitte fiscal, risk, financial advisory and consulting practices, and the global network. We see ourselves as a progressive firm responding to present-day talent aspirations and to market expectations that law is part of integrated business solutions. In three years’ time, we should be not one of the largest in the country but also a leader of innovation in the legal profession, driving efficiency and profitability through automation of processes and leveraging multidisciplinary and global integration as part of Deloitte Legal.



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