Firm Profile > Boyanov & Co. > Sofia, Bulgaria

Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 1

Boyanov & Co.’s banking and finance practice advises on many of the largest and most complex transactions taking place in the country, including the sale of Piraeus Bank’s Bulgarian subsidiaries to Eurobank. The team is particularly experienced in acting for the lenders on high-value syndicated financing; in 2019 it assisted with arranging €100m of acquisition financing from a consortium of three banks to two Bulgarian SPVs in under a month. On the borrower side, the firm has advised on project and acquisition financing across a variety of highly regulated sectors, including telecoms and energy. Damian Simeonov, who heads the practice, is highly praised by clients, as is Yordan Naydenov  and ‘very knowledgeable’ senior associate Ralitsa Nedkova.

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

The corporate, commercial and M&A team at Boyanov & Co. works closely with the banking and finance practice to advise on many of the largest M&A deals in Bulgaria, including in the highly regulated telecoms and banking sectors. Following on from advising on elements of the transaction, the team is providing ongoing assistance with the integration of Piraeus Bank’s former subsidiaries into Eurobank Bulgaria, following the 2018 merger. The group has expertise in cross-border acquisitions, having advised ATI on its €50m acquisition of Telekom Albania from OTE. Raina Dimitrova and Yordan Naydenov jointly lead the team, while Mihail Vishanin, Ralitsa Nedkova and Svetlina Kortenska are other names to note.

Dispute resolution Tier 1

Boyanov & Co.’s dispute resolution practice specialises in commercial and civil litigation, with expertise in proceedings arising from insolvencies, employment law, energy, and IP infringements. Kina Chuturkova, who heads the practice, is a former judge of 21 years’ experience and is a qualified arbitrator, with a permanent seat at the Arbitration Court of the Bulgarian Industrial Association. Former partner Boyko Voynov now occupies a consulting role within the practice, continuing to advise clients in the banking sector on long-running and ongoing disputes. Partner Radoslav Alexandrov is experienced in employment and tax litigation, while Dr Nikolay Kolev advises on energy disputes. The firm counts Wizz Air, UBS, Philip Morris and Bayer among its clients.

Energy and natural resources Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. advises on a wide range of energy matters, including assisting with fossil fuel exploration permits, contractual and regulatory issues in the distribution and supply of natural gas, and public procurement processes in the nuclear energy sector. As well as providing regulatory advice, Damian Simeonov, head of the firm’s banking and finance practice, has experience of financing energy projects. The team also handles mergers, acquisitions and unfair competition proceedings pertaining to the energy sector. Alexander Chatalbashev  heads up the practice, which counts EVN Energy, Westinghouse Electric and Sunowe Solar GmbH among its clients. Counsel Nikolay Kolev is another name to note.

EU and competition Tier 1

Boyanov & Co.’s fields a dedicated EU and competition practice. Led by the ‘strategic and focused’ Peter Petrov, the team principally advises on the competition aspects of mergers and acquisitions, both cross-border and within the country, and has a strong track record in obtaining approvals from the Bulgarian and European competition commissions. In addition to the merger clearance work, the practice has advised clients on unfair competition, cartel activity, and abuse of dominance cases, with a notable focus on IP and trade mark infringement mandates. The firm also advises on day-to-day competition compliance, counting Adidas, Philip Morris and Bayer among its clients.

Healthcare and life sciences Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. handles a wide range of corporate and commercial matters for clients in the pharmaceutical industry. Kina Chuturkova, who advises on mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, contracts and ongoing regulatory compliance, and Peter Petrov, who is a specialist in pharmaceutical regulation, jointly head the practice. The latter acted for the Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM) on amending proposed changes to the new regulations on biosimilar pharmaceutical products. The firm advises several major pharmaceutical companies on an ongoing basis, including AbbVie, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and Medtronic. Nedyalka Novakova is another name to note.

Intellectual property Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. advises on the full spectrum of IP matters, with expertise in trade mark portfolio management, patent registration, software licensing arrangements, and trade secrets. The firm’s IP work is supported by experienced litigators; head of the litigation group Kina Chuturkova has experience in acting in contentious matters ranging from unfair competition and trade mark infringements to  protecting digital intellectual property against software piracy. Stela Sabeva heads the IP practice and advises on IP management as well as litigating in areas including copyright protection, licensing, and patent infringement. Natasha Andreeva, Rossiza Marinova and Marina Mollova are also key contacts within the practice.

Real estate and construction Tier 1

The real estate and construction practice at Boyanov & Co. covers long-term lease agreements, due diligence, zoning and planning permissions, construction, and acts for clients in disputes that may arise from such activities. The team is particularly experienced in the commercial aspects of real estate work, advising buyers and sellers on high-value transactions in the sector. The practice is headed up by Nickolay Nickolov, ‘an excellent lawyer’, who worked on the real estate, zoning, and construction aspects of Fraport AG’s bid for the €3.9bn Sofia Airport concession. Senior Associate Iva Miteva is extremely active in the practice, and Svetlana Tsvetkova offers expertise in real estate litigation.

TMT Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. advises major telecoms clients on acquisitions, sales, and mergers. The firm advises clients including Vodafone, and Deutsche Telecom on their activities in Bulgaria. The firm also draws on the strength of its banking and finance practice to co-ordinate syndicated financing for large-scale telecoms mergers. It counts a number of high-profile tech firms among its clients; it  performs ongoing regulatory compliance and licence application work for clients such as  Lenovo, and Microsoft. Damian Simeonov, co-head of the banking practice, leads the team, with Nikolay Zisov and Ralitsa Nedkova playing key roles in transactions.

Transport (including shipping) Tier 1

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.

Projects and PPP Tier 2

Boyanov & Co.’s projects practice draws on the strengths of its real estate and energy practices. The team seeks to cover a project throughout its life cycle, including on arranging financing, supporting the lease or acquisition of project land, and advising on all zoning, planning, and construction issues that may arise. The team is jointly led by Alexander Chatalbashev and Nickolay Nickolov. Senior associate Mihail Vishanin provides expertise in public procurement and concession procedures.