Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 1

Market front-runner Boyanov & Co. handles headline instructions on behalf of both borrowers and lenders with stand-out expertise in corporate-related issues. The firm recently advised new client Commerzbank on establishing a branch in Bulgaria to serve as IT hub for the entire banking group. The team is in demand among domestic and international banking panels, as well as foreign law firms requiring Bulgarian finance advice. At the helm, Damian Simeonov is widely respected across the market and well supported by experienced partners  Ralitsa Nedkova and Georgi Drenski.

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

Few firms match Boyanov & Co.'s combined strength of local know-how and cross-border expertise. The 'great law firm' fields market-leading individuals, including the pre-eminent and 'technically excellent' Yordan Naydenov, to advise on sophisticated mandates across the board of corporate and commercial work, with niche strength in banking M&A. The offering is well resourced, with a formidable 18-strong team which includes head of commercial Raina Dimitrova and energy specialist Alexander Chatalbashev. Microsoft, Amazon and Mondelez International are clients.

Dispute resolution Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. is dominant across a range of legal disputes, where it can leverage off the expertise of its tier-one teams in multiple practice areas, such as banking, energy, real estate and construction, and IP. Steering the practice, full-time litigator, arbitrator and former commercial court judge Kina Chuturkova has a leading reputation. The team also includes Of Counsel Boyko Voynov, an experienced mediator, and Radoslav Alexandrov, who specialises in labour, tax and insolvency disputes. LEGO, Philip Morris and Bayer are clients.

Energy and natural resources Tier 1

The combination of Boyanov & Co.'s full-service, top-tier practice and industry expertise attracts major-league clients to the firm for a broad range of advice. The practice is strong across the board of the sector, including nuclear, oil and gas, renewables and electricity. One client is EVN and its subsidiaries, which the firm is advising on anti-trust and other issues. Practice head Alexander Chatalbashev has 'extensive experience in the sector’, and leads mandates from big-ticket M&A and regulatory issues to project development and energy-related litigation.

EU and competition Tier 1

Head of practice Peter Petrov at Boyanov & Co. is 'probably the best competition lawyer in the region', the result of extensive experience in merger control and antitrust procedures and litigation, both domestically and cross-border. The firm has an illustrious client base of well-known global companies and handles some of the market's most high-profile mandates, such as successfully obtaining merger clearance for Eurobank Bulgaria following a court challenge by a rival bidder for target Piraeus Bank Bulgaria. Litigator Kina Chuturkova is a key member of the team.

Healthcare and life sciences Tier 1

Peter Petrov and Kina Chuturkova make a strong duo at Boyanov & Co. with their respective expertise in regulatory matters and dispute resolution. The practice is also backed by a premier corporate team for high-level transactions within the healthcare and life sciences sector and excels in the intellectual property aspects so vital to the industry. The firm's enviable client roster includes Sanofi Group, Bayer, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, as well as AbbVie, which it advised on an advanced direct-to-pharmacy distribution system for a new-to-market pharmaceutical product.

Intellectual property Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. showcases its IP expertise with a client list of global brands and household-name companies, such as LEGO, Chanel and The Coca-Cola Company. The practice advises on all key pillars of intellectual property work, including trade mark enforcement, copyright protection and patents, while industry sector strengths include tech, pharma, telecoms, fashion, food and beverages, and tobacco. Experienced principal associate Stela Sabeva heads the department, which also benefits from input by leading dispute resolution partner Kina Chuturkova.

Real estate and construction Tier 1

A fully-comprehensive offering at Boyanov & Co. comprises real estate financing, transactions, construction and developement. The firm excels in all aspects under the leadership of seasoned adviser and market-frontrunner Nickolay Nickolov. The multidisciplinary team of 'true professionals' advises a swathe of leading companies on their real estate needs, as well as acting for constructors and developers on single builds to major infrastructure. Work includes acting for Golf Okol as constructor of the €300m residential, hotel, office and golf development Okol Lake Park.

TMT Tier 1

Transport (including shipping) Tier 1

Boyanov & Co. has an impressive following within the aviation sector, where the firm handles contentious and non-contentious matters of the highest level. They include acting for Whizz Air in a dispute regarding airport passenger fees, and acting for Fraport as unsuccessful bidder in the landmark Sofia Airport concession, including subsequent litigation. The firm also handles public procurement and infrastructure for the rail and urban transport sector. Head of commercial Raina Dimitrova has considerable experience in airport finance and transport regulatory and procurement.

Projects and PPP Tier 2

Boyanov & Co. draws upon top-ranked expertise across the firm in energy, real estate and construction, and finance, among other areas, to service some major projects in the country. They include Okol Lake Park, a €300m, greenfield golf and residential development south of Sofia, where the firm acts for the constructor; the team also represented unsuccessful bidder Fraport in the concession tender for Sofia Airport. Joint heads of the practice Alexander Chatalbashev and  Nickolay Nickolov are leaders in their respective fields of energy, and real estate and construction.