Rankings

Rankings 2021 – Contents

 

Legal 500 EMEA 2021

Commercial, Corporate and M&A – Tier 1

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has one of the top transactional practices in the market and is regularly favoured by major private equity funds, foreign investors and corporates. Recently the firm was involved in several high value corporate real estate transactions, as well as significant deals in the building materials, fund management, and chemicals' sectors. The firm's partners are often involved on the country's largest deals, and Florian Niţu, Bogdan Stoica and Silviu Stoica have all established extremely good reputations. Irina Ivanciu has also developed a good name, and has strong links to the French market.”

Testimonials

‘PNSA has a vast and thorough knowledge of transaction advisory in Romania, given by the large number of deals they have worked on in the past 15 years. Moreover, they combine the technical knowledge with a very pragmatic and result oriented approach during negotiation, being a very valuable member of the negotiation team throughout the entire process.’

‘Bogdan Stoica was very diligent and provided lots of insights and explanations to us in order to make sure that the transaction goes smooth and without unnecessary complications and hurdles. Several times he took initiative to clarify with the counterpart lawyers conditions and clauses that were not acceptable by us and proposed solutions and restructured and reworked documents proposed by the other party until we reached mutual agreement. His flexibility in giving extra time and personal involvement helped getting the deal closed in time.’

Dispute Resolution – Tier 1

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii is a leading firm, both for domestic litigation and international arbitration. The team has a strong track record in complex corporate disputes, including shareholder claims and issues with the Securities Commission. Cases involving public procurement contracts and concession agreements also feature prominently. Its expertise in specialised areas such as antitrust, real estate litigation, labour, tax and IP is also strong. The team is jointly led by highly rated litigators Ciprian Donțu, Ilinca Ștefănescu-Goangă and Florian Niţu, who is especially active on the international arbitration front. Partners Raluca Petrescu and Vlad Neacșu are also recommended.”

Testimonials

‘A very professional team with huge juridical knowledge and capacity for effort. The team was very collaborative and explanatory in relation to the client, and introduced a very constructive approach in solving the dispute. Florian Nitu is a specialist and know all the aspects that are relevant and important to the cause. Also, Alexandru Stan was very involved in the discussions and explained all the details necessary in the matter.’

‘A friendly team. Has the ability to understand the case and avoid getting in conflicts without trying all resources. The approach to the case was by logical and commercial thinking first.’

PPP and Procurement – Tier 1

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has excellent expertise across a wide range of project types, both on the contentious and non-contentious side. Road and rail improvement projects and now infrastructure both feature high on the agenda, including in the utilities, water and waste management space. The team is well versed in major IT public procurements, representing an impressive mix of domestic and international software developers and IT companies. Florian Niţu and Alexandru Ambrozie are two of the firm's most active partners, while associates such as Ramona Pentilescu are also held in high regard.”

Real Estate and Construction – Tier 1

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii is regularly instructed on the country's more complex real estate transactions and development projects. Clients include land owners, developers, investment funds, lenders and strategic investors. The firm's strong corporate team gives it an edge on the many deals done under a corporate structure. The past year saw it involved in several significant land acquisition and development projects, including residential, retail, mixed-use and industrial. Florian Niţu heads the transactional side, with Valentin Creața leading the development group. Other key partners include Bogdan Stoica and Ioana Șampek.”

Testimonials

‘High standards of professionalism and their approach is a business oriented one, not only a legal view.’

‘A very well-set organization, with charismatic leaders.’

Restructuring and Insolvency – Tier 1

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii is strong on both the contentious and non-contentious side of the restructuring piece. The team is led by well-regarded litigation head Ciprian Donțu, and regularly represents creditor and debtor clients in related litigation and arbitrations. The firm's market leading corporate finance arm is well equipped to handle complex group restructurings, and managing partner Florian Niţu has good experience assisting on related issues, including advice to investors on distressed asset sales and acquisitions. Ilinca Ștefănescu-Goangă and Valentin Creața are respectively involved on the disputes and advisory sides.”

Capital Markets – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has a broad client base which includes several major listed investment funds. In this respect, the firm is especially active on the regulatory side, and offers strong support on transactional and litigation issues. The team also has good experience of advising on equity listings. Practice co-heads Alexandru Ambrozie and Bogdan Stoica share over four decades experience in the market.”

Employment – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii features a versatile practice offering standalone advice as well as employment support on corporate and restructuring mandates. This ranges from day-to-day matters, through to related litigation, health and safety, tax and white-collar crime issues. Vlad Neacșu leads the well-regarded team and has good experience in union negotiations, strike management, business transfers and collective dismissals. Specialist associate co-head, Ioana Cazacu, is also highly rated by clients.”

Testimonials

‘This practice is unique due to its professionalism and promptness, which they have shown throughout the collaboration, compared to other companies. Adaptability also means being flexible to the working habits and personalities of our business.’

‘The team is very efficient and skilled. Ioana Cazacu is a very smart lawyer. She gives advice straight to the point, she is reliable and very helpful. Moreover, she is very transparent regarding the fees and the estimates she provides are both reasonable, and complied with.’

Energy and Natural Resources – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii offers an impressively deep and broad range of expertise in conventional and renewable energy. The firm was involved in several high-profile disputes with state and the energy regulator on behalf of clients. The team has a particularly strong practice in the nuclear space and is a fixture on such projects. Florian Niţu has a strong focus on renewable and nuclear energy, Vlad Neacșu is active on the infrastructure side, while Ciprian Donțu handles disputes with the regulators.”

Tax – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii advises on the full mix of direct and indirect tax matters. Recently, the group has provided strong tax planning and due diligence support on high-profile commercial projects, including M&A deals, real estate transactions and group restructurings. The lawyers have good experience assisting with tax audits and related challenges before the courts. Practice head Mihaela Pohaci is a hugely experienced certified tax adviser, while co-head Alexandru Ambrozie adds weight on related white-collar crime issues.”

TMT – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has an excellent reputation for transactional matters, but is also highly experienced on broader regulatory and commercial issues. The team has long-standing experience of telecoms and IT and represents a mix of cloud and mobile network service providers. This is complemented by good expertise in connected areas such as public procurement, data protection and dispute resolution. Ernest-Virgil Popovici has a good track record advising telecoms companies, while corporate partner Silviu Stoica regularly advises strategic and private equity investors on related transactions. Managing partner Florian Niţu is also active in this area.”

TMT: Gambling Law – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii is popular with several leading companies operating in and servicing the online and offline gambling industry. The firm's broad reach ensures a full service offering that goes beyond regulatory compliance and licensing approvals. Corporate, M&A, real estate, employment, tax and IP have all featured heavily on the agenda in the past year, as has guidance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Bogdan Stoica leads the well-regarded team, which includes highly-rated associate Claudia Salomia.”

Testimonials

‘We have worked with PNSA team for some years now and, given that in Romania the legal specialists in gambling industry are not so many, we could say that they are among the best legal teams on the market.’

‘First of all, they do understand our business and this is really important as gambling is so much different from a lot of other industries. Secondly, they are dedicated and problem-solving lawyers, always imaginative and, in the same time, very precise as regards their advice. Compared to other lawyers we have worked with, they are also very efficient cost wise.’

‘Bogdan Stoica is the key person in PNSA on the gambling industry, no matter whether we are talking about affiliates business or pure gambling. He has an in-depth knowledge, not only on the local legal framework on gambling industry but also in other jurisdictions. He is accompanied by Claudia Salomia who is very good young lawyer.’

White-Collar Crime – Tier 2

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii is a reliable choice for white-collar compliance and defence work, and fields several criminal law experts. The firm has had success defending clients against several sensitive criminal investigations, particularly in relation to IP infringement, public tender manipulation, tax evasion, bribery, and EU funds fraud. Several of these have had a significant cross-border component, where the team worked closely with leading international law firms. Alexandru Ambrozie heads the practice, with strong support from experienced litigation managing associate Alexandru Nicolae.”

Banking and Finance – Tier 3

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii acts for a variety of domestic and international financial institutions, as well as online banks and payment system providers. Recently the team provided regulatory and transactional support on the launch of several new banking products and fintech ventures. Practice head Alexandru Ambrozie is experienced across several areas, including asset-based finance, and real estate and lease financings.”

EU and Competition – Tier 3

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has a broad array of expertise in EU, competition and antitrust matters. In addition to an active merger clearance practice, the firm's lawyers regularly appear before the Competition Council and the courts, either in responding to investigations or challenging fines. Strong sectoral expertise in heavily regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals adds extra layers of depth. Practice head Mihaela Ion has significant experience in the market.”

Intellectual Property – Tier 3

“Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii is especially noted for its experience advising software companies, as well as clients in the media, sports, technology and manufacturing sectors. Software related work includes domain name protection, development, licensing, registrations and related corporate advice. The practice is also active on the litigation front, including trade mark protection disputes and copyright infringement proceedings.”