News

2021 – Nice to have met you! 2022 – We’ll make you count!

2021 was like a roller-coaster ride – a year full of challenges, as well as opportunities. During times of uncertainty, we have adapted to the new reality and moved forward together. Our team had a professionally rewarding year, and we are thankful for their exceptional work and strong commitment towards our clients! Also, we are grateful for working together with our clients, partners and collaborators and for all the projects we have completed this past year.

And, as the year end is drawing closer, we look back at all the great things we have achieved in 2021. Here is our (brief) recap.

In 2021 we:

Were recognized for our long-standing performance

NNDKP received several distinctions from both international and local publications for its notable achievements, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service.

From international observers, we received:

• the much coveted “Romania Law Firm of the Year” award, granted by Chambers Europe, this being the 5^th time we have received this distinction (the most awarded law firm in Romania)

From local publications, we received:

• the “Law Firm of the Year” award (Romanian Legal Awards by Legal Marketing)
• the “Best Firm of the Year” award (Top Lawyers Awards by Finmedia)
• Awards for outstanding activity in Public Procurement, Employment and Data Protection (Romanian Legal Awards by Legal Marketing)

Launched Act for Ethics hub

NNDKP launched Act for Ethics, a legal & tax hub dedicated to business ethics and compliance. Its main focus in 2021 was on the Whistleblowers’ Directive and its expected transposition into national law. The hub addresses corporate governance, employment law and data protection aspects to be considered for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the legal provisions concerning whistleblowers.

Innovated

NNDKP adopted and implemented various innovative solutions for its day-to-day activity in order to streamline business processes and to continue to provide high-quality legal and tax services. We expect that during 2022 such solutions will start generating concrete benefits for our clients.

Organized the 5^th and the 6^th editions of our Legal & Tax Conference

We have continued our tradition of organizing the Legal & Tax Conference, in collaboration with Ziarul Financiar. In 2021 we moved the Conference online and organized two editions of the event:

• “Fiscal disputes during pandemic times” (the video recording is available here) and
• “What will be the impact of the NRRP on the economy and the business environment; what are the fiscal and legislative changes that will follow?” (the video recording is available here).

Supported the next generation of lawyers

Over the years, NNDKP has organized many programs dedicated to law students and has guided and trained many generations of young lawyers. And 2021 was not much different from other years.

During the 15^th edition of NNDKP Summer School, 41 law students joined our offices in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara and caught a glimpse into our day-to-day activity.

Also, together with Asociatia Studentilor in Drept (Law Students’ Association) we organized two contests for students:

• Mock Trials in Competition Law, and
• Mock Trials in Administrative Law.

The jurors for both contests were our colleagues from our Competition and Dispute Resolution practices.

Furthermore, for a smooth induction of first-year students entering the Law School, our colleagues contributed to the Freshmen’s Guide, compiled by the Law Students’ Association (available here).

Were acknowledged in international rankings

We have continued to maintain a leading position in the legal rankings prepared by reputable international legal guides (2021 edition), which reconfirms our status as a leading law firm in Romania:

 18 Band 1/Tier 1 positions for our practices

• Ranked first (Band 1) in 5 practice areas researched in Romania by Chambers Europe
• Ranked first (Tier 1) in 11 practice areas researched in Romania by The Legal 500
• Ranked first (Tier 1) in 2 practice areas researched in Romania by IFLR 1000
• Recommended firm for litigation and transaction matters, as well as prosecution in the IAM Patent 1000
• Ranked firm in Romania for Patent contentious, Trademark contentious and Trademark prosecution, by Managing Intellectual Property – IP Stars

 39 lawyers and counsellors included in the individual rankings

 17 professionals listed by Chambers Europe

• 37 professionals included in The Legal 500
• 14 professionals recognized by IFLR 1000
• 5 professionals ranked by Who’s Who Legal
• 2 professionals recommended by IAM Patent 1000

This is the largest number of NNDKP professionals ever acknowledged by international guides – an impressive result on the local market!

Received outstanding individual recognition

In 2021 several NNDKP practitioners received awards or recognition for their outstanding professional performance in this highly competitive domestic market:

• Ion Nestor and Manuela Nestor were included in the Who’s Who in Business – the 1000 Most Important Business Persons in Romania, a guide compiled by Ziarul Financiar, the leading business publication in Romania
• Ana Diculescu-Sova, Adriana I. Gaspar, Alina Radu were included in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame
• Adriana I. Gaspar, Alina Radu, Adina Chilim-Dumitriu and Ruxandra Bologa were included in the “IFLR 1000 Women Leaders 2021” guide, among leading female transactional lawyers in the world
• Alina Radu and Alina Timofti were included in the “Women who change Romania” group (Finmedia)
• Alina Radu was named Top Lawyer in Banking and Finance (Top Lawyers Award Gala by Finmedia)
• Corina Dumitru was named Top Lawyer in Corporate/M&A (Top Lawyers Award Gala by Finmedia)
• Valeriu Mina was named Top Lawyer in Litigation/Arbitration (Top Lawyers Award Gala by Finmedia)
• Vlad Tanase was named Top Lawyer in Real Estate and Construction (Top Lawyers Award Gala by Finmedia)
• Lavinia Ionita-Rasmussen was included among “The 50 Most Influential People in Romania’s Real Estate Market” (Property Forum)

Added new deals to our track record

 In 2021, we were involved in major deals on the Romanian market, assisting the entire spectrum of clients, from Romanian entrepreneurs to large international corporations, including:

• AAylex Group, one of the leading Romanian players in the food industry – in relation to complex finance and corporate aspects regarding the Group’s expansion and business consolidation in Romania
• DKV, the market leader in Europe in providing cash-free service en route to the transport business – in the acquisition of Smart Diesel
• Globalworth, a major real estate investment company – in the acquisition of industrial projects IPW Arad and IPW Oradea
• CTP, the largest owner of industrial and logistics parks in the CEE region – in the listing on Euronext
• Purolite, the world leader in resin technologies – in connection with its acquisition by Ecolab
• BCR, a leading Romanian bank part of ERSTE Group – in the sale of Bucharest Financial Plaza, its former headquarters and a landmark building in Bucharest
• Getin Holding, a Polish financial holding – in the sale of Idea Bank
• Safety Broker, the largest independent insurance broker operating in Romania – in the sale of an 80% stake to Unilink
• Clinica Victoria, a Romanian company active in the dental care and imaging services – in establishing a partnership with EquiLiant Capital

More details on our work can be found here.

Shared our knowledge and expertise

• 34 events organized by NNDKP and dedicated to the Romanian business community
• More than 40 written articles, interviews and briefings prepared by our lawyers and tax consultants on a wide range of topics and published in different international and domestic media outlets or online platforms
• Over 20 legal & tax updates prepared and sent to our subscribers
• Our Linkedin page grew to a strong community of over 5000 followers – we love to keep you informed about what we have been up to and in 2021 we shared more than 180 posts. Thank you for following us!

Continued to support those who need help

“Social distancing” was the term used to define, in fact, “physical distancing”, a measure that has negatively influenced our lives in the past two years. While distancing is useful during pandemic times as a way to protect us and our loved ones, it should be accompanied by “social closeness”. Strengthening the bonds between people and building communities should be a goal for all of us during this period.

In 2021 NNDKP supported the initiatives of: Asociatia Invingem Autismul (“Defeating Autism” Association), MagiCAMP Association, Motivation Romania Foundation (Fundatia Motivation Romania), Fundatia Regala Margareta a Romaniei (The Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation) and SOS Children’s Villages.

See you all in 2022!