The current battle for top lawyers is fierce, with three major companies to operate on the Romanian market shortly: Clifford Chance, Linklaters, and White&Case. Another ten medium and large law firms, all well known locally, are battling on a market with an estimated 30 percent personnel deficit. Badea Clifford Chance’s turnover nearly tripled in 2006 from 2005, up 180 percent. The company currently has 25 Associate Lawyers and five Partners. Salans has a team of 35 Lawyers and three Partners (with Obie Moore as Managing Partner).
Delia Pachiu, Senior Lawyer with Linklaters Miculiti Mihai si Asociatii, one of Romania’s largest law firms and local subsidiary of one of London’s leading law firms, specializing in energy operations, recently left the firm to join White&Case, a leading global law firm. Theodore Cominos, who became Managing Partner of Linklaters Romania in the first half of 2007, recently announced his intention to join the European Ethemba Capital investment fund. Daniel Torscher, Head of the Linklaters office in Bratislava, is slated to replace Cominos. Todd Schollenbarger left Linklaters Romania two years ago to found the White&Case subsidiary in Romania. The business law market was valuated at more than €100 million in 2006, and its main players are Nestor Nestor Dinculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP), Tuca, Zbarcea&Asociatii, Bostina si Asociatii, Linklaters, Musat&Asociatii, and Popovici&Asociatii. Leading London law firms Linklaters, Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Slaughter and May make up the Magic Circle.
