PeliFilip and the domestic offices of DLA Piper and Garrigueswere set up in 2008, at a time when big law firms froze expansionsand started adapting their business to recession.
Fledgling law firms continued to hire lawyers during last yearto build their teams and tried to bite from the legal consultancyslice dominated by 3-4 domestic firms and by a series of foreignfirms present on the market for some time.
The former lawyers of Ion Nestor (NNDKP) had a start as early as2008 and in 2009 managed to provide consultancy under the PeliFilipname in one of the most important deals concluded. "Though welaunched the firm at a difficult moment for the entire businessenvironment, (...) the performance of PeliFilip has been very goodever since the first months and continued with major projects in2009," says Francisc Peli, a partner at the law firm now including31 lawyers.
On the other hand, Marian Dinu, former head of the legaldepartment of Petrom and of the corporate practice of the Bucharestoffice of Britain's Linklaters, is now running the office ofanother foreign firm, DLA Piper, currently employing 21lawyers.
"2009 was a year of intense activity for DLA Piper", Marian Dinuexplains.
Another newly entered firm on the domestic legal services marketwas Spain's Garrigues, which in the summer of 2008 absorbed Mares& Asociatii firm to set up the office of Bucharest, nowincluding 15 lawyers. "Garrigues entered Romania's legal servicesmarket in July 2008 with a clear idea about the economic situationof that time"," says Mihai Mares, a partner with Garrigues who runsthe local office.
Whereas until 2008 most law firms almost exclusively centred onthe M&A area, banking financing, the real estate market, lastyear most firms were forced to develop new law practices, adaptedto the requirements of a falling economy.
Newly set-up firms expanded their lawyer teams last year, sothat in 2010 they target revenue growth of as much as 30%.
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
