Schoenherr > Sofia, Bulgaria > Firm Profile

Schoenherr > The Legal 500 Rankings

Bulgaria > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 1

Schoenherr handles mandates across the entire banking and financing legal sector, including on the financing of projects and acquisitions, debt restructuring, derivatives, secured lending, as well as providing expert regulatory advice, such as on the drafting of new legislation. Regulatory expert Tsvetan Krumov leads the practice and clients note that his ‘comprehensive knowledge of banking and financial regulations make him an invaluable partner’. Further names to note are Milena Gabrovska, who often advises banks, insurers and companies, and Kristina Lyubenova, who handles work for investors and financial institutions.

Bulgaria > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

Schoenherr’s corporate capacities are primarily applied in the context of large national and cross-border acquisitions and take overs primarily in the TMT, IT and renewables sectors, where the team employs an interdisciplinary approach to advise on the related regulatory, real estate and finance aspects of deals. Further areas of expertise include private equity investments, reorganisations and day-to-day corporate law support. Alexandra Doytchinova, who specialises in investments and market entries in Bulgaria, corporate restructurings and divestments, and Ilko Stoyanov, who regularly advises investment funds on M&A transactions, are joint practice heads. Katerina Kaloyanova-Toshkova and Stela Pavlova-Kaneva are key contacts in the team and both have extensive experience advising on domestic and international M&A transactions in the telecoms, energy and manufacturing sectors.

Bulgaria > Energy and natural resources Tier 1

Schoenherr is particularly well regarded for its proficiency on international energy projects across the oil and gas, wind, PV and utilities sectors, leveraging the firms cross-European set up to advise both Bulgarian and European companies, governmental and EU bodies on the acquisition, development and implementation of projects. Further areas of expertise include M&A and project financing, regulatory compliance, EU policy and local energy legislation. Dimitar Kairakov and Stefana Tsekova jointly lead the practice, with the former advising energy clients on regulatory and licensing matters and the latter having experience in development of the energy regulatory framework both at the EU and national levels.

Bulgaria > EU and competition Tier 2

Schoenherr is highly regarded for its M&A practice, with the team specialising in merger control clearances for cross-border transactions, often working in collaboration with their other offices across the CEE region. Further activities include ongoing advice to clients on the implementation and testing of compliance programmes and FDI analyses. Ilko Stoyanov specialises in merger clearance proceedings and leads the practice alongside Galina Petkova, who handles contentious mandates, including antitrust investigations and unfair competition disputes.

Bulgaria > Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2

A standout feature of Schoenherr’s healthcare and life sciences practice is its expertise in relation to food and consumer non-food goods legal matters, where the team handles a litany of regulatory, compliance and consumer protection mandates, led by Elena Todorova, who has ‘profound knowledge’ in this field. Next to food business operators and manufacturers, the team also regularly advises healthcare, pharma and R&D companies.

Bulgaria > Intellectual property Tier 2

Schoenherr covers various IP matters, including IP licensing, assignment contracts and franchising, IP aspects of M&A transactions, trade mark, copyright and design matters, with clients in the TMT sector making up a notable portion of the firms client roster. Ventsislav Tomov has extensive experience in this field and provides day-to-day IP advice to the firms prominent clients.

Bulgaria > Projects and PPP Tier 2

Schoenherr’s expertise across the entire lifecycle of infrastructure projects comes to the fore in transport, renewable energy and oil and gas construction projects. The team assists clients on the tender, project finance and construction process, as well as providing advice on various permits and environmental assessments. Jointly leading the practice are energy experts Stefana Tsekova and Alexandra Doytchinova, who handle regulatory matters and M&A respectively.

Bulgaria > Real estate and construction Tier 2

Schoenherr’s broad practice supports both strategic investors with the real estate aspects of their market entry and M&A transactions, while also advising companies across real estate, pharma, retail and energy on green development projects. The team covers property acquisitions, due diligence, lease agreements and ongoing operational advice as part of complex development projects. Dimitar Vlaevsky, who acts for oil and gas clients, real estate developers and construction clients on a range of development projects and transactions, and Elena Todorova, who often handles the real estate aspect of corporate transactions, jointly lead the practice.

Bulgaria > TMT Tier 2

Schoenherr's broad TMT practice has a stellar client roster of international and domestic technology and media companies, e-commerce operators, mobile operators and telecoms providers. The team covers complex M&A transactions, recently in the telecoms space, full-scope legal assistance including regulatory advice, data protection and IP support. Practice head Ilko Stoyanov and is a specialist in M&A and PE transactions. Marin Demirev is another key contact and focuses on regulatory matters.

Bulgaria > Transport (including shipping) Tier 2

International and domestic transport and logistics clients benefit from the multidisciplinary advisory approach that Schoenherr adopts, for full scope advice on major transport, logistics and infrastructure projects. The team offers corporate, financing, regulatory and disputes support to clients active in the bike manufacturing, automotive, railway and aviation industries. Regulatory expert Stefana Tsekova leads the team and is well versed in public procurement and project financing.

Bulgaria > Dispute resolution Tier 3

Schoenherr covers a broad range of litigation matters, including advice during commercial, insolvency, competition, public procurement, IP and trade marks and employment disputes, and provides assistance on debt collection mandates. Practice head Dimitar Vlaevsky is experienced in both litigation and arbitration proceedings related to insolvency and restructuring, alongside co-practice head Ventsislav Tomov, whose recent work has included patent and trade mark disputes. Hristo Hadzhiiliev joined the team in January 2024 from Dimitrov, Petrov & Co.