Sabev & Partners Law Firm

The firm: Sabev & Partners is a private partnership established in 1998 with the aim of assisting the business activities of local and international companies.

The firm’s core practice is still focused on continuous and comprehensive legal service to corporate clients. Currently, Sabev & Partners advises clients from various industries, such as production and trade in pharmaceuticals, non-ferrous metals, engineering, packaging, public transportation, real estate and construction, commercial properties and golf resort development, renewable energy, IT and electronic payment systems, banking and financial services.

Sabev & Partners is also often engaged by and provides services to Bulgarian state institutions: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Transport, IT & Communications, Financial Supervision Commission, Privatisation and Post-Privatisation Control Agency (now: Public Enterprises and Control Agency), Registry Agency and State Agriculture Fund.

Currently the main team consists of 12 legal experts including partners and associated lawyers, with the additional support of several of-counsels, trainees and administrative staff. Since 2012, the firm has had a second office in the third largest Bulgarian city and its sea capital, Varna.

Areas of practice
Corporate and commercial: establishment of commercial companies, branches and representative offices; preparation of corporate documents; organising and chairing shareholders’ meetings; drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts, financial instruments and security packages; advice and assistance on restructuring and insolvency issues.

M&A: full legal service to local and international clients in relation to mergers and acquisitions, or divestment transactions, including asset, share or going concern deals; legal issues related to public companies, public offering, trading and pledging of securities, licensing of investment companies and brokers, and corporate bond emissions.

Banking/project finance/structured finance: legal advice and assistance in relation to bank or private financing of different types of activities or projects and creation of security over different types of assets.

Projects and PPP: the team has long-term experience in providing legal advice both to privatising authorities and to local and foreign investors in relation to the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, as well as in the field of concessions of both public services and public property.

Public procurement: advising local and international clients on Bulgarian public procurement law and regulations in relation to their participation as candidates in procurement procedures, including legal representation in appeal procedures before the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Supreme Administrative Court; advising local contracting authorities on structuring public procurement procedures and preparation of relevant documents.

Intellectual property: representation of clients in proceedings before the Bulgarian Patent Office, WIPO and EUIPO for the registration of intellectual property rights; representation of clients in court and arbitration proceedings in relation to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Competition: legal advice and representation of clients before the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Supreme Administrative Court in proceedings related to merger control, dominant position and unfair competition.

Litigation/arbitration: representation of clients in court and arbitration proceedings in cases related to commercial contracts, debt collection, bankruptcy (including bank insolvency), intellectual property, protection of competition and EU funding matters.