During the annual FT Innovative Lawyers Awards gala, which took place in London at the end of last week, the Financial Times newspaper launched the 2012 edition of its Innovative Lawyers report, in the presence of more than 400 lawyers and in-house counsels from law firms and leading companies across Europe. Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații came third in the Most Innovative Non-UK European Law Firms table. With a score of 54 points, Romania claimed a place on the podium alongside Garrigues (70 points) and Uría Menéndez (59 points). The Romanian independent law firm outdid 12 other well-known international law firms from Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands: Cuatrecasas, Portolano Cavallo, Gide Loyrette Nouel, Noerr, Houthoff Buruma, NCTM, Gómez-Acebo y Pombo, and NautaDutilh. In the words of the 2012 Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report, “forward-thinking client services to help businesses invest and grow in this developing market keep Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații fresh”.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații today launched the 2012 edition of the Employment Guidebook, a reference tool providing valuable information on the applicable labour and employment regulations in Romania. The Employment Guidebook is written in English and distributed exclusively in electronic format. It was authored by a team of expert labour and employment lawyers coordinated by Șerban Pâslaru, Partner, and Mihai Anghel, Senior Associate.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații acted for Passavant Roediger GmbH in challenging the award of a EUR 11 million works contract for the rehabilitation of Roman treatment plant located in the north-western part of Romania. In an irrevocable decision obtained by Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații, the Bacău Court of Appeal approved the complaint filed by Passavant Roediger GmbH challenging the award of a works contract as part of a public procurement procedure conducted by a public water supply and sewerage company, Compania Județeană Apa Serv Neamț SA.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații has made the shortlist for The Lawyer European Awards. This year’s event sees 88 independent and international law firms competing for 19 trophies. Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații has picked up two nominations for the “Law Firm of the Year: Romania” and the “European Managing Partner of the Year” awards, the winners of which will be announced at the annual ceremony hosted by The Lawyer magazine, the market-leading media brand for commercial lawyers and in-house counsel.

The firm’s financing work in H1/2012 outstripped the level reached in the same period of last year. Recently concluded loan facility agreements were secured for Olympus Diary, Carrefour Property, Espe Energia and Transelectrica. Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații’s finance team has successfully concluded loan facility agreements worth EUR 115 million in the past five months. The firm’s lawyers also took the lead role in advising on several complex restructuring projects of existing loan facilities, especially in the area of real estate.