Financial Times: Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații, Third Most Innovative Law Firm in Continental Europe

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”.

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.

For the sixth consecutive year, Romania was represented amongst the elite of the European legal industry, alongside well-known firms such as Freshfields, Allen & Overy, Baker and McKenzie, Linklaters, Ashurst, Garrigues, Slaughter and May, Simmons & Simmons, Hogan Lovells, Uría Menéndez, Skadden Arps and others.

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.

“When I learned that we’d achieved third place in the Non-UK European law firms table, my thoughts went out to all our esteemed clients and competitors – as they have significantly contributed to our getting stronger year after year. My most heartfelt thoughts, however, went to our team of lawyers and staff, to whom we owe what we are today: without them, we would have been just another ordinary law firm,” said Gabriel Zbârcea, Managing Partner at Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații and the firm’s representative at the awards gala in London.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații remained the sole Eastern European independent law firm included in this year’s Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report, scoring highest within the following categories:

• Most Innovative Firms in Corporate Strategy, for joining forces with Grayling, the public affairs firm, to create a new market and service for clients;
• Most Innovative Law Firms in Client Service, for developing a free online tool – www.noulcodcivil.ro – to navigate the changes brought about by the new civil code in Romania;
• Most Innovative Law Firms in Dispute Resolution, for unblocking Romania’s largest foreign direct investment, worth $4 billion;
• Most Innovative Firms in Private Client Work, for ensuring Putna Monastery, a World Heritage Site, won its controversial dispute with the Romanian state.

Based on its total report score, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații also made the awards shortlist in two categories, the Most Innovative Law Firm in Continental Europe and Most Innovative Law Firm in Corporate Strategy.

“I felt overwhelmed at the sight of literally hundreds of lawyers gathered in the sumptuous ballroom of the National History Museum. Europe’s most innovative legal minds were there, hoping for the best possible outcome for them and their law firms. I simply cannot describe the joy I felt when our law firm was nominated twice for an award,” said Gabriel Zbârcea of the highly charged night of the awards ceremony.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații was the only independent law firm in Eastern Europe to be ranked among the top 20 places in the FT Law 50 index of the best performers within the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report.

Now in its seventh edition, the report presents a unique analysis of innovation in the legal profession – the only ranking established through an investigation of the innovative ways in which law firms throughout Europe have adapted to the changing market conditions.

The final rankings of the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers 2012 report were based on 600 submissions and more than 500 telephone interviews with senior lawyers and executives conducted during a five-month period . More than 150 legal firms, teams and other organizations participated in the European report this year.

About the 2012 Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report:

The Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report illustrates innovation in the legal industry. Every year, law firms and companies across Europe are invited to put forward submissions for one or more of the categories in the report.
Each submission is then thoroughly assessed by Financial Times journalists for the originality, rationale and impact of the innovation. The law firms are awarded points against key performance indicators and may then be included in the FT Law 50 table, an index of the top 50 performers.

Each submission is judged by expert consultants and knowledgeable observers in the industry. The Financial Times has teamed up with RSG Consulting, a specialist legal research company with 20 years of experience in analyzing the legal profession.

The 2012 Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report was launched on October 4th at the National History Museum, London.

More information on the report is available here.