We have some wonderful, but also some ill-conceived laws

Georgiev, Todorov & Co. was founded in 1991. It was one of the first Bulgarian private law firms, and currently it is among the largest in our country, employing lawyers who provide excellent legal services. The firm's successful practice places it in leading positions in the legal representation field of the country. Key expert sectors for this law firm are corporate and commercial law, with emphasis on foreign investments in the financial sector, energy, real estate and telecommunications.

Since its establishment, the company has gained considerable international experience. The law firm is recognized in all international legal directories as one of the best in Bulgaria in many sectors. Two of the most renowned legal directories - Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 - have repeatedly ranked it in first place and recommend it as a leader in the field of legal representation.

The company has advised a number of respected clients, one of the most significant being Microsoft Corporation, which twice nominated Georgiev, Todorov & Co. as its best legal consultant outside the USA. The firm’s lawyers are excellent experts in each of their specialized sectors.

Georgiev, Todorov & Co. is the only Bulgarian representative in the Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW) international organization, which has members from over a hundred countries. The company is also a member of the Vogel Global Competition Network. Therefore, it has access to a rich information network, which enables contact with leading law firms around the world in cases involving an international element.

We present you the "Big Five" of Georgiev, Todorov & Co. - proven professionals who have chosen law as their mission and vocation: Prof. Ivan Todorov - founder and senior partner, Nikolay Lazarov - managing partner, Alexander Pachamanov, Arno Mamasyan and Miglena Peneva – senior partners.

Prof. Ivan Todorov is a founder and senior partner at Georgiev, Todorov & Co. law firm. He specialized in the University of South Carolina before he was bestowed the status of an honorary citizen of the city of Columbia, the state capital of South Carolina, USA. He also specialized in the governmental Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship in Tokyo. He was a member and rapporteur of the commission for drafting the Bulgarian Code of Administrative Procedure (APC). He was also an initiator and member of the working group that prepared a project for changes in the APC in 2016-2018. In 2022, Prof. Todorov was distinguished by the Bulgarian Supreme Court for his significant contribution to the development of legislation in the field of administrative law and procedure. He oversaw some of the most significant administrative procedures in Bulgaria and the court cases related to them, such as the privatization of BMF and BTC, the licensing of the second and third GSM operators, the national licensing of Nova TV, the concessions of Varna Airport and Burgas Airport, the privatization of NU Boyana Film Studios. He initiated six cases in the Bulgarian Constitutional Court and successfully participated in some of the most significant international arbitration cases, as well as court cases abroad and in the Court of Justice of the EU. He is a board member of the Association of Honorary Consuls. The independent international legal directories Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 have ranked him as a leading lawyer for years. Prof. Ivan Todorov was also granted the right to a European patent for an invention of his.

AREAS OF ACTIVITY: Administrative law and procedure, banking, mergers and acquisitions, concessions, medical and pharmaceutical law

 

Prof. Todorov, what drew you to law and why did you dedicate yourself to it?

Law provides a great opportunity to combine the richness of language with logical thinking. It embodies the millennia-established rules of society in all areas.

How much is a good name worth? What’s the value behind the Georgiev, Todorov & Co. law firm brand?

When you have won Bulgaria's biggest international arbitration cases, it means that you have proven that you honestly have the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with even the most complex legal problems.

What was the most complicated case that you have dealt with in your practice?

Very difficult question. Perhaps the largest arbitration case for Bulgaria with an interest award of 650 million euros, and also the privatization of BTC. In both cases, we worked with reputable American law firms. In the privatization of BTC, we had to win 17 cases in a row before the supreme courts to protect our client's interests.

Laws are the "toolkit" you work with. But what is the quality of Bulgarian legislation?

Unfortunately, it's not that good. I will give just one example - in the case of public procurement, when the public contract is disputed, the plaintiff does not have any information about the act he is disputing. How could one protect himself in such a case? Some constitutional amendments were not well thought out either. Still, we also have some wonderful laws. Take for instance, the Code of Administrative Procedure (APC). Thanks to it, Bulgaria has the fastest administrative court proceedings in the EU. That's a real achievement!

You are a professor, and if you were consulting on Bulgaria’s judicial reform today, what are the most urgent measures that you would start with?

Something that is not foreseen even in the draft amendments to the Law on Judicial Power – to have real guarantees against information leakages in the selection of junior judges and prosecutors, as well as in the examinations for judges coming from outside the judicial system. It is imperative that these two groups of magistrates are selected only through an anonymous written exam. The promotion of judges and prosecutors should be mainly based on the percentage of confirmed judicial acts on the merits of the case, which would be a much more objective criterion than the ones in existence today.