A group of leading international law firms is lobbing the Bulgarian Government to protect their business in the country, with DLA Piper and CMS Cameron McKenna among firms courting parliament members.
DLA Piper Sofia and Prague managing partner Peter Valert (pictured) met with Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ivaylo Kalfin, last week and the firms have also sent letters to government officials including President Georgi Parvanov.
The response from firms follows complaints made by local advisers to both the Supreme Bar Council of Bulgaria and the country’s competition authorities. The complaints assert that international firms do not comply with the Bulgarian Advocacy Act, which could prevent them from practising in the country under their own name.
However, the targeted firms, which also include Austrian firms CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz and Wolf Theiss, argue that the act itself does not comply with the laws of the European Union (EU), which Bulgaria joined last year.
Valert told Legal Week: “A fundamental part of EU law is that we can practise under our own name in Bulgaria. Under the Advocacy Act, we would have to set up a local partnership. Under EU law we should be able to practise as we are. We are hoping the Bulgarian authorities will see our point of view. All we want is a competitive environment and for clients to have a choice.”
The international firms are now waiting for a response from the local Bar Council and for the competition authorities to call a hearing
on the issue.
Camerons Sofia head David Butts said: “We are hoping to be treated fairly and that we can settle this amicably within Bulgaria and not have to take it elsewhere. This is an attempt to claim unfair competition in a protectionist mode.”
As previously reported by Legal Week, around 15 local firms were behind the complaints, including Bulgaria’s two leading law firms, Borislav Boyanov & Co and Djingov Gouginski Kyutchukov & Velichkov.
