BACIU PARTNERS announced that Ana-Maria Baciu, Managing Partner, has been recognised as “Romania Lawyer of the Year”, becoming the first lawyer active in Romania to ever receive this distinction under the Legal 500 CEE Awards.At the same gala, BACIU PARTNERS was named “CEE IP Firm of the Year”, likewise being the first Romanian business law firm to receive this recognition in the inaugural edition.  “Such awards make consistency visible. They confirm that what is built over time – with courage and determination - can be verified, not merely stated. To me, that remains the strongest form of professional legitimacy” mentioned Ana-Maria Baciu.  Scooping the much-coveted “Lawyer of the Year” award for Romania, Ana-Maria Baciu was also shortlisted in two individual categories: CEE Partner of the Year and IP Lawyer of the Year, being the only lawyer active in Romania nominated across this breadth in the inaugural edition.  “A distinction such as ‘Romania Lawyer of the Year in Romania’ validates one essential thing: trust is not earned in a moment, but through consistency, presence, and the discipline of doing things differently for the direct benefit of the team and clients.

Clifford Chance Badea, the local office of global law firm Clifford Chance, received the Romania Firm of the Year award at the Legal500 Central and Eastern Europe Awards 2025, held last week in Warsaw. The recognition validates legal excellence and professional performance across Central and Eastern Europe, following an independent analysis conducted by the renowned international legal directory Legal500.  Clifford Chance Badea's award adds to the law firm's reputational track record at European level, based on the complexity of transactions advised and the extensive professional experience of its lawyers.  In April, Clifford Chance Badea received, for the second year in a row, the IFLR - National Firm of the Year in Romania award, which validates the quality of legal innovation in multi-jurisdictional transactions.  Daniel Badea, Managing Partner of the Bucharest office, says: "These awards acknowledge almost 20 years of professional excellence, during which we have consolidated our leading position on the Romanian and regional law market, while simultaneously earning the appreciation of the entire global Clifford Chance network." He adds: “The exceptional business context of recent years not only has accelerated opportunities and work schedules for the Bucharest team but has also positioned us at the forefront of strategic projects that will shape Romania’s economic future and our country’s position as regional champion. We continue to work alongside international partners on strategically important projects, bringing together our global know-how and unparalleled local market experience to generate the best business results for our clients, in line with our shared vision for a sustainable future.”  The Bucharest Clifford Chance office is involved (and, in many cases, coordinates multidisciplinary teams) in highly complex multijurisdictional projects.