DOBRINESCU DOBREV SCA
Tel: +40 723 000 497
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.dobrinescudobrev.ro
Most senior representative: Luisiana Dobrinescu, Partner
No. of local partners: 4
No. of lawyers: 12
Offices in Romania: Bucharest
Representative clients include: Macromex, AD Auto Total, Valvis Holding Distribution, Bitdefender, Webuild SPA Group Companies, Romstal Group of Companies, Zone International Trading, Prima Development Group, Fox Com Serv, Vastint Romania.
Partners and heads of practice
Dumitru Dobrev, Partner, Head of the Civil Disputes Resolution DepartmentPractice Areas: Civil Disputes, Environment Law and City Planning
Dumitru has significant experience in private litigation, administrative trials, national and international arbitrage, practicing: property restitution litigation, environment law and city planning, FIDIC regulation, as well as the insolvency matters (as an authorized trustee in bankruptcy since 2006). He is also specialized in intellectual and industrial property, being IP counselor since 2006. Dumitru has obtained a PhD degree from The Institute “Andrei Radulescu” of the Romanian Accademy, and a LLM degree from the Franco-Romanian Institute of International Business Law “Nicolae Titulescu - Henri Capitant”, Universitatea Bucuresti - Universite Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne, 1999-2000.
Luisiana Dobrinescu, Managing Partner, Coordinator of the entire tax practicePractice Areas: VAT, Tax Procedure, Tax Consultancy
Luisiana has a double specialization, being a graduate of both the Law School (Bucharest University) and of the Accounting and Management School (Titu Maiorescu University). She also graduated the Master in Tax Law organized by the Bucharest University and obtained a PhD degree from Law Faculty, West University, on value added tax (VAT). With more than 23 years of experience in tax law, Luisiana specializes in tax consultancy, assistance throughout tax inspections, assistance in challenging the tax assessments and legal representation in court. Luisiana is especially dedicated to VAT and tax proceedings.
Andrada Ples, Tax PartnerPractice Areas: Corporate Income Tax and International Taxation
Andrada is a certified tax consultant, with more than 16 years of expertise in tax advisory services. She has coordinated complex projects, especially in direct taxation field, covering both national and international taxation matters. Her main area of expertise refers to M&A deals as well as other business restructuring projects such as transfer of business, transfer of shares, assessment of permanent establishment risk. Before joining Dobrinescu Dobrev, Andrada worked in a Big4 Company, specializing in M&A projects and international taxation. Afterwards, she worked for tax consultancy companies affiliated to local law firms, covering different areas of taxation, and assisting clients with day-to-day tailored tax advice.
Anamaria Chiru, Tax PartnerPractice Areas: M&A Deals and Administrative Appeals
Anamaria has a professional background in tax advisory since 2012 and she has been a member of the Chamber of Tax Advisors since 2018. Prior to joining the team at Dobrinescu Dobrev in 2020, she gained almost 4 years of experience in direct corporate taxes in a Big Four advisory firm, where she carried out various projects, from tax audits, to complex restructuring projects and to tax advisory during audits from the tax authorities. She has a strong track record in transactional-related tax advice on M&A deals, including transfers of business and exchanges of shares of cross-border nature, capital market transactions, real estate transactions but also assistance during tax audits and administrative appeals.
Iacob Buga, Legal ManagerPractice Area: Tax Litigation
Iacob has been a member of the Bucharest Bar since 2015 and has gained extensive experience so far, including within two Big Four affiliated law firms. He was involved in complex litigation and advisory projects for major local and transnational companies acting in various business areas (e.g. media, energy, financial services, food, tobacco, automotive, pharmaceutical, IT, telecommunications, waste management, etc.), covering various legal areas (e.g. tax law, customs law, administrative law, environmental law, EU law, civil law, consumers protection, data protection, etc.). Throughout those projects, he ensured legal representation of clients during administrative and judicial proceedings (including preliminary ruling proceedings before the CJEU).
Alina-Adriana Arseni, Dispute Resolution & White-Collar Crime ManagerPractice Areas: Business Litigation, White-Collar Crime
Adriana has been a member of the Bucharest Bar since 2011 and has acquired vast expertise in the whitecollar crime field, being involved in large-scale cases dealing with a multitude of charges (e.g. organized crime, corruption, tax evasion, money laundering), including human rights and international judicial cooperation matters. She has also acquired expertise in first-rate litigation pertaining to other business law branches, including civil, administrative, and tax litigation or labor/employment law. Adriana has provided legal assistance and representation in administrative and judicial proceedings covering all procedural phases, for high-rate individuals and legal entities.
List of the most representative projects
Assisted Sarmis Capital, a prominent investment fund, by conducting a comprehensive tax due diligence that offered a detailed analysis of the target company’s tax standing. The firms meticulous approach identified potential tax exposures and strategically aligned with the client’s investment objectives, providing clarity and nsight to drive informed decision-making.
Assisted an IT company in facilitating the smooth exit of a key shareholder, ensuring compliance with corporate and tax regulations throughout the process. The firm’s role involved coordinating with both the departing shareholder and remaining stakeholders to structure a fair and efficient transaction. This strategic assistance safeguarded the company’s continuity and upheld the interests of all parties involved, supporting a seamless transition.
Advised a real estate developer on forming a partnership with a company holding construction land in Bucharest. They presented various structuring options for the partnership, analyzing the associated legal and tax implications to ensure compliance and maximize benefits. After thorough assessment, the firm’s team recommended the optimal approach to support the client’s development goals and secure a successful, tax-efficient collaboration.
Specialist lawyers: Luisiana Dobrinescu, Andrada Alexandra Ples, Anamaria Chiru, Bianca Haraga, Anca Nica.
Real Estate
Providing legal advice to one of the leading banks in Romania regarding the annulment/suspension of zonal regulatory plans (Rom. “PUZ”) in Bucharest. The purpose of the requested opinions was to evaluate the risks of certain loans guaranteed by real estate assets to be built within the areas regulated by the PUZ.
Representing the Bucharest City Hall in a series of high stakes administrative litigation cases.
Providing legal and tax advice and assisting a major Romanian real-estate developer in concluding the sale contracts for apartments with various legal and natural persons.
The firm’s litigation lawyer, successfully defended a public university in a real-estate claim against another major university. The case involved the ownership of auditoriums (including the Aula Magna), laboratories, classrooms, and libraries, with a land area of 9,600 sqm and a built-in area of 18,200 sqm, all within a monument of architecture. The trial lasted nearly five years at the Iasi County Court, and they expect it to continue for at least as long at the higher courts.
Representing clients that had concluded a Pre-Sale Agreement with Nordis in various proceedings leading up to its insolvency aiming to recover the paid amounts.
Specialist Lawyers: Dumitru Dobrev, Oana Toader, Iacob Buga, Alina-Adriana Arseni.
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Representing a major steel producer in complex tax litigation amounting to approx. RON 180 million representing supplementary corporate tax, i.e. challenging the tax assessment issued as a result of a tax inspection of transfer pricing issues and deductibility of expenses.
Representing a well-known wood processing company throughout multiple VAT related court case files and administrative appeals, whose subject-matter concerns tax duties exceeding a total of RON 82.5 million.
Representing several major national distributors of food and non-food products in litigation concerning the challenging of fines and confiscation caused by alleged misdemeanors concerning the RO e-Transport system. The aggregate amount of penalties is of approx. RON 10 million.
Representing the company, dealing with construction works, in tax litigation concerning VAT in the amount of RON 3.5 million. originating from security services, construction and assembling as well as other services related to upgrading the Henri Coanda Airport in Bucharest. The claim was definitively upheld by the High Court.
Representing a beverage company in challenging a tax assessment for supplementary taxable base regarding corporate tax, amounting to approx. RON 17 million. The administrative challenge had partly been upheld by the tax authorities and a re-assessment is expected.
Representing a company acting in the food industry in a tax case-file concerning the tax treatment of royalties originating from the use of a famous brand in the food industry (e.g. rice, beans, canned food). First-instance court upheld their claim.
Specialist lawyers: Luisiana Dobrinescu, Iacob Buga, Alina-Adriana Arseni, Bianca Haraga.
Tax
Advised DontPayFull, a Romanian affiliate marketing company, on the legal and tax framework for initiatives to enhance their online platform's engagement. The firm’s analysis included the legal qualification of proposed operations and their tax implications, covering VAT, corporate tax, and personal income tax. Collaborating closely with the client, they structured strategies that drive user adoption while minimizing legal and tax risks, supporting their growth objectives effectively.
Advised a major company in the scrap metal waste industry on structuring its operations and managing related VAT implications. The assistance involved analyzing complex cross-border transactions and ensuring tax efficiency and compliance.
Provided comprehensive day-to-day legal and tax advisory for AD Auto Total on VAT, corporate tax and personal income tax, ensuring seamless compliance for the client.
Conducted an in-depth VAT review for the client, the largest integrated steel producer in Romania. The firm’s analysis assessed compliance across complex transactions, identified potential VAT risks, and offered strategic recommendations to optimize VAT positioning. This proactive approach helped protect the client’s operations and ensure compliance with VAT regulations.
Assisted two international real estate developers with the VAT refund process in Romania. The services included reviewing their transactions, ensuring compliance with local VAT regulations, and optimizing the refund procedure. The firm’s team worked closely with both developers to navigate the complexities of the process, ensuring timely and accurate refunds while minimizing any potential tax risks.
Specialist lawyers: Luisiana Dobrinescu, Anamaria Chiru, Andrada Alexandra Ples, Filip Iana, Anca Nica.
White Collar Crime
Representing a company within criminal proceedings initiated following a referral made by the tax authorities for failure to pay withholding tax relating to employees’ salaries even though the said salaries had not been paid on account of lack of liquidity.
Representing a former director of a company against tax evasion charges amounting to RON 5 million, following a tax inspection report that led to criminal charges. This case was initiated in 2015 and charges were brought against the client in 2024. This case-files also involves precautionary measures against the defendants.
Providing legal advice to the director of a company who dealt with precautionary measures within criminal proceedings in order to have them lifted following the closing of the criminal case. Also, providing legal advice relating to the status of an asset (a luxury vehicle) belonging to a third party within criminal proceedings.
Representing a leading independent Romanian provider of automation services as an injured party of cybercrime.
Providing legal advice for an IT company regarding criminal law charges originating from a tax report estimating debt in the amount of approx. RON 2.3 million for alleged artificial or fictitious services provided to the company by an American company.
Specialist lawyers: Luisiana Dobrinescu, Alina-Adriana Arseni, Iacob Buga.
