GRUIA DUFAUT SI ASOCIATII SCA

Address: 28, Hristo Botev, 3rd District, Bucharest, Romania
Tel: +40 21 305 57 57
Fax: +40 21 305 57 58
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Web: www.gruiadufaut.com
Most senior representative: Dana Gruia Dufaut, Managing Partner and Founder
No. of local partners: 3
No. of lawyers: 10
Year founded in Romania: 1991
Offices in Romania: Bucharest
Representative clients include: Groupe Atlantic, FM Logistic, Lagardere Travel Retail

Partners and heads of practice

Dana Gruia‑Dufaut, Founder Partner

Practice Areas: Corporate law, Real Estate, Investments

A pioneer in Romanian corporate business law, she has significantly shaped the local legal landscape over the past 35 years through her extensive expertise in case law, including foreign investments, company acquisitions and restructuring, Greenfield investments, joint venture projects, real estate, and labor law. She is an honorary member of the Paris Bar Association and a member of the Bucharest Bar Association. Recognized as a Knight of the Legion of Honor, Dana also serves as the Counsellor for French citizens abroad in the Romania-Republic of Moldova region.
Cristina Bojica, Partner, Head of the Litigations Department

Practice Areas: Litigation, GDPR, Real Estate, M&A

With over 20 years of experience in business law, Cristina specializes in corporate acquisitions, commercial litigation, and complex legal agreements. She also addresses issues related to energy, corporate governance, and environmental matters, and she represents clients before national courts while maintaining a strong consultancy practice. Cristina holds CIPP/E accreditation in GDPR and oversees the firm's consultancy activities in this area. Additionally, she serves as the vicepresident of the CCIFER.
Teodora Koletsis, Partner, Head of the Public Procurement Department

Practice Areas: Real Estate, Public Procurement, Litigations

Teodora has over 20 years of experience in business law, specializing in public procurement, real estate, corporate acquisitions, and dispute resolution. She represents clients in complex commercial and administrative-tax disputes before Romanian courts, the CJEU, and arbitration courts. She also oversees the firm's public procurement division and holds a recognized certification in this field. Additionally, she is a member of the CCE-R Board.

List of the most representative projects

Corporate and M&A
Handled the legal setup, assessed the legal and fiscal implications, and supported the company in closing its Romanian operations, for a foreign-owned company in Iasi, specializing in automotive lighting equipment manufacturing. This included also drafting the required legal documents (contractual and statutory), assisting in collective bargaining negotiations, and managing the collective dismissal process.
 
Currently assisting a French company in the sale of its controlling interest in a Romanian company specializing in the manufacture of parts and accessories for aircraft. As part of this project, the firm has provided legal advice in the negotiation of pre-contractual documents (including the Memorandum of Understanding) and supported the client during the legal due diligence process conducted by the buyer. Since this is an ongoing project, if the transaction is completed, the firm will continue to assist the client in negotiating the terms and conditions for the transfer of the controlling interest and in drafting the necessary legal documents. Additionally, the firm will provide consultancy to the buyer in  preparing the required documentation for the approval of the foreign direct investment.
 
Currently assisting a French company in negotiating and agreeing on the terms and conditions for the sale of an agricultural undertaking of over 1,500 ha, divided into 4 farms, to a company in Romania.
 
Assistance for the Romanian branch of a French company in the negotiation of the terms and conditions for the sale of an agricultural undertaking exceeding 500ha in Dolj County to a Romanian company.
 
Assistance to a French investor in negotiating the terms and conditions for the sale of a pig farm in Arges County to a Romanian company.
 
Specialist lawyers: Cristina Bojica, Teodora Koletsis, Gabriela Popescu.


Energy and Natural Resources

Provide legal consultancy to a company specialising in energy production for operating SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles) established for the development of renewable energy projects. This company is part of an international group whose business spans the entire oil and gas chain, from the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas to power generation.

Drafting a report on the legal local constraints applicable to a Romanian company that provides marine and logistics services to an offshore Romanian oil and gas company operating an offshore maritime platform located in the Black Sea.

Specialist lawyers: Cristina Bojica, Florin Dogaru.



Competition

Legal consultancy for evaluating the requirements for notifying the Competition Council or obtaining CSEID approval for foreign direct investments (FDI) in M&A transactions managed by the firm. Legal support in preparing the necessary documentation.

Specialist lawyer: Cristina Bojica.



Real Estate

Previously advised FM Logistic, a leading European supply chain services company, in a sale and leaseback transaction of its entire Romanian portfolio totaling 100,000 sqm to CTP, the largest publicly listed owner and developer of industrial and logistics real estate in Europe. Additionally, they are tasked with supervising the management of the relationships established post-transaction.

Provided legal and administrative assistance regarding the real estate holdings of two French property owners in Romania, totalling more than 2 ha of land located in an urban area across six plots. The services included legal procedures for cadastral modifications, such as consolidating the six plots into a single land unit, updating cadastral status, and modifying land boundaries. Additionally, they offered full support for the sale of the real estate to a residential real estate developer. 

Specialist Lawyers: Teodora Koletsis, Gabriela Popescu.



Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Successfully assisted an American client in a commercial dispute with a Londonbased company, arising from a claim initiated in the United States, concerning the enforcement of a guarantee worth over €2.5 million stemming from an alleged breach of contractual obligations.

Successfully assisted clients (French citizens) in a lawsuit against the Policyholders Guarantee Fund, challenging the refusal to pay the damages awarded based on a court ruling issued against an insurance company in insolvency.

Specialist lawyers: Teodora Koletsis, Florin Dogaru.



Tax

Successful representation of an agricultural equipment distributor in a dispute against the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) for the annulment of control measures having imposed additional tax following the reassessment of the company's transfer pricing practices.

Specialist lawyer: Cristina Bojica.



PPP Public Procurement

Assistance provided to the largest telecommunications operator in Romania in matters related to public procurement procedures, including the preparation of bids, participation in award procedures, challenging decisions of contracting authorities before ANAP, CNSC, or national courts, negotiating agreements, and overseeing contract execution.

Provided comprehensive legal assistance to a leading French operator in the travel retail sector, during its participation in public procurement processes in Romania and the Republic of Moldova for the allocation of commercial premises in airports. The support included guidance through tender procedures, which enabled the client to secure commercial premises, such as those in Romania’s main airport in, where a significant investment of €10 million has been earmarked for space development and fit-out projects.

Specialist lawyers: Teodora Koletsis, Florin Dogaru.



Employment

Provided legal assistance to the Romanian branch of a French company specializing in the manufacturing of devices for connecting electrical and electronic wires and cables, during the collective dismissal process. The services included drafting and submitting the necessary notifications to employees’ representatives and the relevant authorities, such as the Inspectorate of Labor and the Employment Agencies in many cities. The team also facilitated communication with employees’ representatives and managed procedural compliance, confirming their formal acknowledgment without objections.

Provided legal support to a parachute manufacturing company, a subsidiary of a larger European group, during its collective negotiation process.

Specialist lawyers: Cristina Bojica, Mihaela Nitu.



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