BOYANOV & Co. is pleased to announce the creation of LNI OASIS, a new network of leading law firms in over 50 countries and covering more than 60 jurisdictions. This will make it one of the larger legal networks comprising in total over 5,000 legal professionals and represented in 135 cities.

BOYANOV & Co. is the member in Bulgaria.

LNI OASIS results from the merger of two long established networks, Legal Network International and OASIS (LNI for 23 years and OASIS for 37 years).

The merger combines the global reach of LNI with the strength of OASIS in Central and Eastern Europe. Members from all over the Americas, Asia and Europe recently came together for a joint conference in Istanbul, long seen as the bridge between East and West. Although the network is now very well represented throughout the world, getting top tier member firms in Australia and South Africa is a key priority, and the expanded coverage should assist that.

This merger of two networks is thought to be an unusual event, and may result in other networks considering the benefits to be obtained from such consolidation. 

Increasing globalisation means domestic law firms must demonstrate the capability to support their clients worldwide. BOYANOV & Co. welcomes this merger as membership of this vigorous and effective network will enhance its ability to carry out cross-border matters in various fields of law.

BOYANOV & Co. represented The Luxembourg Acquisition Company S.à r.l. in the merger control procedure related to the acquisition of sole control over the undertakings Axis Retail N.V., the Netherlands Antilles, and Borovets Invest B.V., the Netherlands. Axis Retail N.V. through its Bulgarian subsidiary is the operator of Technomarket – the leading retail chain for consumer electronics, office equipment, telecommunications and IT products in Bulgaria.

The Luxembourg Acquisition Company S.à r.l., Luxembourg, is ultimately controlled by the Ministry of Finance of the Sultanate of Oman, via the State General Reserve Fund of Oman. Since 2009 the Sultanate of Oman, via the State General Reserve Fund of Oman holds a minority interest in the Corporate Commercial Bank, Sofia.

BOYANOV & Co.’s team was led by the partner Peter Petrov.

BOYANOV & Co., acting on behalf of Post acht Beteiligungs GmbH, successfully obtained clearance for the concentration resulting from the acquisition of sole control by Post acht Beteiligungs GmbH, Austria over M&BM Express OOD, Bulgaria – a local privately-owned postal services operator, providing a full range of mail and parcel services, including hybrid-mail.

Post acht Beteiligungs GmbH is a wholly indirect subsidiary of Österreichische Post Aktiengesellschaft, which is the Austrian state-owned postal operator and the leading provider of mail shipping services in Austria.

The transaction was unconditionally cleared by the Bulgarian competition authority by a decision dated April 24, 2012.

BOYANOV & Co.’s team on the case was led by the partner Peter Petrov.

BOYANOV & Co. was ranked first by the reputable legal directory The European Legal 500, 2012 edition in eight practice areas researched in Bulgaria. Boyanov & Co. was rated a first tier law firm in Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate and M&A, EU and Competition, Privatisation, PPP and Foreign Investment, Projects, Energy and Natural Resources, Real Estate and Construction and TMT. For more information, please visit http://www.legal500.com/c/bulgaria/.

BOYANOV & Co. was again ranked first by Chambers Global 2012 in the General Business Law practice area in Bulgaria. Chambers Global 2012’s commentary on BOYANOV & Co. is the following:

Market observers praise managing partner Borislav Boyanov for his “exceptional skills” and describe him as “one of the best in Bulgaria”. He focuses on corporate mandates and has excellent knowledge of cross-border transactions, especially in South Eastern Europe. He is also the co-chair of the SEE Legal Group. Sources single out Damian Simeonov as a “thorough and sensible adviser” . He is highly rated for his expertise in the fields of banking and finance and TMT. He advised UBS on the restructuring of a USD40 million security granted to the bank for a loan facility to a local metals company. Alexander Chatalbashev is “commercially minded and a deal maker”, say sources. Peers regard him highly for his work in the energy sector, but he is also active in financial markets law. Yordan Naydenov leads the M&A and corporate department and is praised as an “extremely business-oriented and attentive adviser”. He leads the team advising the Bulgarian government on the privatisation of Bulgartabac, in a headline deal. Svetlina Kortenska’s practice covers a range of fields, including corporate, energy and especially banking law. Peers highlight her “great attention to detail”.

BOYANOV & Co. successfully represented Ideal Standard-Vidima AD, a leading manufacturer of bath and kitchen products, in a tax litigation exceeding BGN 1.1 million. The complex case, involving interpretation of legislative provisions and application of ECJ established principles in taxation, ended by a decision entirely favouring the position of our client.

Boyanov & Co. represented Elsevier Properties S.A. and the Reed Exhibitions entities (“the Client”) in an infringement case against a Bulgarian tour-operator and a TIDS accredited travel agent, the main business activity of which is travel booking and accommodation. In promoting the services it offers, the Bulgarian entity has been listing on its websites events organised and conducted by the Client using the latter’s corresponding registered trademarks without the consent of the Client, thus infringing its rights. That unauthorised use of the trademarks was discontinued due to the successful interference of Boyanov & Co. Rossiza Marinova, Natasha Andreeva and Kina Chuturkova contributed towards the successful completion of the case.

Boyanov & Co. advises Titan Machinery on the acquisition of assets and the assumption of certain liabilities of Rimex 1 Holding EAD (a recognised Bulgarian dealer of agricultural equipment). The deal was closed on 05.03.3012. Following the acquisition, Titan Machinery will operate through 7 dealership locations in Bulgaria – Sofia, Dobrich, Burgas, Pleven, Ruse, Montana, and Stara Zagora. Titan Machinery is a publicly traded company (TITN (NASDAQ)) and operates a network consisting of 91 North American dealerships in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Wisconsin, as well as 9 European dealerships in Romania and Bulgaria.

Peter Christianson, Titan Machinery’s President and Chief Operating Officer, stated Titan was confident that its presence in Bulgaria will contribute to Titan’s top and bottom line growth. Titan will utilise its proven Titan Operating Model to the new dealerships, which, in his words, are strategically located throughout the country and will help Titan grow its international footprint.

Boyanov & Co. is delighted to announce that the first edition of the South East Europe Energy Guide 2012 is now available for download under the Insight section on the website as well as under the Publications section on the SEE Legal website – http://www.seelegal.org/.

The Bulgarian chapter on SEE Energy Guide 2012, 1^st edition, published by SEE Legal in January 2012 and contributed by Alexander Chatalbashev (Partner) and Angel Angelov (Associate), highlights all the important aspects in the Bulgarian energy sector, such as market structures, licensing, price regulations, access to the grid, etc. The book serves its main purpose to raise readers’ attention as to the complexity of energy legislation and assist them in identifying the issues that might influence investment and business development decisions.

Boyanov & Co. hopes that this practical guide will prove to be a helpful desk-book resource for in-house counsels, industry professionals and law firm practitioners in dealing with the complex and highly regulated energy sector relations in Bulgaria as well as in the rest of the jurisdictions of South East Europe.

Boyanov & Co. represented Doka, a worldwide producer and supplier of advanced construction formwork, based in Austria, in a proceeding before the Commission for the Protection of Competition, brought by a major international competitor, on allegations of unfair competitive practices and on know-how related grounds.

By a decision of December 8, 2011 the competition authority rejected all allegations, sharing Doka’s position that its behaviour was fully in line with fair competition and in compliance with the law.