Ana-Maria Baciu, Managing Partner and Founder of BACIU PARTNERS, has been shortlisted in three categories at the inaugural edition of the Legal 500 CEE Awards 2025: Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year, Romania Lawyer of the Year and CEE Partner of the Year. . .  These nominations mark yet another first-of-its-kind achievement in Ana-Maria Baciu’s impressive career: she is the only lawyer active in Romania to be shortlisted in three highly competitive categories of this much-anticipated awards program dedicated to Central and Eastern European jurisdictions, by the prestigious British publication – securing recognition at both national and regional levels.  The nominations are rooted in her: Two decades of entrepreneurial leadership: founding Romania’s first IP, consumer protection, and gaming law teams within a full-service leading law firm and, later, founding an independent business law firm built on an entrepreneurial spirit and a corporate structure Multi-sector expertise: supporting clients in retail, e-commerce, technology, advertising, media and entertainment, life sciences, and other highly regulated industries Strategic mindset, including by serving in expert roles at various business associations and regulatory bodies “I strongly believe in an approach that blends legal precision, commercial insights, and strategic vision in a way that is distinctive, meaningful, and aligned with each client’s reality.” Ana-Maria recently noted. Ana-Maria’s nominations add to the shortlisting of BACIU PARTNERS for the Intellectual Property Firm of the Year distinction and the shortlisting of Andreea Bende as Intellectual Property Next Generation Partner of the Year.

A multijurisdictional team of Clifford Chance Project Finance lawyers, coordinated from Bucharest, advised lenders UniCredit Bank SA and Garanti BBVA, and UniCredit SpA as Facility Agent and Sustainability Agent, in the signing of a financing agreement for a package of non-recourse loans of up to EUR 60 million equivalent (approx. EUR 56 million and RON 22 million VAT facility) with DRI as borrower.  The agreement is an important milestone for DRI, marking its first internationally led syndicated financing, as well as its first certified green loan and first multi-currency loan. The funds will be used by DRI, the renewables arm of energy group DTEK, for the development of a solar park with an installed capacity of 126 MW in Văcărești, Dâmbovița County.  Clifford Chance assigned an experienced and knowledgeable team to the project, including Nadia Badea, Partner and Head of the Energy Practice in Bucharest, Andreea Șișman (Partner), Loredana Ralea (Partner), Alexandru Achim (Senior Associate), Adelina Seserman (Senior Associate) and Georgiana Cupaș (Lawyer).