Corporate & M&A
Buying or selling a business, bringing in an investor or agreeing a joint venture. We check the legal position, negotiate the terms and support signing and completion.
Corporate & M&A servicesBUSINESS OWNERS · INVESTORS · ROMANIA
Experienced legal advice. Close to your business.
First Principle advises business owners and investors on buying and selling businesses, property transactions, commercial contracts and disputes. Get help with a single matter or ongoing legal support for your business.
Legal work is led by Șerban George Patriciu, a lawyer with 30 years of experience. The work and fees are agreed before we begin.
30 years of experience ↗
Partner-level experience in corporate transactions and real estate. Former partner in the local office operating in alliance with White & Case; former head of real estate in Romania at Noerr.
Legal work led by Șerban George Patriciu
Romanian & English
01 / Services
For your business and investments.
Buying a business, investing in property or dealing with contracts as your business grows. First Principle provides advice, prepares documents and negotiates on your behalf, for a single matter or an ongoing relationship.
Real estate
Buying, selling or developing property, leasing premises or financing a project. Advice on legal checks, contracts and negotiations throughout the investment.
Buying and selling propertyThe full service range
Explore the work First Principle can help with. Individuals are also welcome for property, contractual and civil matters.
01
Corporate & M&A
- Business acquisitions and disposals
- Share and asset purchase agreements
- Legal due diligence and transaction structuring
- Shareholder agreements and joint ventures
- Company formation, mergers and reorganisations
02
Property transactions
- Acquisitions and disposals
- Legal due diligence and title checks
- Reservation and preliminary agreements
- Sale agreements and completion
- Property portfolios
03
Commercial contracts
- Service and consultancy agreements
- Supply, distribution and agency contracts
- Confidentiality agreements
- Terms, amendments and termination
- Contract negotiation and legal opinions
04
Civil and commercial litigation
- Contract claims and defence
- Unpaid debts and damages
- Property, title and cadastral disputes
- Settlement negotiations
- Court proceedings, appeals and enforcement
05
Land and development
- Land assembly and project acquisitions
- Access, easements and infrastructure
- Planning and permitting
- Development agreements
- Project legal support
06
Construction
- Construction and fit-out contracts
- FIDIC contracts
- Payments and project milestones
- Variations, delays and defects
- Notices and contractual claims
07
Leasing and asset management
- Office, retail and logistics leases
- Lease review and negotiation
- Renewal, relocation and exit
- Landlord and tenant obligations
- Ongoing property contracts
08
Finance and security
- Property finance and refinancing
- Loan and facility agreements
- Mortgages, guarantees and security
- Conditions for drawdown and releases
- Sale and leaseback structures
09
Ongoing legal advice
- Day-to-day business questions
- Advice before signing or committing
- Contract support as matters arise
- Legal notices and correspondence
- Agreed monthly advisory support
02 / Experience
Experience in M&A and real estate.
Business acquisitions, private equity investments and corporate reorganisations, alongside a deep record in property transactions, development and financing. Experience that informs the decisions facing business owners and investors.
Explore the experience by type
Open a category to see the mandates and the work involved.
01Corporate & M&ABusiness acquisitions across retail, healthcare, software and industry.6 entries
Acquisition of a national grocery chain
Advice to a European private-equity investor on the acquisition of a major Romanian grocery retailer.
€533mAnnounced equity value · 2016
Acquisition of a DIY retail chain
Advice to an international home-improvement group on acquiring a Romanian DIY store network.
Acquisition of a private healthcare network
Advice to a European private-equity investor on the acquisition of a Romanian medical-services business.
Proposed acquisition in the brewing sector
Advice on an attempted acquisition by a private-equity investor. This was a proposed transaction, not a completed acquisition.
Acquisition in the software sector
Advice to an IT business on the acquisition of a software company.
Acquisition of a building-materials producer
Advice to an international building-materials group on the acquisition of a Romanian producer from an investment fund.
02Property acquisitions & disposalsOffices, healthcare properties, investment portfolios and development land.12 entries
Office-building acquisitions
Advice to an international foundation on office acquisitions in Bucharest and due diligence for further investments.
Sale of a heritage property
Advice to an investment fund on the sale of a Bucharest property classified as a historical monument to retail and property investors.
Sale of a large development site
Advice to an investment fund on the disposal of a large landholding in the northern Bucharest metropolitan area.
Sale of an office park
Advice to an investment fund on the disposal of a business park in the Bucharest metropolitan area.
Disposal of a development-land portfolio
Assistance to a bank-related property portfolio owner on multiple land disposals in Romania, including sales to a major DIY retailer.
Land acquisitions for a greenfield industrial investment
Advice to an international chemicals group on acquiring sites in two Romanian counties for a major industrial development.
Sale of a headquarters and warehouse property
Advice to a pharmaceutical distributor on the sale of its former Bucharest headquarters and associated warehouses to a property investor.
23,000 m²Property area
Land and property investment acquisitions
Advice to an investment group on multiple property acquisitions in the northern Bucharest metropolitan area.
Acquisition of two office buildings
Advice to a property investor on the acquisition of two Bucharest office assets.
Office acquisition for an industrial business
Advice to an aluminium producer on acquiring an office building in Bucharest.
Acquisition of a building converted into a hospital
Advice to an international healthcare operator on acquiring an office property converted into a hospital in Bucharest.
Acquisition of an industrial landholding
Advice to a property investment group on acquiring land from a Romanian industrial company.
03Office, retail & logistics leasingLandlord and occupier mandates, lease negotiations and relocations.10 entries
Office-park leasing to multinational occupiers
Negotiation of leases with occupiers in automotive, tyres, beverages, electronics, insurance, customer support, agriculture, convenience retail, logistics and heating equipment.
Leasing in a central Bucharest office development
Lease negotiations for an international developer with pharmaceutical and vehicle-leasing businesses.
Office leases across energy, finance and professional services
Negotiation of leases in a Bucharest office tower with energy, banking, audit, insurance, technology consulting and software businesses.
Office leases for investment, technology and media businesses
Lease negotiations with investment funds and managers, a bank, information-services, software and broadcasting businesses.
Office leases in the electricity sector
Negotiation of office leases with electricity-transmission and related telecommunications businesses.
Leases for legal services and interior design
Lease negotiations in a Bucharest property with an international law firm and a furniture and interior-design business.
Office lease for an international consumer-goods group
Assistance with the office lease of an international tobacco-sector business in Bucharest.
Leasing across two office properties
Lease negotiations with household-appliance, electrical-equipment and construction businesses.
Headquarters and warehouse relocations
Advice to an international parcel-delivery and logistics operator on headquarters and warehouse leases and relocations in Bucharest and Timișoara.
Shopping-centre leasing
Negotiation of leases with international fashion groups, department-store, cinema and electronics operators in a major regional shopping centre.
04Development & constructionOffices, shopping centres, residential schemes, logistics and retail expansion.14 entries
Office development for an international construction group
Legal assistance on an office-building development in a regional Romanian city.
Major Bucharest office development
Advice to an international property developer on the development of a central Bucharest office project.
Development and operation of a regional shopping centre
Legal assistance to an international property investor on development, construction and operation, with related financing, leasing and coordination of court claims.
Office-park and residential development
Advice to an investment fund on the construction, development and operation of office and residential projects in the Bucharest metropolitan area.
Logistics development in north-western Romania
Legal assistance to an international property investor on a logistics development.
Logistics development in central Romania
Legal assistance to an international investment group on a logistics development.
Expansion of a discount-retail network
Advice to an international retail group on property investments and developments for the expansion of its Romanian store network.
Multi-city commercial and residential portfolio
Advice on financing, development, construction, operation, sales and leasing across shopping, commercial and residential projects in Constanța, Arad, Brăila, Satu Mare, Huși, Marghita and Iași.
Large residential development in Bucharest
Assistance to a residential developer and investors on financing, development and sales within a Bucharest residential project.
Residential development in the Bucharest metropolitan area
Legal assistance to a property developer on a residential scheme outside Bucharest.
Residential and office development portfolio
Legal assistance to a property group on multiple residential and office projects in Bucharest.
Warehouse development
Legal assistance to a Romanian developer on a warehouse property project.
Construction and real-estate contracting
In-house legal work for a major Romanian contractor, negotiating and implementing real-estate and construction contracts, including FIDIC-based arrangements.
€100m+Aggregate contract value across mandates
Construction business and investor negotiations
Advice to Romanian construction businesses on legal matters arising from their operations and negotiations with potential investors.
05Finance & capital marketsProperty finance, syndicated facilities, loan portfolios and a London listing.7 entries
Office-park financing and refinancing
Advice to a property investment fund on multiple financing and refinancing arrangements for a Bucharest-area office park.
Residential-development financing
Legal assistance to an investment fund on financing a residential development in the Bucharest metropolitan area.
Refinancing of syndicated facilities
Advice to an international foundation on the refinancing of two syndicated facilities.
2Syndicated facilities
Hotel sale and leaseback
Assistance to a real-estate financing business on a hotel sale-and-leaseback transaction in Bucharest.
Disposal of non-performing consumer loans
Advice to a Romanian bank on the sale of a non-performing consumer-loan portfolio.
Tens of millions of eurosIndicative scale; exact sale price not stated
Financing and treasury transactions for an industrial group
More than five years of assistance to an aluminium-industry group, including loans, factoring, swaps and hedging.
Hundreds of millions of eurosAggregate across financial transactions
London IPO and international syndicated lending
Assistance to an international metals group with its London Stock Exchange IPO and the negotiation of several international syndicated loan facilities.
Hundreds of millions of eurosAggregate financing scale; not an IPO valuation
06Privatisations & restructuringIndustrial asset sales, corporate reorganisations and distressed-property mandates.5 entries
Privatisation and asset-sale process for a chemical plant
Title analysis, legal structuring of property allocation across nine technological asset bundles and preparation of transaction documents for a major Romanian chemical plant.
9Asset bundles within the sale process
Privatisations and merger in the aluminium sector
Assistance in the privatisation of three aluminium-industry businesses, a subsequent merger and continuing corporate matters.
Cross-border property-company reorganisation
Advice to an investor on a multi-jurisdiction restructuring aimed at acquiring control of a Romanian property company and disposing of participations and other assets.
Distressed assets, settlements and security enforcement
Advice to an international banking group on asset disposals, negotiated settlements, enforcement of security, insolvency proceedings and coordination of court claims.
Privatisation process in inland waterway transport
Assistance to a transport group in a privatisation process involving a Serbian state-owned inland waterway operator.
07Asset operations, disputes & regulationOperating property portfolios, construction claims and sector-specific legal work.4 entries
Operation of an office-property portfolio
Advice to a bank-related property owner on the operation and letting of three Bucharest office buildings.
Contractor claims on infrastructure projects
Assistance to a national roads authority in defending claims under infrastructure construction agreements.
Legal support for healthcare expansion
Advice to an international healthcare operator on Romanian expansion, including property investments, regulatory and employment matters.
Banking legislation and European alignment
As in-house counsel to Romania’s central bank, legal assistance on banking regulation and participation in negotiations with the European Central Bank on alignment with the EU banking acquis.
Figures describe transaction, portfolio or contract values—not legal fees. Aggregates cover several matters and are not added together. Areas and facility counts are labelled separately. The same project may appear under different types of work.
Where a reliable value is not available, none is stated.
03 / How we work
One matter or a continuing relationship.
Ask about the issue in front of you. First Principle can handle one matter, support a transaction or work with your business on an ongoing basis.
- 01
Send a short message.
Your email and a few words are enough. We will ask for the details we need.
- 02
Agree the work and fee.
We explain how we can help, what the work includes and what it costs. You decide whether to go ahead.
- 03
Work with First Principle.
We handle the agreed work and explain the decisions and next steps as the matter develops.
Legal work starts once the engagement and fees are agreed.
A FIRST PRINCIPLE service
LA RECE
RON 500VAT included · Fixed price
You love the apartment. What do the documents say?
Before buying an apartment in Romania, get a defined legal check of the documents. The report explains identified risks, their consequences and recommended action—including when the recommendation is not to proceed.
First Principle provides LA RECE. Every report is reviewed and approved by Șerban George Patriciu as head of practice.
Explore LA RECEThe fee covers the defined apartment check. Negotiation, additional advice, litigation and the full purchase process are not included.
04 / Leadership
Experience behind the practice.
First Principle is led by Șerban George Patriciu, a lawyer with 30 years of experience in corporate and M&A matters, real estate and commercial work. His career includes partnership in the local office operating in alliance with White & Case and leading the real estate practice in Romania at Noerr.
First Principle brings that experience to the decisions facing business owners and investors. Corporate/M&A and real estate are the main strengths of a broader practice covering commercial contracts, ongoing advice and disputes. The aim is continuity: legal advice that stays connected to your business as it develops.
First principles, in practice.
- Establish the facts.
- Identify what can change the decision.
- Explain the options and next steps.
First Principle uses AI in research, document review and workflow to reduce routine process and focus legal work on judgment. Legal work is reviewed under the direction of Șerban George Patriciu.
05 / Fees
Know what the work will cost.
A fixed fee
An agreed price for clearly defined work, so you know the fee before we begin.
Priced stages
For transactions and disputes, agree the work and fee for each stage before it starts.
Hourly, where appropriate
For work whose extent cannot be defined at the outset, at a rate agreed in advance.
For regular advice, we can agree a monthly fee covering the work and availability you need. Work outside that arrangement is discussed and priced separately.
Get in touchPractical questions
Before you get in touch.
Who does First Principle work with?
First Principle works with business owners, entrepreneurs and investors, including foreign businesses operating in Romania. Individuals are also welcome for property, contractual and civil matters.
Can First Principle help with buying or selling a business?
Yes. Corporate and M&A work is a core part of the practice. First Principle advises buyers, sellers, investors and shareholders on due diligence, transaction structure, acquisition agreements, negotiations and completion.
Can First Principle help with everyday business contracts?
Yes. First Principle drafts, reviews and negotiates commercial agreements, including service, supply, consultancy and confidentiality contracts. The advice connects the wording to how your business actually works.
Can First Principle help with a contract already signed?
Yes. A review can clarify the obligations, options and next steps. What can be done depends on the contract and circumstances; changing its terms or resolving a dispute is not guaranteed.
Can First Principle provide ongoing legal support?
Yes. First Principle can support recurring business questions, contracts, company decisions and legal correspondence. The scope, availability and monthly fee are agreed around your needs. Larger transactions or disputes can be scoped separately.
How is the fee established?
The proposal is based on the work, documents, deliverables and complexity. It may be a fixed fee, separately priced stages or agreed hourly work. Additional work needs a separate agreement.
Can First Principle represent me in a civil or commercial dispute?
Yes. First Principle can assess claims and defences, advise on settlement and provide court representation within an agreed scope. Describe the dispute, the stage reached and any known deadline.
Who handles the work?
First Principle provides the agreed legal assistance. Șerban George Patriciu leads the practice and oversees the legal work. Responsibilities and any need for specialist input are defined in the engagement.
What information is needed for a proposal?
Your email and a short message are enough to start. You do not need to choose a service or prepare documents. First Principle will ask for any further details needed to assess the work.
Contact
Let’s talk.
Send a short outline. First Principle will reply to clarify how we can help and explain the next step.
Or email First Principleserban@firstprinciple.ro
Bucharest · Working across Romania
Romanian & English