Professional notice
The breakaway boutique in Bucharest is handling big work for Enel
| Pending cases as counsel | 9 |
|---|---|
| Value of pending counsel work | US$707.5 million |
| Treaty cases | 0 |
| Current arbitrator appointments | 10 (of which 0 is as sole or chair) |
| Lawyers sitting as arbitrator | 1 |
NEW IN 2017. Suciu Popa was founded in early 2016 when two longstanding partners at Romanian firm Muşat & Asociaţii, head of international arbitration Luminita Popa and M&A and energy specialist Miruna Suciu, broke away to set up their own shop.
Popa had played a central role in developing the arbitration practice at Muşat over more than a decade, earning that firm a place in previous editions of the GAR 100. She has brought a team with her, including partner Madalina Berechet, and the fledgling practice already has a busy portfolio of cases.
One of the firm’s most eye-catching results was for Enel in July 2016, in a matter that Popa brought with her from Muşat. She helped the Italian energy firm defeat a US$1.2 billion ICC claim brought by the Romanian government for alleged breaches of a privatisation agreement for the country’s national power company.
Together with Clifford Chance, Suciu Popa has also been acting for Enel in an ICC case against a Romanian state entity concerning a put-option clause in the same contract, which ended in February 2017 with an award requiring the Italian group to pay €401 million to honour a put-option clause. Romania had argued the disputed shares were worth more than €522 million.
Other clients of note include SAB Miller, Engie, logistics company TNT, Muller Dairy, Swiss pharmaceuticals firm Roche and Carlyle Group. French engineering group Colas is using the firm on various matters, including a US$22 million ICC claim against Romania arising out of a project to perform major upgrades on the country’s roads.
Suciu Popa has been established in February 2016 by Miruna Suciu and Luminita Popa, two recognized practitioners with over 16 years of experience in international transactional practice and international disputes. A full-service law firm, Suciu Popa has a prominent international arbitration practice, with a strong track record of successful awards in complex international arbitration proceedings governed by the rules of ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, LCIA.
Suciu Popa provides full legal services in the area of dispute resolution, being a law firm of choice for global players and leading local companies for international or domestic dispute resolution.
Our dedicated international arbitration team is working on a significant number of energy & natural resources disputes, as well as cases involving complex construction and real estate contracts, infrastructure projects, M&A disputes, international commercial agreements and bilateral investment treaties.
As a specific highlight, the firm has secured a fully successful award for a worldwide leading utility company in the largest ICC arbitration case involving the Romanian market (exceeding USD 1.2 billion).
The firm is recognized by its clients in international arbitration as “very experienced and with an impressive flow of work”, while “great strategist” Luminita Popa is hailed as “the best in Romania for international arbitration”. (Source: Legal 500, 2017)
Suciu Popa is ranked as top tier firm in Legal 500 EMEA, IFLR 1000 Financial and Corporate and in Chambers & Partners, in areas such as Dispute Resolution, Energy & Natural Resources, Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions, PPP and Public Procurement, with Luminita Popa being also ranked in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration - Future Leaders 2017 and Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2018.