Our Team

Our endeavor is to help finding the best legal structure for your business deals.

Rizoiu & Asociații Team

”I LOVE BOOKS, BUT I AM MORE THAN THAT.”

Radu Rizoiu

Partner

+40 727 310 683
radu.rizoiu@rizoiu.ro

Radu is a member of the Bucharest Bar since 1997 and one of the founding partners of Rizoiu & Asociații SCA. Radu has acquired this extensive experience in one of the top 10 law firms in Romania where he worked for almost 16 years reaching the position of Senior Partner.

Radu offers legal advice in various business law areas with a special focus on secured transactions and energy law. He is proficient in structuring complex transactions and drafting project related documentation.

Radu was at the forefront of developing innovative products for structuring secured transactions on the Romanian market since the mid-90s. He advised a syndicate of banks that extended the first significant syndicated loan to the first GSM operator active on the Romanian market.

At the same time he was involved in restructuring the shareholding structure of a major company with a view of protecting the rights of the majority shareholder in a time where corporate governance was finding its way in Romanian law. Radu contributed to several large privatization projects where he assisted the investor in negotiating the terms of the contracts with the State and in performing the due diligence on the target. He offered legal advice to clients in relation to meeting the terms of the post-privatization covenants.

The turn of the millennium found Radu deeply involved in several significant financing projects where he acted either on the lender’s or the borrower’s side. Starting from the mid-2000s, Radu was actively involved in the energy projects in various areas, such as: negotiating bankable energy supply agreements for large industrial consumers, structuring project finance for green energy projects, offering legal support for development of small hydro plants and for several wind projects, structuring the legal foundation for high efficiency cogeneration (CHP) facilities. 

He assisted clients in share deals and asset deals, in corporate mergers and dissolutions, in initiation and structuring of advertising campaigns or in infrastructure and real estate projects. Radu has a good understanding of international projects since he was on secondment for several months in the Toronto office of the Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault, where he was involved in international project financing and energy transactions. Radu has a bachelor degree in law from the Bucharest University and a PhD diploma in Private Law on: “Security interest in personal property. A functional approach” (2010). He is author of an authoritative book on the Romanian legal regime of security interests in personal property, published at Universul Juridic, Bucharest in 2006.

He also published (individually or in partnership) books in the securities field (including a series of comments on the Romanian case law in the security interest field) and in the legal entities field, and over 50 studies, articles and notes. Due to his proficient academic background, Radu was asked to be one of the members of the scholars’ commission in charge of preparing the draft law for the implementation of the New Civil Code. In this capacity, he wrote the sections dealing with commercial contracts (including banking contracts), guarantees and secured transactions.

After contributing to the text of the secured transactions section of the New Civil Code itself, Radu had an extensive work of better shaping the relevant section before full enactment of the Code and adapting all ancillary legislation (including the rules for functioning of the security interests registrar) to give effect of the new regulation.

Also, Radu took part in the drafting of the texts on the securities regime in the new Law on the insolvency prevention and insolvency procedures. Radu is associate professor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, teaching civil law and is a trainer with the National Institute for Magistracy of Romania, in the civil law concerning the relations with professionals field.

Books
  • Security interests in personal property law annotated, Universul juridic ed., Bucharest, 2006, 756 p.;
  • Security interests in personal property. A functional approach, Universul juridic ed., Bucharest, 2011, 771 p., granted with the award “Istrate Micescu” at the SCIENTIFIC AWARDS of the Union of Jurists of Romania, “Titu Maiorescu” Association, the law magazines “Dreptul” and “Palatul de Justiție” for 2011 as well as the prize “Henri Capitant”, awarded in partnership with the “Henri Capitant” Association of Romania and the National Union of Insolvency Practitioners of Romania at the Romanian Private Law Magazine Awards 2011.
Articles
  • Theoretical and practical considerations on the legal rules applying to the security interests in personal property in commercial law (I) (together with Cristiana I. Stoica), published in “Revista de drept comercial” no. 1/2001, pp. 47-68 (22 p.);
  • Theoretical and practical considerations on the legal rules applying to the security interests in personal property in commercial law (II) (together with Cristiana I. Stoica), published in “Revista de drept comercial” no. 2/2001, pp. 67-82 (16 p.);
  • Certain thoughts on legal status of the public property and on criteria of qualifying public assets, published in “Dreptul” no. 9/2001, pp. 58-82 (25 p.);
  • Certain issues on the application of Title VI of Law no. 99/1999 on the legal status of the assignment of debts (together with Răzvan Dincă), published in “Pandectele române” no. 3/2002, p. 243-256 (14 p.);
  • Security interests in contractual rights (together with Răzvan Dincă), published in “Pandectele române” no. 5/2002, pp. 198-220, (23 p.);
  • Legal issues raised by the sovereign guarantee of bonds issuance (together with Valeriu Stoica), published in “Dreptul” no. 10/2002, pp. 17-38 (22 p.);
  • Short notes on the legal status of the assets used in transactions involving public property, published in “Pandectele române” no. 5/2003 pp. 172-180 (9 p.);
  • On a functional approach of the bank letter of guarantee, especially the independent guarantee. Notion, published in “Curierul judiciar” no. 5/2004, pp. 66-87 (22 p.);
  • On a functional approach of the bank letter of guarantee, especially the independent guarantee. Effects, published in “Curierul judiciar” no. 10/2004, pp. 109-127 (19 p.);
  • Short notes on the security interests in insurance policies, published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 5-6/2004, p. 51-66 (16 p.);
  • Essay to (re)define the security interest in personal property, published in “Pandectele române” no. 4/2004, pp. 150-186 (37 p.);
  • Short notes from historical perspective on the modalities of enforcing the security interests in personal property, published in “Pandectele române”, Supplement no. 1/2006, pp. 308-349 (42 p.);
  • Security interests in universitas facti, published in “Pandectele române”, no. 2/2005, pp. 137-170 (34 p.);
  • Certain specific issues related to the security interests in bank deposits, published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 2/2005, pp. 7-49 (43 p.);
  • The right of the debtor in transferring the collateral. Short notes, published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 5/2005, pp. 7-24 (18 p.);
  • Transitory rules for security interests in personal property. A critical study of current Romanian jurisprudence, published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 6/2005 pp. 7-35 (29 p.);
  • Introductory issues regarding the object of the security interests in personal property, published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 1/2006, pp. 9-42 (34 p.);
  • Certain specific issues of security interests in bank accounts, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 2/2007, pp. 198-222 (25 p.);
  • The assignment of receivables as writ of execution (I), published in “Revista de drept bancar şi financiar” no. 4/2007, pp. 15-23 (9 p.);
  • The assignment of receivables as writ of execution (II), published in “Revista de drept bancar şi financiar” no. 1/2008, pp. 1-12 (12 p.);
  • Implementing Directive 2002/47/EC regarding financial collateral arrangements in Romanian Law, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 3/2008, pp. 138-192 (55 p.);
  • The place and the scope of Directive 2002/47/EC regarding financial collateral arrangements in strengthening the European Monetary Union, published in “Analele Universităţii Bucureşti. Seria Drept” no. 2007.III, pp. 92-125 (34 p.);
  • The court having jurisdiction in matters concerning security interests in personal property, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 4/2008, pp. 214-250 (37 p.);
  • Applicability of the European Convention on Human Rights to security interests in personal property, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 5/2008, granted with the award “Octavian Căpățînă” at the Romanian Private Law Magazine Awards 2008;
  • Representing secured lenders by a specialized agent, published in “Pandectele române” no. 8/2008 and in Current issues in banking law, WoltersKluwer ed., Bucharest, 2008, pp. 744-817 (74 p.);
  • The mechanics of private enforcement in the case of peaceful repossession of the collateral, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 2/2009, pp. 99-178 (80 p.);
  • The irrevocable agency as a technique of securing obligations, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 4/2009, pp. 180-234 (55 p.);
  • Receivables securitization or the Utopia of the perfect security, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 6/2009, pp. 183-284 (102 p.);
  • Security interests in personal property: a necessary evil or an useful tool?, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 3/2010, pp. 161-257 (97 p.);
  • The cost of the credit and the security interests in personal property: an empirical study, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 4/2010, pp. 210-273 (64 p.);
  • What is this: The hypothec over movable assets (I). About the security interest, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 5/2011, pp. 185-263 (79 p.);
  • The joint rights of the creditors over debtor’s pool of assets under new civil code, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 1/2012, pp. 170-222 (53 p.);
  • “The Credit Facility in the New Romanian Civil Code” (in collaboration with Andra Roxana Ilie), published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 3/2012, pp. 164-193 (30 p.);
  • What is mortgage (II).About the mortgage agreement”, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 5/2012, pp. 186-250 (67 p.);
  • Hypothec-like transactions – United in diversity”, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 1/2013, pp. 181-220
Notes of jurisprudence
  • Note to the Decision issued by Piteşti Appeal Court, civil division, no. 162/R dated 28 January 2002, published in “Pandectele române” no. 5/2002, pp. 65-74 (10 p.);
  • Note to the Decision issued by Constitutional Court no. 333 dated 16 September 2003, published in “Curierul judiciar” no. 12/2003, pp. 22-29 (8 p.);
  • Note to the Decision issued by Cluj Appeal Court, commercial division, no. 1519 dated 23 September 2003 (together with Marieta Avram), published in “Curierul judiciar” no. 10/2004, pp. 13-23 (11 p.);
  • Note to the Decision issued by Buzău Tribunal, commercial and administrative division, no. 37 dated 16 January 2004 (together with Cătălina Dicu), published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 9-10/2004, pp. 74-81 (8 p.);
  • Note to the Decision issued by Cluj Appeal Court, civil division, no. 728 dated 24 April 2003 (together with Răzvan Dincă), published in “Pandectele române” no. 6/2004, pp. 116-129 (14 p.);
  • Note to the Decision issued by Constitutional Court no. 382 dated 30 September 2004, published in “Curierul judiciar” no. 11-12/2004, pp. 28-37 (10 p.);
  • Note to the Decision issued by Bucharest Tribunal, commercial division, no. 10769/2004, published in “Revista română de dreptul afacerilor” no. 2/2005, pp. 124-130 (7 p.);
  • Note to Decision no. 94-461-II (III) of 10 April 1996 issued by Tennessee Court of Appeals, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 5/2007, 249-253 (5 p.);
  • Note to Decision no. 69-183 of 7 January 1970 issued by Ohio Supreme Court, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 4/2008, pp. 244-245 (2 p.);
  • Note to Decision no. 89-147 of 13 June 1990 issued by Wyoming Supreme Court, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 6/2008, pp. 205-208 (4 p.);
  • Note to Decision no. 96-7288 of 12 September 1996 issued by US Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit, published in “Revista română de drept privat” no. 5/2009, pp. 238-243 (6 p.).
Case law books
  • Hypothecs over movable assets, vol. I, The priority of the State Treasury, Universul Juridic ed., Bucharest, 2012, 254 p.;
  • Hypothecs over movable assets, vol. II, Legal characters of the hypothecs over movable assets. Commented jurisprudence with references to the New Civil Code, Universul Juridic ed., Bucharest, 2012, 528 p.
Varia
  • Electronic archiving: A legal perspective (together with Doru Trăilă), published in “Link” no. 1/2004, (2 p.);
  • Ascertained date: from the “high office” to electronic mark (together with Doru Trăilă), published in “Link” no. 2/2004, (2 p.);
  • Commercial Code, up-dated edition (March 1st, 2005), supervised and annotated, Rosetti ed., Bucharest, 2005, 864 p.;
  • Who is afraid of the New Civil Code?, available here
  • Harun al-Raşid, Karl Llewellyn and the New Civil Code judge, available here
  • Note to Decision no. 1072 of March 31, 2009 issued in last appeal by the Commercial Department of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, available here
  • Pawn vs. Money loan, available here
  • Romanian-English business law dictionary (together with Lucian Traian Poenaru, Raluca Alexandra Zatropa, Veronica Dobozi), Monitorul Oficial ed., Bucharest, 2012, 267 p.
  • Traduttore, traditore…, available here
  • Who holds the cont(rol)?, available here
  • The perverted consequences of protecting the debtor by regulatory measures. An empirical study, available here
  • Who is protected by the New Codes? available here
  • The New Codes and the world we live in, available here
  • Pawnbrokers, Constitutional Court and the Nobel Price, available here
  • The New Civil Code. Annotated. Second Edition updated (March 20, 2013), supervised and annotated (in collaboration with Dan Lupașcu, Gabriela Florescu, Elena Viorica Florescu and Andreea Popescu), Rosetti International ed., Bucharest, 2013, 1008 p.
Conferences
  • Aspects related to the use of receivables in securing loans, presentation held in the seminar Practical applications of the law concerning the security interests organized by STOICA & Asociaţii, Bucharest, April 25, 2007
  • Representing secured creditors by a specialized agent, presentation held in the international conference Current issues in the banking law area, Timişoara, February 13, 2008
  • Representing secured creditors by a specialized agent, presentation held in the continuous training strategy program of INM, Bucharest, June 19, 2008
  • Mechanisms of the private enforcement in the law-abiding taking over of the asset object of a security interest, presentation held in the continuous training strategy program of INM, Bucharest, June 1, 2010
  • Securing the development of the network. Unbundling and local challenges, presentation held in the seminar 2010 Romania Gas Forum, Bucharest, June 2, 2010
  • The hypothecs over movable assets and its relation to the security interest, presentation held in the conference Entering into force of the New Civil Code: legislative realities and challenges of the Romanian society modernization, Bucharest, June 30, 2011;
  • Hypothecs over bank accounts in the New Civil Code, presentation held in the Legal seminaries of BNR, 4th Edition, Bucharest, September 13, 2011
  • Regulation of the legal relations between professionals, presentation held in the INM Conferences – the New Civil Code, Bucharest, September 30, 2011
  • Hypothecs over bank accounts, presentation held in the conference The Civil Code – thesis and antithesis in Cluj, Cluj Napoca, November 4-5, 2011
  • Hypothecs over the movable assets in the security system set up by the New Civil Code, presentation held in the conference The Civil Code – practical aspects for the business environment, Bucharest, November 24, 2011
  • Modern theory of the patrimony, presentation held in the conference Implications of the New Civil Code in the fiscal domain, Bucharest, December 12, 2011
  • Breaches of the obligation giving the right to enforce the mortgage, presentation held at the conference Difficult problems of civil law, Bucharest, September 28-29, 2012
  • From the binding force of the agreement to the debtor’s protection. The requirement for additional guarantees. The role of mortgages in securing the performance of contractual obligations, presentation held at the conference The agreement in the new Civil Code. Pitfalls and Solutions, Bucharest, October 15, 2012
  • Movable mortgages in the New Civil Code, presentation held at the conference New Civil Code. New Code of Civil Procedure. Insolvency. News and practical implications arising from new codes, Slatina, November 2, 2012
  • The legal characters of the mortgage agreement. A critical view on the onerous character, presentation held at the banking law conference Banking loan agreement between theory and practice. Principles, law, custom, Timişoara, November 9, 2012
  • Bank guarantees in the New Civil Code. Legal characters of the mortgage agreement, presentation held in the continuous training program of INM, Bucharest, November 12, 2012
  • Practical difficulties in the forced enforcement of the movable hypothec and hypothec-like transactions, presentation held at the Conference Discussions on the financial and banking sector under the new European regulations, Bucharest, April 12, 2013
  • Public notice regarding movable assets using the Electronic Archive of Security Interest in Personal Property, presentation held at the Conference “New civil code and New civil procedure code”, Cluj-Napoca, May 17-18, 2013

Mihaela Gherghe

Partner

+40 721 245 030
mihaela.gherghe@rizoiu.ro

Mihaela has been a member of the Rizoiu & Asociații team since her admittance to the Bucharest Bar in 2014. She graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Law and a Ph.D., summa cum laudae, obtained within the same Faculty.

She is a seasoned legal professional with a focus on corporate law, commercial contracts, banking and finance law, regulatory compliance, and personal data protection. Her recent interests have been focused on digital banking, making her well-equipped to handle the complex legal challenges in this rapidly evolving sector.

Some of the most important projects in which Mihaela was recently involved in include advising a multinational neobank and fintech company on complex legal and regulatory issues around entering the Romanian market and structuring of new products, assisting a multinational banking and financial services corporation in reassessing its corporate structure, assisting a leading international financial institution active in Romania in connection with its obligations pertaining to outsourcing limitations and ensuring continuity of essential services and advising several major players in the services industry with ensuring compliance of their client-facing documents with consumer protection requirements.

Mihaela is also passionate about mergers and acquisitions and restructuring. Her most recent projects include assisting an international investment fund in connection with its acquisition of a local payment services provider, assisting a mobile game company with opening a local studio in Romania, advising an important provider of medical imaging and cancer treatment services in in expanding its network through the acquisition of private clinics in Romania and assisting a highly-experienced French industrial group in implementing a stock option plan.

Focusing on her professional development, she has recently completed courses on Regulatory Compliance with the University of Pennsylvania, Prompt Engineering for Law with Vanderbilt University and Privacy and Standardisation with EIT Digital.

In addition to more than a decade of professional experience as a lawyer, Mihaela also teaches Civil Law and Legal Writing as an assistant lecturer at the University of Bucharest Faculty of Law. This dual role as both practitioner and educator provides a unique advantage to her clients, her commitment to legal education not only shaping the next generation of lawyers but also continually refining her own practice, ensuring that clients receive advice that is both deeply experienced and academically informed.

Books

Contract Interpretation, Ed. Universul Juridic, București, 2023.

Articles
  • The convention on the use of electronic signature under Law no. 214/2024. Concept, validity requirements and effects, Annals of the University of Bucharest, Law, LXXIV, 2024

  • “If they are to be amended, I’ll allow it, but”… Distance contracts and how to convince consumers to read them, in A. Almășan, Fl.-A. Baias, B. Dumitrache, I. Vârsta, C. E. Zamșa (coord.), In honorem Corneliu Bîrsan. Ius est ars boni et aequi, Hamangiu, București, 2023

  • Interpretation of the contract in the claim for set aside of the arbitral award, in T. C. Briciu, M. Nicolae, P. Pop (coord.), In memoriam Viorel Mihai Ciobanu. Procedural Law and Substantive Law at the Beginning of the Third Millennium, Universul Juridic, Bucharest, 2023

  • Adapting the methodology of contract interpretation to its process of formation, in M. Nicolae (coord.), The progressive formation of the contract. Preliminary acts and contracts. Theoretical aspects with practical implications and applications, Solomon, București, 2023

  • The miscellaneous nature of miscellaneous terms or the impact of standard boilerplate on the contract, Romanian Private Law Review, no. 2/2022

  • The contra proferentem decoy in the age of standard form contracts, Annals of the University of Bucharest, Law, LXXII, 2022

  • Interpretatio cessat in claris? A (hidden) risk of distortion of unambiguous clauses, in A. Almășan, I. Vârsta, C. E. Zamșa (coord.), In honorem Flavius Antoniu Baias. Appearance in law, Hamangiu, București, 2021Câte nuanțe de gri are creditul? Despre tehnici de creditare la limita legii și dincolo de ea, Revista Română de Drept Privat, nr. 1/2019, pp. 288 – 323 (Co-author)

  • Evaluarea caracterului adecvat și corespunzător al serviciilor de investiții în lumina MiFID II, Revista Română de Drept European, nr. 3/2018, pp. 27 – 43 (Author)

  • Avem o clauză abuzivă: cum procedăm?, Revista Română de Drept Privat, nr. 1/2018, pp. 242 – 272 (Co-author) 
  • Shareholder Exit Signs on American and European Highways: Under Construction, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law, Volume 18 (2015-2016), Issue 4 (2016) (Co-author) 
  • Retrait des actionnaires en France, en Roumanie et aux États-Unis, Revue internationale des services financiers, no. 2/2016, ISBN: 978-280-2756-00-2 (Co-author) 
  • Retragerea acţionarilor. Studiu de drept comparat, Revista Română de Dreptul Afacerilor nr. 11/2015, ISSN/ISSN-L: 2286-0584/1583-493X (Co-author)
Conferences
  • National Commercial Law Conference 2024, 14th Edition, June 14-15, 2024, Timișoara | Presentation: Modification of the “average” consumer standard. Costs of the measures and who bears them.

  • Banking Law Conference, March 22, 2024, Timisoara | Presentation: Credit (only) with (someone else’s) ID card. KYC, AML and how some cases still slip through the cracks.

  • Gheorghe Beleiu Conference. 3rd Edition – “The Person and the Enterprise. Theoretical aspects with practical implications and applications” | Presentation: “The legal entity and the digitalization of its communication with its stakeholders“.

  • IV UB International PhD in Law Conference, Universitat de Barcelona, October 20, 2022 | Presentation: ““A rose by any other name”? Soft law instruments and the new Romanian Civil Code on contract interpretation“.

  • Gheorghe Beleiu Conference (2nd edition), “ The progressive formation of the contract. Preliminary acts and contracts. Theoretical aspects with practical implications and applications “| Presentation: Adapting the methodology of contract interpretation to its process of formation

  • “The international arbitration and international commercial contracts conference and moot court, Bucharest Pre-moot”, Bucharest Pre-moot, March 7 – 8, 2020 | Presentation: Suspected non-conformity. Proof: burden and standard

  • Conference “Corporate law in Romania and the European Union, 5th Edition”, October 8, 2015 | Presentation: Legal exit rights of shareholders. A comparative law study. (Co-speaker)

Varia
  • The Fiscal Code. The Fiscal Procedure Code, Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2018, ISBN: 978-606-8794-94-5

  • The Fiscal Code, 4th Edit., Ed. Rosetti, București, 2018, ISBN: 978-606-8794-78-5 

  • The Fiscal Procedure Code, 4th Edit., Ed. Rosetti, București, 2018, ISBN: 978-606-8794-91-4 

  • The New Fiscal Code, 3rd Edit., Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2017, ISBN: 978-606-8794-40-2 

  • The New Fiscal Procedure Code, 3rd Edit., Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2017, ISBN: 978-606-8794-39-6

  • The New Fiscal Code, 2nd Edit., Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2016, ISBN: 978-973-8270-92-3 

  • The New Fiscal Procedure Code, 2nd Edit., Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2016, ISBN: 978-973-8270-93-0

  • The New Fiscal Code, Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2015, ISBN: 978-973-8270-60-2 

  • The New Fiscal Procedure Code, Ed. Rosetti, Bucharest, 2015, ISBN: 978-973-8270-61-9

Mihai Selegean

Of Counsel

+40 723 797 424
mihai.selegean@rizoiu.ro

Mihai Selegean is a member of the Bucharest Bar with significant expertise in corporate, banking law and the law of new technologies. He served as an executive manager in legal (25+ years) and banking (15 + years) in a Romanian leading bank, after a 10-year tenure in the Romanian judiciary. At the same time, Mihai has acquired an extensive experience as trainer (20+ years) and speaker in various national and international environments. Along the years, he has managed legal teams ranging 5-70 persons.

As Deputy CEO and Head of Legal in a bank, he led his legal and data protection teams through various projects and achievements.

His work in new technologies and digital transformation is particularly valuable in today’s AI revolution. As companies across industries navigate the complex requirements of the EU AI Act and related regulations, his experience offers valuable insights into harmonizing innovation with regulatory compliance.

The Predictive Justice project (2018-2024) he developed serves as a practical example of responsible AI implementation in regulated environments. The project comprises several ambitious stages: automated litigation outcome prediction, explainable AI for legal strategy, and AI-assisted legal drafting. Each phase carefully addressed specific regulatory challenges, from data protection and algorithmic transparency to professional responsibility requirements.

As country legal coordinator and member of the Steering Board of the Global Legal Function in one of the largest European banks, he successfully guided the legal aspects of digital transformation, including the transition towards mobile banking, digital onboarding, and electronic signatures. His team developed effective approaches to contract automation and digital workflows, balancing innovation with regulatory compliance. This experience is particularly relevant now as organizations implement AI solutions while ensuring compliance with EU regulations on AI, data protection, and consumer rights.

His expertise in emerging technologies is reflected in his academic and professional contributions. Besides a recent module on “The Revolution of AI” at the Law School of the Academy of Economic Studies (where he addresses the intersection of artificial intelligence and legal practice), he maintains a significant teaching presence as a trainer at the National Institute for Magistracy, where he has been teaching the European Convention on Human Rights since 2002. This two-decade commitment to judicial education complements his practical experience, allowing him to bridge theoretical understanding with real-world applications. His recent presentations focus on guiding organizations through their obligations under the EU AI Act while developing practical frameworks for AI adoption.

Under his leadership, the legal department successfully managed large litigation portfolios (between 2000-5000 files) but also advanced significant banking case-law through strategic litigation before the High Court, Constitutional Court, the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights.  These addressed key issues in banking law, including account pledges and criminal seizure, mortgage enforcement in insolvency, and consumer credit contracts. His team established important precedents regarding legal guarantees for companies under unannounced inspections and computer searches.

As Deputy CEO, he led the implementation of the bank’s GDPR compliance program (2019-2023), successfully transforming forms, contracts, notices, practices, data-bases and applications to meet EU, Romanian, and French data protection requirements.

Conferences and webinars
  • The Revolution of AI. How banks and legal systems will be affected and transformed; Module dedicated to the intersection of AI and the law in the framework of the postgraduate programme on Banking and New Technologies, organized by the Law School of the Academy of Economic Studies; October-December 2024;
  • Social Engineering in Banking Fraud: From the Inheritance of the Nigerian Prince to the Lost Netflix Account. Case-law and Regulations; webinar organized by Wolters Kluwer Romania, co-author with Gabriel Marin, November 2024;
  • Moderator of the Panel: AI – A Critical Advantage for Legal Professionals, Legal Innovation Days, conference organized by Wolters Kluwer Romania, October 2024;
  • Legal-Ease AI. Brief Inventory of Legal Dilemmas in the Activity of a Bank that is Preparing to Use Systems Based on Artificial Intelligence; International Conference: “Perspectives of Banking and Financial Law”, organized by the Academy of Economic Studies; May 2024;
  • Familia (de societati) si interesele comune in relatia (dintre companiile) mama si fiica. Cata putere pentru (compania) mama inseamna abuz (de majoritate) si poate conduce la conflicte (de interese)? Forumul National de Drept Bancar UVT/Colocviile BNR, Timisoara, 2024; co-author with Estela Mihai;
  • Panelist, webinar The Bank Branch is Dead, Long Live the Bank Branch!, organized by ZEB Consulting, 2023;
  • Relatia Banca-Client. Nimic nu se pierde, nimic nu se sterge?, Forumul National de drept Bancar UVT/Colocviile BNR, Timisoara, 2023; co-author with Codruta Niculae;
  • Efectivitatea aplicarii GDPR intr-o lume interconectata, Conferinta on-line organizata de ANSPDPC de Ziua Europeana a Protectiei Datelor, 2023;
  • Asistenta juridica in domeniul bancar “complicata” de solutiile digitale, Forumul National de Drept Bancar UVT/Colocviile BNR, 2022; co-author with Catalina Cusuta;
  • Moderator of the Panel: The Digitalisation. What’s Next in Courts?, Legal Innovation Days, conference organized by Wolters Kluwer Romania, 2022;
  • Social banking vs. social engineering, Forumul National de Drept Bancar UVT/Colocviile BNR, Timisoara, 2022; co-author with Catalina Cusuta and Codruta Niculae;
  • Moderator at the Conference GDPR fata in fata cu … Realitatea, organized by Asociatia Cosnilierilor Juridici din Sistemul Financiar-Bancar, Bucuresti, 2021;
  • Justitia (predictiva), inteligenta (artificiala) sau viata (privata – GDPR)?, Forumul National de Drept Bancar UVT/Colocviile BNR, 2021; co-author with Codruta Niculae;
  • Panelist in the Webinar on Dispute Resolution in International Construction Sector, ICC Experience and the Romanian perspective, 2020;
  • Există intimidate (privacy) într-o rețea de blocuri/noduri interconectate (blockchain)?, Forumul National de Drept Bancar UVT/Colocviile BNR, Criptocurrency. A legal perspective, Timisoara, 2019; co-author with Codruta Niculae;
  • Facilitatea de credit neangajanta in contextul IFRS 9, Conferinta de drept bancar, Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara si Colocviile BNR, Timisoara, 2017;
  • Dematerializarea documentatiei de credit. Obstacole juridice si practice, Conferinta nationala de drept commercial/Colocviile BNR, Timisoara, 2016; co-author with Catalina Cusuta;
  • La lutte contre le blanchiment de capitaux dans le systeme bancaire, 4eme Conference de l’Ocean Indien sur le Renforcement de la Lutte contre le Terrorisme et la Criminalite Organise en Afrique et dans l’Ocean Indien, Association Internationale des Procureurs Francophones, Madagascar, 2016.
Publications
  • The Code of Hammurabi and the various perspectives it offers on the universality of human rights, in the collection of studies Imago Juris. Imaginarul Dreptului, under the coordination of Lucian Bercea, Universitatea de Vest Publishing House, 2022;
  • Best 10 reasons why it doesnt make sense to apply the ECHR (especially) if you’re a magistrate. Or, ECHR fed with the little spoon, in the collection of studies In Honorem Valeriu Stoica. Rights, Freedoms and Powers at the begining of the 3rd millenium, Hamangiu Publishing House, 2018.
  • Les entreprises, in the collection Droit de la Roumanie, Bibliothèque de l’Association Henri Capitant ; coordinated by Flavius Baias and Mircea Dan Bob;  LGDJ, Paris, 2018 ; co-author with Mihaela Ghirca-Bogdan;
  • The analysis of the compatibility of the Law 77/2016 on the in-kind payment with the requirements of theECHR, in the collection of studies: The Law on In-Kind Payment. Arguments and Solutions – coordinated by Valeriu Stoica, Hamangiu publishing house, Bucuresti, 2016; co-author with Dragos Bogdan;
  • ECHR based legal defences in the litigation of a bank, in the collection Creditors vs. Debtors. The perspective of the Hexagon – coordinated by Mircea Dan Bob and Andra-Roxana Trandafir, Universul Juridic, Bucuresti, 2015;
  • Remuneration Policy under the National Bank of Romania Regulation no. 5/2013. Malus and Clawback arrangements – a legal perspective – Central Bank Journal of Law and Finance, year I, no. 1, 2014; co-author with Alina Minciu;
  • Analysis of the vulnerabilities of the Romanian justice system. Solutions and recommendations for improvement, in a joint project of KAS (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung) and CADI, author in a team and coordinator, 2010-2011;
  • Principii ale constructiei si executiei bugetului instantelor, in a joint project of KAS and CADI, author in a team and coordinator, 2011;
  • Coordinator, in a panel, of the ECHR page for the legal content-based website juridice.ro, 2007-2010;
  • Coordinator for the monthly legal magazine – Buletinul CEDO, editura Hamangiu (2008 – 2009);
  • The specific methodologies to increasingly take into consideration the corpus of the Council of Europe law in judicial training institutions and to integrate them in the initial and in-service training programmes; report for the 9th plenary meeting of the Lisbon Network, RL/RAP (2007) 1; October 2007;
  • The contribution of judicial training bodies to the concrete implementation of Opinion CCJE (2003)4 of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) on appropriate initial and in-service training for judges at national and European level; draft of the report of the Bureau of the Lisbon Network; RL/GT (2006) 1 Addendum; October 2006;
  • Access to justice according to the case-law of the ECHR, Revista Română de Dreptul Afacerilor (nr. 5,6/2004);
  • Author and coordinator of the collection of Studies concerning the case-law of the ECHR (National Institute of the Magistracy, editions: I – 2003 and II – 2005.
  • Study on the compatibility of the Romanian civil and criminal procedure rules with Article 6 of the ECHR (Budapest, 1999).

Ionuț Păun

Associate

+40 737 368 949
ionut.paun@rizoiu.ro

Ionuț has been part of the Rizoiu & Asociații team since his admission to the Bucharest Bar in 2019. In the same year, Ionuț graduated the Bachelor’s degree courses of the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, and in 2020 he also graduated the Master’s degree courses, specializing in Business Law, at the same institution.

Within Rizoiu & Asociații law firm, Ionuț has focused both on providing legal advice on issues of civil law, corporate law, banking law and energy law, as well as on assisting and representing clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings on matters regarding civil law, administrative law and energy law.

Amongst the most important projects in which Ionuț has been involved are:

  • Negotiating, drafting and legal review of agreements for two major industrial producers, assisting them in their relationship with various suppliers, and assisting them in obtaining government aid to cover indirect costs as a result of passing on the costs of greenhouse gas emissions in the price of electricity;
  • Negotiating, drafting and legal review of agreements for two hydropower producers, assisting them in dealing with environmental, water and energy regulators, and assisting them in updating and restructuring investment credit facilities and updating guarantee agreements accordingly;
  • Assisting a natural gas exploitation company in an arbitration dispute concerning the transfer of rights and obligations arising from the concession agreement of the exploitation perimeter;
  • Assisting a company in the field of highway construction in an arbitration dispute concerning the operation of legal compensation in the relations between the parties;
  • Assisting and representing a leading politician in a series of cases involving tort liability for political statements made during the election campaign;
  • Assisting a major provider of medical imaging and oncology services in expanding its network by acquiring private clinics in Romania.

Raluca Panduru

Associate

+40 763 166 330
raluca.panduru@rizoiu.ro

Raluca graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest and attended the Master program “Private Law” at the same institution. She also graduated from the Franco-Romanian Law College of European Studies, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Raluca is currently a PhD student at the Law Faculty of the University of Bucharest, where she is researching the conventional transfer of real estate property and the effects of its dissolution.

As an associate lawyer of SCA Rizoiu & Asociații, Raluca provides legal advice to our clients on civil law, banking law, labor law and new technologies law. Raluca has assisted numerous clients in drafting and reviewing contractual documentation for both individuals and business clients, emphasizing on in-depth understanding of the client’s requirements and providing solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Her experience in the banking sector includes both contractual review and numerous legal opinions, including case law studies or the implementation of compliance plans for the entry into the Romanian market. As part of the due diligence exercises in which we participate, she coordinates the review of banking and lending documentation of target companies.

Important projects in which she has been involved include negotiating, drafting and reviewing documentation in real estate transactions, as well as assisting clients in arbitration disputes regarding the interpretation of concession agreements, attracting liability for non-performance under a concession agreement and valid contract formation.

The issues that have received particular attention in the legal opinions drafted for our clients include issues of application of the law over time, consent of the parties to the conclusion of contracts, interpretation of contracts and enforcement of obligations.

Rareș Petrescu

Junior Associate

+40 745 547 379
rares.petrescu@rizoiu.ro

Rareș joined our team in September 2021 as a Legal Intern. Since joining our team, Rareș provided in-depth expertise in matters such as real estate, commercial, civil and administrative law. He was involved in both litigation and legal assistance projects.

During his time with us, Rareș has gained experience in legal advising by drafting corporate documents, conducting due diligence analyses and advising companies about their strategic commercial decisions. His litigation activity includes preparation of pre-litigation documents, drafting of procedural documents and representation of clients before public authorities and national courts.

He graduated the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest in 2023 and he is currently attending the “Private Law” master program within the same Faculty. He is most passionate about Civil procedure law.

During his studies, Rareș also took part and won prizes in several moot court competitions and he has also published a couple of law articles.

He is fluent in English, having obtained a Certificate in Advanced English, and he is also familiar with German.

Currently, Rareș holds the position of Junior Associate with SCA Rizoiu & Asociații.

Let’s Work Together