RTPR Allen & Overy has announced that litigator Valentin Berea has joined the firm as Partner, bringing with him a team of three lawyers. Berea moves over from Bulboaca & Asociatii in Bucharest, where he spent the past 7 years.
Berea specializes in Competition and Anti-trust litigation matters. RTPR Allen & Over notes that he, "succeeded in obtaining in court the first significant reduction (of over 80%) of a fine imposed by the Competition Council (on the insulin trading market), based on a mitigating circumstance, which set a precedent of reducing in court the fines imposed by the competition authority.” He also specializes in commercial disputes and arbitrations, as well as being a certified IP counselor and an Assisting Professor at the Bucharest Law University.
In a statement released by the firm, Berea announced his enthusiasm at the move: “I am pleased to join a team of lawyers whom I appreciate very much. Along with some of them, I started my career more than 12 years ago, and we remained friends throughout this period. I am also very delighted to be working again with Professor Lucian Mihai, who made a decisive contribution to my training as a lawyer. The existence of this history and common values, coupled with the professional skills that we have developed and proven so far, are strong arguments which give me every confidence that together we will be a formidable team."
For his part, Costin Taracila, Managing Partner of RTPR Allen & Overy, is delighted to bring an old colleague back into the fold: “Valentin is one of the most respected litigation and competition lawyers and we are delighted to have him join us. As colleagues for several years with both Valentin and Professor Lucian Mihai, at Linklaters, we are delighted to find ourselves again in a successful team”