About Us

M.C. Escher “Day and Night”, 1938

Știați că... - ultimele apariții în domeniul juridic - Secu Legal | Real Estate Law Firm

M.C. Escher “Exemption “, 1955

Credo

Substance invariably prevails over form.

Nothing can be so complex that it cannot be explained in a few words, in terms anyone can understand.

For every legal problem there are solutions — but no miracles.

Better is often the enemy of good, including when attempting to resolve legal problems.

However similar two legal problems may appear, their treatment is never identical.

OUR EXPERIENCE (2022 - 2010)

OUR EXPERIENCE
(2022 - 2010)

Real estate developer (turnover 40 million RON)

Ongoing legal assistance on real estate law matters, including (i) end-to-end assistance in connection with the acquisition of logistics parks in Romania and the sale of real estate assets in Romania (total transaction value – approx. EUR 20 million), (ii) negotiation and execution of various lease agreements, (iii) assistance on urban planning and construction matters, (iv) assistance and representation in real estate litigation (lease agreements, construction and urban planning, etc.).

Romanian division of one of the world's largest construction companies (turnover 198 million Euro)

Ongoing legal assistance on real estate matters, including (i) end-to-end assistance relating to a greenfield project in Ploiești (land acquisition, development, and leasing of an office project); (ii) assistance in connection with the sale of a buildable plot in Bucharest (total transaction value – approx. EUR 7 million); (iii) ongoing assistance on construction contracts.

Foreign Embassy in Romania

Legal assistance in the negotiation of an office lease agreement with a total value of EUR 1.8 million.

Lebanese real estate investor (turnover 5.6 million RON)

Ongoing legal assistance on real estate law matters, including assistance in connection with the acquisition and sale of office buildings and retail spaces with a combined value of EUR 20 million, as well as ongoing assistance on leasing and litigation matters.

Romanian real estate developer (turnover 3.9 million RON)

Ongoing legal assistance on real estate law matters relating to the portfolio of greenfield projects in Brașov County, primarily involving sensitive urban planning issues.

Spanish industrial equipment manufacturer (turnover 10 million Euro)

Ongoing legal assistance in connection with entry into the Romanian market and the implementation of two industrial projects in Romania (combined project value – approx. EUR 16 million).

Agriculture investor (turnover 10.5 million RON)

Legal assistance in connection with the lease of 850 ha of agricultural land in Romania (value of approx. EUR 500,000).

Spanish real estate investor (turnover in Romania RON 2 million)

Ongoing legal assistance on real estate law matters, including assistance relating to the completion and sale of a residential complex in Pipera, assistance in connection with the sale of buildable plots in Bucharest, and assistance relating to the operation and leasing of an office building located in central Bucharest.

Romanian division of a French investment fund (consolidated turnover 31.9 billion Euros)

Legal assistance in connection with the sale of a 13,000 sqm plot in central Bucharest; assistance in an expropriation process initiated by the local authority in respect of a plot located in Ilfov County, and in contesting the compensation awarded before the courts.

German food retail group

Full legal assistance in connection with expansion projects in Botoșani, Brașov, Târgoviște, Târgu Secuiesc, and Bucharest (due diligence for land acquisition, preparation and negotiation of transactions) and legal assistance on multiple urban planning and cadastral matters.

Office real estate developer (turnover 74 million RON)

Legal assistance in the negotiation and execution of lease agreements for an office complex in central Bucharest.

The Romanian division of the largest investment fund in Greece

Full legal assistance in connection with the acquisition of office buildings in Bucharest valued at EUR 7 million, including the related acquisition financing.

Foreign investment fund

Ongoing legal assistance relating to the leasing and operation of a 50,000 sqm office complex located in Pipera.

Investment fund active in Central and South-Eastern Europe

Legal assistance on real estate law matters in connection with the acquisition of the largest supermarket chain in Romania (total value EUR 533 million).

Romania's largest petrochemical company

Legal assistance on real estate law matters in the privatisation process, including title analysis, strategy for the allocation of real estate assets per technological packages subject to privatisation, preparation of transaction documents, etc. (total value EUR 130 million).

One of Romania's largest retailers

Real estate due diligence in connection with an attempted acquisition of 3 office buildings in Bucharest from an Israeli investment group.

Austrian investment fund

Ongoing legal assistance relating to the leasing and operation of the logistics and office portfolio in Romania.

Practice Areas

.01

Urban planning and construction permitting

Annulment of urban planning documentation and building permits, legal regime of unfinished buildings, regularisation of unlawfully constructed buildings, etc.

.02

Real estate transactions (broadly defined) / commercial transactions

Title analysis, specific confirmations from authorities, data room organisation, preparation of transaction documents, negotiation and execution of transaction documents, pre- and post-signing formalities.

.03

Real estate developments

Real estate developments

Assistance with structuring and permitting, including urban planning matters; works/services contracting; assistance relating to construction and handover; assistance with subdivision/consolidation and cadastral updates, etc.

.04

Litigation

Assistance and representation in litigation concerning, inter alia, annulment of building permits and urban planning documentation, refusal by authorities to issue administrative acts, property claims, actions arising from lease agreements and construction contracts.

.05

Commercial leasing

Drafting and amending lease agreements, assistance and negotiation of lease agreements, assistance with termination, out-of-court disputes, etc.

.06

Real estate financing

Documentation review, assistance on alternative financing structures, etc.

.07

Project companies

Company incorporation, structuring of shareholder agreements, change of registered office, increase/reduction of share capital, transfer of shares/equity interests, change of directors, liquidation and dissolution, etc.

.08

Design and construction

Drafting of design and construction contracts, out-of-court assistance on contractual claims, etc.

.09

Project management

Drafting, negotiation, and execution of project management contracts.

.10

Data protection services for real estate developers and project managers

Audits, personal data protection policies, data processing agreements, etc.

.11

Land concessions for construction purposes

Assistance with the preparation and submission of tender applications, assistance with the negotiation of contractual terms, assistance during the performance phase of concession agreements — notices, hearings, etc.

.12

Expropriations

Advisory services on expropriation procedure and the steps to be taken by the expropriating authority; litigation for the supplementation of compensation awarded following expropriation.

ABOUT OUR TEAM

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." - Aristotle

Andreea Secu

Founding Partner

Professional Experience ​

Andreea has practised as a lawyer specialising in real estate law since 2010, building her experience from her very first steps at some of Romania’s largest law firms, recognised for excellence in real estate practice.

Over the years, she has advised on all phases of the implementation, operation, and monetisation of real estate projects, acting for all categories of players in the field (sellers and buyers, tenants and landlords, contractors and investors, consultants and beneficiaries, litigants and public authorities), most of them leaders in their respective market segments.

She has been involved in projects with a complex legal component, covering areas including privatisation strategies, structuring of real estate transactions (in the broad sense), challenges to building permits and urban planning documentation, regularisation of unlawfully constructed buildings, concessions of publicly owned properties, land registry actions, and more.

Andreea is one of the few lawyers in the market with concrete experience and applied knowledge of the legal regime governing unfinished or unauthorised buildings and their regularisation — a subject that has been one of her primary areas of professional focus in recent years.

Academic Background

Andreea completed a dual undergraduate law degree, graduating from both the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest in 2010 and the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris I Panthéon–Sorbonne, following completion of the Franco-Romanian College of European Legal Studies in 2009.

She graduated from the Faculty of Law in 2010 among the top ten students of her year, and equally placed in the top ten in the bar admission examination held by the Bucharest Bar in 2010.

In 2012 she completed a Master’s degree in Business Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest.

She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest in the field of civil law, with a research topic centred on abuse of rights in contracts concluded between professionals.

Languages: English (advanced), French (advanced), Spanish (beginner)

Andreea Secu

Serafima Prodan

Definitive lawyer

Serafima joined the Secu Legal team in 2021, following two years of prior professional experience at another law firm specialising in real estate law, with a particular focus on the residential sector.

Serafima is a dedicated and passionate lawyer with a strong legal grounding, professionally oriented primarily towards real estate litigation, where she has advised clients on matters including the annulment of building permits, construction contracts, leases, and title recovery actions. She has also been involved in ongoing advisory projects relating to the leasing and operation of office and logistics spaces, as well as complex real estate transactions, including preliminary legal due diligence on title.

Serafima graduated from the Faculty of Law of the State University of Moldova in 2018.

That same year, she completed a specialist introductory course in German law delivered by the IRZ Foundation (Deutsche Stiftung für Internationale Rechtliche Zusammenarbeit e.V.).

In 2019 she completed a Master’s degree in Business Law at the Faculty of Law of Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest.

She has been a member of the Bucharest Bar since 2019.

Languages: Russian (advanced), French (beginner)

Serafima Prodan

Cristina Coarnă

Definitive lawyer

Cristina holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest and completed a Master’s programme in Judicial Careers at the same faculty. Cristina joined our team in 2023, following her admission to the bar in 2022 and an introductory traineeship at a Bucharest law firm. Her work is primarily focused on advisory matters within the firm’s corporate and real estate mandates.

Cristina Coarna

Ana-Maria (Anca) Mustatea

Of Counsel — Real Estate & Compliance

Ana-Maria is Of Counsel at our firm, collaborating on a project basis on niche aspects of real estate law and regulation. With over 7 years of experience, gained from the outset at some of Romania’s top international law firms, she has advised on complex transactions, including sales and acquisitions, drafting and negotiating lease agreements, obtaining permits/authorisations and urban planning compliance, land registry matters, and real estate investments across residential, commercial, industrial, retail, hospitality, and mixed-use assets. Although not an equity partner, she is part of our extended team and is involved whenever mandates require her specific expertise, integrating into transaction teams from structuring through to signing and post-signing and closing activities. She holds a Law degree from the University of Bucharest, has been a member of the Bucharest Bar since 2017, and continuously updates her know-how through specialist publications and participation in national and international conferences, seminars, and training sessions. Her analytical and practical approach establishes her as a trusted specialist for sophisticated mandates with tight deadlines.

Languages: English (Advanced), German (Beginner).

Anca Mustatea