Fernbach & Partners is the first Romanian law firm entirely dedicated to technology law, data protection, intellectual property and digital media, based on the experience and reputation of Managing Partner Cristiana Fernbach, who has more than 16 years of international business law practice.
With a 100% focus on new technologies and a complete commercial law practice, the firm sets out with the promise of authentic, flexible and innovative approach. Fernbach & Partners positions itself as the 4.0 legal advisor providing customized solutions for each project, depending on the client’s business objectives and industry particularities.
Cristiana has coordinated for 2 years the IP & Technology practice of a major international law firm. More recently, she was a Partner and Co-Head of the TMT practice of a Romanian law firm.
“I had the chance of practicing in one of the most dynamic and performant law markets in Europe. My international experience meant assuming clear work principles, from legal advice accuracy and efficiency, to genuine and continous 100% specialization. The projects of recent years have taken me closer to an industry that, in many ways, stands at the antipode of business law. In time, I have discovered many common features, though, and technology – with all its legal aspects – has become an integrated part of my lawyer identity.”
Established six months ago, Fernbach & Partners is currently advising a representative porfolio with clients from the Banking & Financial industry, Advertising, IT and services in Bucharest and other major cities.
“Romania is already a sophisticated legal services market and over the past year we have seen a dedicated new technologies niche taking shape. For now, this is mainly a normal reaction to global tendencies and European regulations that have opened up new business lines (like the European Global Data Protection Regulations – the GDPR that came into force last May). The market is learning on the go, currently borrowing time and resources from traditional practice areas. However, as this tendency will continue, I trust we will see more new tech-dedicated lawyers and law firms in the following 2 – 3 years. As far as we are concerned, we will put our experience and long-term specialization, our international exposure and our first-comer advantage to ensure sustained growth and build a portfolio of as many first-time tech projects in Romania as possible.”
Cristiana Fernbach practiced law in Germany and Romania. Her international clients portfolio included major deals in the IT & Telecom regional industry; she offered advice on data protection, brand and intellectual property protection, software development and licensing, e-commerce platforms implementation. Recently, she coordinated some of the most important GDPR mandates in Romania, advising major clients in the Banking & Finance and Pharmaceuticals industries.
She was a mentor to the Special Product Focus Award winning team at the first edition of Global Legal Hackathon, in 2018.
She holds a law degree from the Nicolae Titulescu University in Bucharest, a masters’ degree (LL.M) of Freie Universität Berlin, and an MBA from Munich Business School. She is also one of the few lawyers in Romania to hold a CIPP/E (European Certified Information Privacy Professional) from IAAP (the International Association of Privacy Professionals). She is fluent in English and German, and is often invited as speaker at international and local seminars and conferences dedicated to techology, protection and data security.
