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Alin Buftea

Partner
Head of Real Estate
Alin is always client-oriented and commercially focused.
— Chambers Europe 2025
Bucharest
About

Alin is a Partner and Head of the real estate practice in DLA Piper's Bucharest office. He is a real estate lawyer recognized by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 legal directories as being "highly responsive, bright and commercially aware, and always available" and providing clients "a high level of support".

Alin has more than twenty years of experience as a lawyer and enjoys wide recognition in the real estate market, having advised clients on all types of transactions from commencement through structuring to exit, acting for developers, investment funds and leading banks, construction companies, anchor tenants and leading international corporations. Furthermore, Alin has advised clients on the construction and environmental legal implications of their projects. He has extensive experience in real estate, corporate and project financing, title due diligence, as well as in corporate commercial transactions and litigation.

Relevant transactions where substantial involvement can be disclosed since the opening of the DLA Piper office in Romania include real estate projects for the Blackstone Group, World Bank, Jones Lang LaSalle, Banca Comerciala Romana and Erste Bank, Atrium Centers, Nova Imobiliare, Ceero, Catalyst Capital LLP, Rimo, IHG, Reuben Brothers, PPF Real Estate and Lone Star. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Alin headed the Romanian real estate practice of a prominent international law firm.

Areas of FocusEnergy and Natural ResourcesFinancial ServicesIndustrialsInfrastructure, Construction and TransportLife SciencesMedia, Sport and EntertainmentReal EstateTechnology

EXPERIENCE

  • Assisted a leading owner, operator and developer of shopping centers in Central and Eastern Europe with respect to the acquisition of the bank loan and related security over the property and the settlement of the seller's debt assumed as part of the acquisition documents for completing the acquisition of the land located in North Bucharest and settling of all third party debt. We also assisted the client with the due diligence process and the transaction documents for purchasing a neighboring plot of land to be added to the owned land and with other day-to-day tasks related to the future development on the land, including planning and permitting aspects.
  • Assisted a US fund in relation to the sale of its Romanian portfolio of logistic parks, part of the sale of its pan-European logistic platform to a Chinese investment corporation. Our assistance involved, amongst others, drafting due diligence reports with regard to the lease agreements concluded in respect of the logistic parks, assistance in relation to the drafting of the transaction documents and to the implementation of the transaction (including with regards to the release of the existing security).
  • Advising a world leading hotel company on a wide range of real estate matters related to operating permits, management agreements, hospitality and leisure areas with regards to the hotel located in downtown Bucharest.
  • Assisting a shopping center developer with the development and financing of the a mall extension located in the West side of Bucharest including real estate financing matters and tasks related to the construction and lease process.
  • Assisting one of the largest residential developers in Romania with the acquisition process of approx. 17 ha of land near Bucharest. Our assistance consists of performing a legal due diligence of the land and negotiating the transaction documents.
  • Assisted a construction group, acting as a general constructor, in relation to various issues on the permitting and construction process for the development of a tower complex, an innovative project dedicated to companies' offices, located in the new emerging central-western business district of Bucharest.
  • Assisted a developer, investor and professional consultancy company in the real estate sector with the legal due diligence exercise with respect to the purchase of an office building located in Bucharest and with structuring the acquisition and the related negotiations, drafting and execution of the transaction documents. Our assistance covered also the bank refinancing of the equity paid purchase price. We are also assisting the client with legal day-to-day matters regarding two other office buildings owned by it in Bucharest.
  • Assisting a real estate developer, investor and operator with the leasing process of office buildings and the due diligence process for the acquisition of a plot of land in Romania.
  • Assisted a Swiss-based international company in the real estate industry with respect to the acquisition of approx. 2,200 hectares of agricultural land, located in the south-east of Romania.
  • Assisted a Romanian company providing services for online retailing and distribution in the area of IT development and logistic fulfilment with negotiating of a lease agreement for renting several thousands of square meters of logistics space in Bucharest.
Languages
  • Romanian
  • English
  • French

Awards

Alin is a real estate professional recognized by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500: he is "highly responsive, bright and commercially aware, and always available" and "provides clients with 'a high level of support'".

  • Band 2 – Chambers & Partners, 2020
  • Mention – Legal 500, 2020
Education
  • Babes-Bolyai University, The Faculty of European Studies, Cluj Napoca, Romania; Degree: LL.B, 1999
  • Babes–Bolyai University, The Faculty of Law, Cluj-Napoca ; Degree: LL.B (Hons), 1998

Insight Overview

Alin has written papers on the amendments to the property laws.

Prior Experience

  • May 2012 - to date: DLA Piper Romania, Partner
  • May 2011 - April 2012: DLA Piper Romania, Counsel
  • November 2008 - April 2011: DLA Piper Romania, Senior Associate
  • May 2008 - November 2008: global law firm, Managing Associate
  • October 2007 - December 2007: global law firm, Associate
  • January 2005 - May 2008: global law firm, Associate
  • January 2003 - January 2005: Romanian law firm, Partner
  • January 2000 - December 2005: Romanian law firm, Partner
  • January 1999 - December 1999: Romanian law firm, Trainee

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Romanian Union of Lawyers
  • Member of the Bucharest Bar
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Phone

+40 372 155 807
(Work)