September 2025

The key to success is balancing the duality of the profession: the practice of law and the business of law | Interview with Andrei Cosma

“I believe success in law comes when a lawyer truly understands the distinction – and the connection – between the practice of law and law as a business. Both concepts hold their own importance, and it takes a genuine symbiosis to reach success”, Andrei Cosma mentioned in a recent interview for Bizlawyer.

For Andrei, a lawyer’s evolution is built on “99% perspiration, 1% inspiration,” with talent playing a much smaller role than discipline and consistency.

The responsibilities of partnership

“The role of a partner brings new responsibilities, because alongside the business of law comes law as a business.”

Andrei highlighted that law firms must operate like any other business, integrating functions such as Marketing, Business Development, HR & People Development, IT or Finance. BACIU PARTNERS follows this integrated approach, with the firm’s management focusing not only on client success but also on the growth of every team member.

“I am glad that the role of partner requires me to engage with multiple business pillars, as this allows me to continue my professional development beyond strictly legal work.”

Career journey – Milestones

Andrei’s career started under the mentorship of prof. univ. dr. Răzvan Dincă, where he learned the value of solid legal reasoning. Consequently, at NNDKP, he deepened his exposure to high-level business law and understood the nuances that shape interactions with the business environment.

“I also had the chance to see first-hand the perspective offered by an in-house role, as general counsel for a technology company in Malta. This was the first time I understood how legal needs are perceived and managed internally, and how technology is built and sold. It also opened my eyes to the major impact artificial intelligence can have on business processes. Coming back to private practice, joining BACIU PARTNERS was the natural choice—not only because I resonate with the firm’s values, but also because I believe this project is shaping the future of business law in Romania.”

Areas of practice and recent projects

Andrei is deeply involved in regulatory and commercial projects across the gametech & entertainment industry, advising both operators and service providers (payment processors, software suppliers, broadcasting studios, testing labs).

“Thanks to the firm’s integrated service offering, I can combine consulting projects with involvement in disputes, while also coordinating the team and managing client relationships.”

Recent highlights include:

• leading a complex licensing project for the opening of a broadcasting studio in Romania, generating hundreds of new jobs;
• assisting, together with colleagues from Corporate and IP, in the M&A project through which Winner merged its local operations with international group Evoke (LON: EVOK);
• coordinating an internal knowledge management initiative, using technology to centralize and leverage the firm’s collective know-how.

People and culture

Andrei carefully selects his team members, especially given the fast-evolving and heavily regulated tech-driven industries he advises. He looks for two fundamental qualities:

• solid legal reasoning,
• the ability to think creatively and unconventionally.

“I do not believe in thinking inside or outside of the box—I believe there is no box at all. Identifying the right people is not easy, but our well-thought-out recruitment strategy will allow us to grow organically in the coming years.”

Guiding principles

“I have always been attracted to studying abstract concepts, but also to understanding how ideas can be monetized and transformed into something concrete. (…) As a teenager, I thought I would study philosophy, inspired by family members who had chosen that path. But I soon realized that I was more interested in the translation between the world of ideas and the world of things. In this sense, law became the natural choice—and I was right.”

For him, the team remains the most decisive factor:

“Who you work with determines how and how much you work. It also determines how and how much you learn. The choice of mentor and team cascades into every other aspect of one’s career. I always enjoy learning something new, even from younger colleagues or students joining our internship programs.”

What BACIU PARTNERS means

“At BACIU PARTNERS, we strive – and most often succeed – to react extremely fast to our clients’ needs, both proactively and reactively, depending on the circumstances. This speed of response is one of the firm’s founding principles.”

The interview was published by Bizlawyer and is available (in Romanian) in full HERE.

Andrei Cosma is a Partner with BACIU PARTNERS. Details about his professional career are available HERE.