August 2025

Perseverance in the face of challenges, choosing a professional environment that reflects my values, and openness to new practice areas to broaden my horizons have been choices that helped me grow, strengthen my confidence in my own abilities, and, implicitly, my position in the business environment.

Interview with Irina Văleanu

Throughout her career, Irina Văleanu has had the opportunity to work in various professional environments, each contributing to her professional development. Her journey has been marked by key moments that allowed her to evolve and continuously grow.

2024 marked an important milestone in her career, with her promotion to the position of coordinator within the Litigation Department of BACIU PARTNERS.

This opportunity offered me a broader perspective on the strategic management of litigation, while also enabling me to develop my leadership skills. In this role, I have coordinated cases from the firm’s core practice areas, such as intellectual property, consumer protection, gaming, and gambling, managing complex cases with significant impact on our clients’ operations. At the same time, I have also been involved in common civil law litigation matters – a continuously growing area within the firm’s portfolio,” says Irina in an recent interview for Bizlawyer.

At this stage in her career, Irina reflects on the moments that have brought her here, noting that she is pleased to see that women represent a significant force in Romania’s business law sector, bringing a valuable mix of technical skills, intuition, and interpersonal abilities that set them apart in a constantly changing industry facing numerous challenges.

One of the essential qualities that, in my view, define successful women lawyers is an authentic passion for the science of law and the desire to excel in a highly competitive environment. This passion, combined with strong professional ethics and unwavering determination, allows them to successfully navigate challenges and achieve outstanding results for clients,” Irina points out.

Another characteristic specific to women lawyers is meticulous attention to detail, an essential quality in legal analysis and in developing procedural strategies. Moreover, women lawyers excel at balancing empathy with professional rigor.

The combination of logical reasoning and sensitivity makes women lawyers trustworthy partners for both companies and their peers. Today, women lawyers not only shape the strategic direction of law firms but also serve as role models for the new generations. Through leadership, integrity, and commitment, they continue to redefine the profession’s standards and contribute to the evolution of business law,” she adds.

Irina believes that a lawyer’s value and success should be measured by professional competence, results achieved for clients, and integrity – with gender never being a determining factor in evaluating professional performance.

Although progress is evident, some biases persist in certain professional environments. When I encounter such attitudes, I choose to respond through professionalism and results, showing that a lawyer’s value is not dependent on gender. In cases where the professional environment becomes restrictive or discriminatory, I believe it is appropriate to change it so that I can work in line with my values and principles,” she explains.

On the use of technology, Irina states: “By integrating technology into their day-to-day professional activity, lawyers – regardless of gender – can deliver high-quality legal services more efficiently and quickly, adapting to the demands of an ever-changing digital world and meeting the business environment’s expectation of adding value.”

She emphasizes that choosing a lawyer should be based on competence and experience, not gender. She also points out that the importance of a professional’s ability to create and maintain – regardless of context and beyond sound legal expertise – a collaborative atmosphere and to steer any interaction toward finding solutions is rarely discussed. “It is an approach that, at BACIU PARTNERS, we elevate to the level of a professional code of conduct, and it has nothing to do with gender – it comes from a clear vision of a lawyer’s role in the professional context,” she explains.

Irina underlines that her reasons for joining BACIU PARTNERS converge toward a shared core of fundamental values: professionalism, excellence, collaboration, and mutual respect.

The firm’s reputation in Romania’s business law market was a decisive factor, and my meeting with Ana-Maria Baciu strengthened this choice – we instantly connected, and the decision to collaborate came naturally,” she recalls.

Among the main advantages of being part of BACIU PARTNERS, in Irina’s own words, are:

• support for continuous professional development,
• exposure to high-profile projects, and
• a collaborative approach that encourages the exchange of ideas and innovation.

The team’s enthusiastic spirit creates a dynamic environment, reflected not only in clients’ satisfaction and trust but also in the firm’s constant recognition in the business law market. In addition, the integrated infrastructure and excellence-oriented organizational culture make BACIU PARTNERS an ideal space for professional growth and for contributing – alongside dedicated colleagues – to the success of the firm’s clients.

The women leaders I admire most are precisely those I have chosen to work alongside in the organization where I am now. Each of them inspires me every day through their professionalism, dedication, and vision, constantly offering me opportunities to grow and develop. Regardless of seniority or position, they represent a model of authentic leadership, based on collaboration, mutual support, and continuous growth,” Irina concludes.