About attorney-at-law Yankov

For me, law is not just a profession, but a vocation and a passion. That is why my preparation for the attorney’s job has not started and has not ended at all with my stay in the Faculty of Law. On the contrary - it is a daily and natural process for me. Legislative changes, important court decisions, significant contributions to the legal literature, but also an understanding for the general political and economic processes that set the direction in the development of the legal system - all this is part of my professional focus.

My language training and the international context of my experience give me the opportunity to expand my perspective far beyond Bulgarian law and to provide my clients with an approach in line with the imperatives of globalization and in particular with the ever-deeper integration of Bulgaria into the EU. My specific interest in the "new age" legal branches - intellectual property law and information technology law - gives my legal expertise an irreplaceable advantage in an increasingly digitalized business environment. Moreover, my intensive attorney practice provides the clients with a vision that takes into account the peculiarities of the Bulgarian legal reality.

I combine this principal manner of work with a research of the specific case where increased attention to detail and the specific needs of the respective client is implemented. The focused view on the case allows me to provide adequate solutions and a solid position in a possible negotiation process, and the breadth of my general preparation ensures the necessary adaptability to unexpected scenarios.

If the case takes a confrontational direction, I am not just defending the client's interests according to standard procedures. I do what is necessary to provide him with legal defense of the highest quality, which will put him in the dominant legal position.

In 2011 I graduated from the English Language School "Plovdiv". The same year I started my higher education at the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".

In 2014 I received a certificate for the completion of a course on the basics of Austrian law, organized by the University of National and World Economy in Sofia and the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

In 2016 I graduated with honors as a Master of Laws at the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", and at the end of 2017 I successfully passed the bar exam.

In 2021, I finished my studies for the Master's degree (LL.M) in Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law at the Leibniz University (Hannover, Germany) and the University of Vienna.

I keep my qualifications up-to-date with the latest trends in law by participating in various legal seminars, events and courses.

I started my professional development at the very beginning of my training as a lawyer. In 2012, I began working as a legal assistant at "Valkova & Grigorov" Law Firm, based in Sofia. Combining my studies at the university and the work at the law firm, in March 2015 I also accepted the opportunity for a one-month internship at the European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds Committee at the 43rd National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria. In the same year I had the opportunity to participate as a legal advisor in the development of a software product in the field of cloud services.

After graduating from university in 2016, I started the mandatory 6-month internship in the structures of the judiciary in order to acquire legal capacity. Since July 2017, when I successfully passed the exam for legal capacity, I continued my work at the "Valkova & Grigorov" Law Firm in the position of a lawyer already. After several months of intensive preparation, I passed the bar exam and was admitted as an attorney in December 2017. From then until now I am actively practicing the attorney profession by continuing my cooperation with "Valkova and Grigorov" law firm already as an associate attorney.

I have also enriched my experience by participating in numerous international legal projects and events. In 2014 I took part in the finals of a European Union Law Competition (1st EUROPA Moot Court Competition) in Kavala, Greece. Two years later, I won a competition for a research paper in the field of law, organized by the Faculty of Law at the Sofia University. In 2019 in Strasbourg, France I participated in a project representing a simulation of the legislative process in the European Parliament (Model European Union Strasbourg 2019). And in February 2020, I won the competition for young lawyers organized by the European Academy of Law (ERA's Young Lawyers Contest).

My legal practice includes a variety of activities.

I provide oral and written consultations on various cases. If necessary, I prepare opinions on legal risks, regulatory frameworks and requirements in the field of both Bulgarian law and EU law.

I draft documents (contracts, agreements, payment requests, etc.), respectively review and, if necessary, correct and adjust already prepared drafts provided by the client.

I can represent clients in negotiations, various conciliation procedures, as well as in court or other institutions.

I assist in the incorporation of commercial companies and non-governmental organizations and in making changes in their structure. I also provide services to ensure the overall legal organization of the client's business - including terms of use and policies for websites, applications, etc. This activity can be carried out in the form of subscription-based legal services which includes current support of the commercial activity of the business client - preparation of sales, services and license contracts, assistance in employment cases, as well as in relations with institutions and foreign organizations.

I also have extensive experience in the judicial protection of the client's rights, namely - representation in civil and commercial cases before all instances, as well as preparation of appeals against administrative acts, decisions imposing an administrative penalty, etc.

I speak and work in Bulgarian, English and German.

Bulgarian is my mother tongue. I received my training in English and German at the English Language School "Plovdiv". My knowledge is certified by a Cambridge certificate and a German language diploma (Deutsches Sprachdiplom).

I also hold certificates for professional language training, namely - a certificate for legal English - issued by the Bulgarian Association of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), and for legal German - issued by the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Writing is intrinsically linked to my profession, but it gives me a particular freedom and opportunity to express my interests in other areas too.

Legal texts

The professional website "Gramada" has published my work “Prospects for accepting the individual constitutional complaint in the Bulgarian legal system. Other ways to protect the constitutional rights of the individual citizen in the Republic of Bulgaria.“ („Перспективи за възприемане на индивидуалната конституционна жалба в българската правна система. Други способи за защита на конституционните права на отделния гражданин в Република България.“) The text is in Bulgarian and is available not only on Gramada but also on my website. The paper addresses the discussion on the possible granting to citizens of a direct access to the Constitutional Court, insofar as currently it can be approached only by other institutions, but not by ordinary people who are affected by a law that contradicts the Constitution.

On my website you can also find the text (in English) of my thesis, with which I graduated with Master's degree (LL.M) in Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law at the Leibniz University (Hannover, Germany). The original title of the thesis is "The non-exhausted problem of digital exhaustion in EU copyright law. In search of a balanced approach." It deals with the problem of how far the principle of exhaustion of the right of distribution (after the first sale) of a specific copyrighted work is applicable in the digital environment. Or to put it more simply: if in the "offline" world it is perfectly legal to resell a book purchased from a bookstore, can we do the same with an e-book downloaded from the internet, or a downloaded music album or software.

Style and Culture

The magazine "Nula32", the motto of which I have used for the above subtitle, is dedicated to the cultural life in my native Plovdiv. I am a guest writer in the magazine and prepare articles for some of the issues. The topics I write about are mainly related to history, in which I have a special interest. The articles in Bulgarian can be found оn this link on the magazine's website.