Contact information
florin.christea@gmail.com

Professional summary
Attorney at Law, licensed to practice in the U.S.A. (Missouri) and the European Union (Romania)
Legal professional with more than 20 years of experience representing clients in complex international business matters within the European Union.

Key skills
Contract negotiation, formation, modification, and execution;
Document review, legal research, and writing Mediation, negotiation, and international business transactions;
Bank Law, Real Estate, Insurance Law, Trust law, Corporate, Civil law and Criminal law Problem solving and communication skills Multilingual: English (fluent), Romanian (native speaker);
Proficient in MS Office.

U.S. professional experience
September 2019-Present: Attorney at law licensed in the State of missouri
(State Courts and Federal Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri)
January 2019-Present: New York State Unified Court System Interpreter
Participated as Romanian Legal Interpreter at Court hearings and witness depositions in state and federal courts, US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan
July 2016-Present: Legal consultant from Romania – licensed by the Supreme Court of New York
August 2015-Present: New York State Notary Public

Romanian professional experience
July 2016-Present: Law office of Florin Cristea
Remotely provide legal advice on a variety of matters involving contract negotiation and formation for entities in Romania and the rest of the European Union;
Consultancy on implementing the 2018 EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
July 2011-June 2016: Senior Partner, Cristea, Sarb & Associates (City of Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Represented 300+ entities in contract negotiations and brought 250+ contracts into compliance with EU’s Data Protection Directive, which went into effect in 1995;
Supervised and managed a team of 4 attorneys;
Performed administrative and management functions related to the practice of law;
Interpreted laws, rulings, and regulations (including EU’s Data Protection Directive) for 400+ individuals and businesses;
Drafted and edited 150+ complaints and represented clients in Court in complex cases involving disputes over parcels of real estate and financial disputes between companies;
Drafted and edited 100-120 successful motions defending claims for workers’ compensation;
Prepared legal briefs and opinions, and filed 100-130 appeals in courts of appeal;
Represented clients in court;
Increased client portfolio by 20% after 2 years and 35% after 3 years.
September 2002-July 2011: Law office of Florin Cristea (City of Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Negotiated, drafted and implemented 800+ contracts for businesses;
Successfully represented 1200+ clients before various courts, including the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice;
Gathered evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions;
Conducted research on contracts and moral offenses;
Wrote 700-800 civil motions and pleadings;
Appeared in 600+ civil hearings and trials, and performed cross examinations;
Successfully demonstrated in court that the National Legal provision regulating the tax on
pollution imposed on vehicles registered for the first time in Romania was infringing Art. No. 90
par. 1 of the EU Treaty; the court decision resulted in a business increase by 100+ clients; Romania had to change its law to comply with the EU provisions.

Additional experience
2009-2014: Collaboration with fellow Romanian attorneys on translation from English to Romanian of 40-60 Decisions of the European Court Of Justice
1999-2002: Associate Attorney, Cerveni & Cerveni Law Firm (Bucharest, Romania)
Prepared and drafted legal documents, such as wills, deeds, mortgages, leases and contracts
Successfully represented 100-150 clients in small claims courts.

Education
September 2015: Master’s Degree – “International and Comparative Business Law” (courses taught by professors from various Universities in the EU – UK, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Poland, Romania), Babes-Bolyai University, School of Law, Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
February 2008: Master’s Degree in Economic Law, Dimitrie Cantemir University Bucharest School of Law in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
February 1998: Bachelor’s Degree in Law, Babes-Bolyai University, School of Law, Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Ranked most competitive University in Transylvania and second in Romania

Certificates
September 2017: Professional Interpreter Certificate (Language Line Solutions)
July 2016: An introduction to American Law – University of Pennsylvania Law School
March 2010: Certificate in Advanced English, University Of Cambridge, UK
June 2005: Certificate in Mediation – US Embassy & Craiova Mediation Center, Romania

Professional Affiliations
September 2019-Present: Missouri Bar Association
September 2002-Present: Cluj Bar Association