Mihai Selegean

Of Counsel RIZOIU & ASOCIAȚII

Contact
+40 723 797 424
[email protected]

Mihai Selegean is a member of the Bucharest Bar with significant expertise in corporate, banking law and the law of new technologies. He served as an executive manager in legal (25+ years) and banking (15 + years) in a Romanian leading bank, after a 10-year tenure in the Romanian judiciary. At the same time, Mihai has acquired an extensive experience as trainer (20+ years) and speaker in various national and international environments. Along the years, he has managed legal teams ranging 5-70 persons.

As Deputy CEO and Head of Legal in a bank, he led his legal and data protection teams through various projects and achievements.

His work in new technologies and digital transformation is particularly valuable in today’s AI revolution. As companies across industries navigate the complex requirements of the EU AI Act and related regulations, his experience offers valuable insights into harmonizing innovation with regulatory compliance.

The Predictive Justice project (2018-2024) he developed serves as a practical example of responsible AI implementation in regulated environments. The project comprises several ambitious stages: automated litigation outcome prediction, explainable AI for legal strategy, and AI-assisted legal drafting. Each phase carefully addressed specific regulatory challenges, from data protection and algorithmic transparency to professional responsibility requirements.

As country legal coordinator and member of the Steering Board of the Global Legal Function in one of the largest European banks, he successfully guided the legal aspects of digital transformation, including the transition towards mobile banking, digital onboarding, and electronic signatures. His team developed effective approaches to contract automation and digital workflows, balancing innovation with regulatory compliance. This experience is particularly relevant now as organizations implement AI solutions while ensuring compliance with EU regulations on AI, data protection, and consumer rights.

His expertise in emerging technologies is reflected in his academic and professional contributions. Besides a recent module on “The Revolution of AI” at the Law School of the Academy of Economic Studies (where he addresses the intersection of artificial intelligence and legal practice), he maintains a significant teaching presence as a trainer at the National Institute for Magistracy, where he has been teaching the European Convention on Human Rights since 2002. This two-decade commitment to judicial education complements his practical experience, allowing him to bridge theoretical understanding with real-world applications. His recent presentations focus on guiding organizations through their obligations under the EU AI Act while developing practical frameworks for AI adoption.

Under his leadership, the legal department successfully managed large litigation portfolios (between 2000-5000 files) but also advanced significant banking case-law through strategic litigation before the High Court, Constitutional Court, the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights. These addressed key issues in banking law, including account pledges and criminal seizure, mortgage enforcement in insolvency, and consumer credit contracts. His team established important precedents regarding legal guarantees for companies under unannounced inspections and computer searches.

As Deputy CEO, he led the implementation of the bank’s GDPR compliance program (2019-2023), successfully transforming forms, contracts, notices, practices, data-bases and applications to meet EU, Romanian, and French data protection requirements.