Our scholars 2021 – Galin Atanasoff

What is your legal background, your current occupation and country of work?
I am 28 years old and living in Sofia, Bulgaria. I am a fully qualified attorney-at-law registered with the Bar Association of Sofia. I graduated summa cum laude in Law from the oldest State university in Bulgaria - University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in 2017. Currently, I work as an associate with the biggest and one of the most reputable law firms in Bulgaria: Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov and Velichkov (DGKV).

How you use European law in your work?
I am a young litigation practitioner who regularly deals with cross-border matters due to the high-profile clients of my firm and their multinational businesses. During my still short career, I have had the chance to advise and represent numerous clients in relation to matters involving European law, about which the various panels included in the ERA Summer School afforded me invaluable insight. These matters include the recognition and enforcement in Bulgaria of court judgments handed down in EU Member States; the enforcement of freezing orders (including European Account Preservation Orders); the taking of evidence in other EU Member States; and EU small claims and payment procedures, amongst other things, as well as the provision of pre-litigation consultations in relation to private international law, choice of law, and choice of forum possibilities in the context of cross-border disputes. My day-to-day duties include both litigation and use of private international legal instruments at the EU level in order to properly and competently tackle the jurisdictional and conflict of law issues presented to me by various client matters.

What was your motivation to apply for a scholarship?
The main reason behind my decision to apply for the Online Course in Cross-Border Summer Litigation was that the matters covered by the programme are of central importance to my day-to-day practice in litigation. I saw the course as a great possibility to build upon the foundation of knowledge I have obtained through my practice, to bring myself up to speed with the newest trends in the field, and to gauge the experience I already have against the knowledge and expertise of highly professional lecturers.
In fact, the ERA scholarship was my only chance to be a part of the ERA Summer School. I am still in the beginning of my career as a legal professional, and due to the specifics of the Bulgarian legal market and the overall socio-economic situation in the country, my own income did not allow me to cover the participation fee without putting a heavy strain on my personal finances. Against the standard of living in Bulgaria, the participation fee itself was roughly equal to the average monthly salary levels in the country.

How you benefited from the scholarship?
The ERA Summer School exceeded my expectations by far. The course touched upon important practical issues of the EU international law legal framework and provided beneficial clarifications at both the theoretical and the practical levels. It accomplished the former by pointing out and explaining key propositions in international instruments and case law of the CJEU, and the latter through the various workshops held after each theory-based session, which allowed me and the other participants to see how all these propositions come to life and how they interact with one another in real-life situations. By doing so, the ERA Summer School allowed me to obtain a deep understanding of the issues involved and to improve my abilities to be of help to my clients.
I am grateful for the opportunity because this Summer Course undoubtedly helped me grow as a professional and be of better service to both my firm and the clients who trust me with their time, resources, and the resolution of their issues.