I. Who May Act as a Lawyer
In Bulgaria the legal profession is regulated by the Bar Act. Only an advocate — a lawyer admitted to one of the regional Bar Associations and entered in the Unified Register of Advocates — may provide legal representation as a profession, including before the courts. The English terms "lawyer", "attorney" and "attorney at law" all correspond to the Bulgarian адвокат.
Lawyers from other EU Member States may practise in Bulgaria under their home professional title after registration, and in-house legal counsel may represent their own employer. For most private clients, however, the relevant professional is a Bulgarian advocate.
II. What to Check Before Instructing a Lawyer
The first check is simple and takes a minute: every practising advocate appears in the public register at bar-register.bg, together with the Bar Association of which they are a member and their registration number. A lawyer who cannot be found in the register is not entitled to practise.
- Admission — the lawyer is listed in the Unified Register of Advocates.
- Relevant experience — the lawyer regularly handles the type of matter you have: property, corporate, family, litigation.
- Language — you can communicate directly, without relying on intermediaries.
- Conflicts — the lawyer does not act for the other side or for someone whose interests conflict with yours.
- Clarity on fees — you receive a written fee proposal before work begins.
- Who does the work — you know whether the lawyer you meet will handle the matter personally.
III. The Engagement Contract
The relationship between client and lawyer is formalised in a written contract for legal assistance (договор за правна защита и съдействие). It should describe the scope of the work, the fee and how it is calculated, the expenses the client will bear, and how the contract may be terminated. Where the lawyer is to act on the client's behalf before courts, authorities or third parties, a separate power of attorney is also required.
Defining the scope carefully avoids most later disagreements. "Assistance with the purchase of a property", for example, may or may not include title due diligence, negotiation of the preliminary contract, attendance at the notary and post-completion registrations — the contract should say which.
IV. How Fees Work
Lawyers' fees in Bulgaria are agreed between lawyer and client. Common structures are a fixed fee for a defined task (such as registering a company or handling a property purchase), an hourly rate for advisory work, and a fee per stage or per instance for litigation. The Supreme Bar Council issues an ordinance on lawyers' remuneration, but following the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in case C-438/22 (January 2024), its amounts are not binding on the courts as mandatory minimums, and fees are freely negotiated.
Lawyers who are registered for VAT add 20% VAT to their fees. The fee does not include third-party costs, which the client usually pays separately: court and state fees, notary fees, registry fees, translations and apostilles, and expert valuations. A good fee proposal lists the expected third-party costs as well, so that the total budget is clear from the outset.
In litigation, the successful party can recover its costs, including a lawyer's fee, from the losing party. The court may reduce a recoverable fee it considers excessive in relation to the complexity of the case, so the fee agreed with your own lawyer and the amount recoverable from the other side are not always the same.
V. Instructing a Lawyer From Abroad
Many matters can be handled without the client travelling to Bulgaria. Communication takes place by email and video call, documents are signed electronically or sent by courier, and the lawyer acts under a power of attorney. Where a notarised power of attorney is required — for example to sell property or register a company — it can be signed at a Bulgarian consulate or before a local notary with an apostille.
Bulgarian courts and authorities work in Bulgarian. Foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a certified translation, and foreign official documents generally need an apostille. An English-speaking lawyer bridges the language gap, but it is worth planning the time needed for translations and legalisation into the overall timetable.
VI. Confidentiality and Professional Standards
Advocates are bound by professional secrecy: what a client entrusts to a lawyer is confidential and may not be disclosed. Advocates are also required to carry professional liability insurance. Complaints about a lawyer's professional conduct may be submitted to the Bar Council of the Bar Association of which the lawyer is a member.