Nicholas Hammond is an English lawyer with 50 years of experience. After establishing and developing his own law firm in London, he started a practice in Romania in 1990. “Of all the foreign lawyers in Romania I have been here the longest and survived,” he likes to say. Not only that, but he has also trained many young Romanian lawyers who now run their own successful practices and has advised other international law firms in establishing local offices. Since 2002, he has been running his own practice in Romania.

Name: Nicholas Hammond 

Nationality: English

Current industry: Law

Current company: Hammond Partnership

Current position: Founder/Managing Partner

Past industries: Once worked as a gravedigger and during the Christmas season as a postman

Past brands/companies: Hicks Arnold, Taylor Joynson, Hammond & Associates

Education: School, then English Law Society Finals 

Years active professionally: 50 years.

Professional accomplishments & strengths:

In 1974, Nicholas Hammond established his law firm in London and took it to a firm of 35 lawyers and support staff. In January 1990, he came to Romania and started working with young Romanian lawyers who now own their own successful practices. He has set up several law firms with Romanian lawyers and has always enjoyed working with them. 

“It has been satisfying to see the business community in Romania develop and continue to develop. To have survived in Romania you needed to have an open and enquiring mind and be able to adapt to the reality of working in the law in Romania, this I hope I have accomplished,” he says.

He adds: “When I think of the companies both large and small who I have counselled in respect of their business in Roman then I feel I have added something to the country and benefitted the people. As one of only three native English solicitors, I have worked hard to install professionalism in all that I and my lawyers do and have done. I hope people think I have put something good back into my adopted country. At least I have kept my sense of humor which sometimes is not appreciated. My strength perhaps is to always be optimistic and look forward to the next challenge.”

Hobbies and interests:

Nicholas Hammond has an interest in what happens in Romania. The law firm takes up most of his time. When relaxing, he likes to spend time with his Romanian family and talk to his family abroad. He has also been involved in the Anglican Church of the Resurrection since he came to Romania and has served on the Governing Council for 20 years as well as 12 years as Chairman and Warden. Before the pandemic, he also enjoyed going to the opera and concerts in Romania, which provides a welcome relief from the pressures of being a lawyer

Entrepreneurial venture: 

Nicholas Hammond started his career as a trainee lawyer in what was then one of the top law firms in the City of London training to be a solicitor. After he qualified, he worked as an assistant solicitor until he set up his own law firm in 1974. He then developed his practice in London into a law firm of 35 lawyers plus support staff. The firm was successful. 

In 1989, the firm decided it wanted to go international and looked at various options, including Eastern Europe. As he had a Romanian client, Romania seemed the most obvious place to go. On January 12, 1990, less than a month after the fall of Romania’s communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Nicholas Hammond and another partner arrived at Otopeni.  Their initial research was promising, and the firm decided to open an office here, which they did, and Mr. Hammond was designated to run both London and Bucharest. Subsequently, the Bucharest office was sold to Taylor Joynson a City of London law firm who asked him to stay and run the Bucharest office, which he did for many years.

After that, he advised and assisted several international law firms in developing their own business. In 2002, he decided to open his own law firm which he did, and “the rest is as they say history.”

During this period, he met and married his Romanian wife who has helped him all along in this Romanian venture. 

“There have been many high lights in my time in Romania. There are too many to mention. Meeting presidents and prime ministers have given me pleasure as well as seeing lawyers who I gave some training to become leaders in the Romanian legal profession. Of all the foreign lawyers in Romania I have been here the longest and survived,” he says.  

Contact details: nhammond@hplegal.ro, www.hplegal.ro