ATTORNEY AT LAW TONI CHAKAROV: RELIABLE LEGAL PARTNER

Attorney at Law Toni Chakarov's professional story is a telling example of ambition and striving to perfection. He was just 17 years old when he enrolled to study law in university. After graduation, he gained invaluable experience in some of Bulgaria's top law firms and is now running a successful legal practice that offers help in spheres such as domestic violence, right in rem, commercial law, family law, crime law, insurance law, tax law, labour law. Foreigners in Bulgaria make a significant part of his firm's clients. Lawyer Chakarov's interests are in crime law and civil law, and he is eager to discuss the intricacies of the Bulgarian legal system.

What attracted you towards crime law?

The sheer scale of the structures in crime law and the many detailed specifics in setting the relations between citizens (and the specific for crime law relations between the citizens and the state), connected to their unlawful or lawful behaviour and the role of the state in connection to preliminary regulation of the legal norms in crime law, and as well as with law enforcement in crime cases is huge and incomparable to other types of law. In some crime cases the defendant is on the verge between freedom and the danger of going to prison, a limited number of legal norms and circumstances matter for the outcome of the case and how the destiny of the particular person will unfold.

What are the specificities of Bulgarian crime law that foreigners are not aware of?

It is important to know which action or inaction are recognised as crimes by the law in Bulgaria. There are the so-called absolute crimes that are the same in any country, such as murder, theft, and robbery. However, a foreigner can do or not do something that is seen as a crime in the territory and society where they are, even if they visit for just a couple of days. An example for Bulgaria are the criminal cases connected to ownership of some types of narcotic substances or their analogues; there are as well some local specificities connected to driving after their use. Other examples are connected to tax crimes in Bulgaria, action or inaction considering ownership or distribution of particular data etc. However, I have many cases in my practice of Bulgarian citizens who were sentenced abroad for deeds that are not recognised as crimes in Bulgaria. Foreigners should be aware that according to Bulgarian law they should have a lawyer if they are accused of a crime and do not speak Bulgarian. If a foreigner cannot pay for a lawyer, they will be assigned a public defender. My advice is to discuss their cases first and foremost with their lawyer, and with no-one else before they meet them.

What qualities and competencies should a lawyer specialising crime law in Bulgaria possess in order to successfully defend their clients' interest?

These competencies can be acquired with lots of hard work and dedication to spending time in learning and practising the profession. Such competencies can be acquired, however, you cannot learn all the needed skills with reading textbooks, books or even practise alone. Our profession requires an analytical mind, acumen, the capability to foresee what the other participants in the case will do, to recognise the types of "legal thinking" in the particular type of case connected to the type of crime. The lawyer should be familiar with the legal behaviour of the judges, the prosecutors, the investigators, the conclusions of the experts, and the witness interviews. At each meeting with the client, starting from the first one, the lawyer should clearly explain to them all the possible variants and outcomes of the case and to honestly and competently disclose what can be expected with certainty and what positive and negative events could ensue. The lawyer is required first and foremost to be honest and competent. The client must hear all the possible outcomes from their defender first.

What are the most common criminal cases in which foreigners seek your legal help?

Foreign citizens seek me most often in criminal cases connected to money that, according to the State Prosecution, are of unclear origin. Some are accused of various deeds that the State Prosecution sees as crimes while others are part of crime cases as witnesses.

Which case from your criminal law practice will you remember forever?

I am considering writing books when I reach a certain age, like one of my favourite authors, Nikos Kazantzakis. The case that I will never forget will probably be my first murder case. The only time in one's life journey when they manage to distinguish theory from practice – without life or destiny asking them whether they are ready for this to happen or not. There are crime cases that are more outstanding, but as with conducting almost all crime cases, the outcome is linked to huge changes in the lives of the individuals affected by the supposed or real crime (especially the accused and the defendants). The crime lawyer practices in order to acquit the clients they have chosen to defend. There is a certain paradox here because the lawyer and the client are two different people yet at the same time they almost always are similar to each other, at least a little bit. A certain person seeks a lawyer, a doctor, a private investigator or another professional to fit certain internal criteria. Sometimes it is not enough for the professional to be capable of performing the "operation" well – they have to be capable to additionally provide trust and bravery to someone who has trusted, even partially, their life in their hands. The particular professional should support the person who has trusted them all the way to the best possible outcome.

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+359 888 788 847

lawyer.chakarov@gmail.com

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