AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Our firm has been active in the fields of civil, company, commercial and financial law, with its clientele being both Greek and international.

Since its establishment, our firm has been active in the fields of civil, company, commercial and financial law, with its clientele being both Greek and international. We specialize in the banking and finance law, capital markets law, competition law, energy law, mergers and acquisitions, privatization, project finance law, real estate law and telecommunications law.  We also specialize in litigation, both before courts and arbitral tribunals, in the above fields.

PRACTICE AREAS
SECTORS

Banking and Finance Law

We advise on all aspects of banking and finance law, ranging from day-to-day straightforward loans to secured and syndicated loan transactions, securitisation, covered bonds, derivatives and other OTC and listed financial products.  We have also provided legal opinions for the ISDA Master Agreement and for the Global Master Repurchase Agreement of ICMA and TBMA.

We pride ourselves for always being at the cutting edge of financing through innovative financial instruments, including the first securitisation and covered bonds transactions in Greece. We combine innovative legal thinking with sound and detailed knowledge of traditional and innovative financial products to deliver accurate and business-oriented opinions and advice.

Capital Markets Law

We have been at the forefront of this area of law ever since the liberalisation of capital markets in Greece. We advise on every aspect of the law relating to capital markets, be it a rights offering or a takeover bid or a day-to-day compliance issue.

We have worked in some of the biggest right offerings to have ever taken place in Greece and are the first Greek firm to have drafted a prospectus.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Our deep-rooted tradition in corporate law, coupled with a team knowledgeable in a very wide spectrum of legal fields, allows us to provide top-quality services throughout a merger or acquisition process. This includes structuring, advice on transfer of specific types of assets and/or of shares, due diligence, financing, regulatory issues and filings with authorities, drafting and negotiation of the transaction documents.

It is worth noting that our firm is associated with a number of firsts in this field for Greece, including the first LBO and the first LBO concerning a listed company, as well as the first sale by a private equity investor and the first multi-jurisdictional restructuring.

Privatisation

Privatisation is currently one of the very busy areas of law in Greece, and is expected to be even more busy in the immediate future.  Our firm has been at the forefront, having already acted or acting in several transactions either for the State or for bidders – concessionaires, including some of the largest privatisations to have been concluded.

Project Finance Law

Greece saw in the last years a big number of infrastructure projects which have greatly facilitated financial activity but also, in many instances, the everyday life of Greek residents. We have been involved in almost all the financing transactions of these projects, often advising the lenders. Our experience and the depth of our knowledge allow us to identify the legal risks involved and especially those risks particular to Greece. In this way we can focus the attention of our clients especially to those areas of risk not immediately apparent to the non-Greek financial actor.

Real Estate Law

As real estate development flourished in pre-crisis Greece, real estate legal practitioners had to use “old tools” innovatively to provide answers to new challenges. Our firm was one of the leaders in this, boasting participation in some of the most significant and exciting transactions of those years. Now, as the real estate market shows strong signs of recovery, we are acting in numerous real estate transactions, including acquisitions, renegotiations, privatization of public real estate, or leases by multinational retailers. Our areas of emphasis include transactions over real estate for tourist development and use in the hospitality sector, as well as office spaces and retail.

We provide comprehensive advice in every type of real estate or real estate-related transaction, from conveyancing, leases and real estate development, to specialised commercial utilisation such as leasing of malls, sale and lease-back arrangements and public-private real estate development and real estate privatisation.

Telecommunications, Media & Technology

Telecommunications have been for Greece one of the more quickly expanding fields in the last 15 – 20 years. In that time our firm has been involved in some of the seminal transactions in this field, including the first change of control of a mobile telephony operator and the first merger of two competitors in the mobile telephony market.

We routinely advise telecommunications operators on day-to-day telecoms matters and assist in their representation before both the telecoms regulator (in a wide variety of matters, including anti-trust issues, for which especially in this field the telecoms regulator is competent) and telecoms complaints, and before courts in litigation, including litigation between operators.

Corporate and Commercial Law

General corporate and commercial law has been traditionally one of the mainstays of our firm and comprises a significant part of our work both for national and international clients. The field is very broad and we take special pride in our detailed and deep knowledge of the law and in our firm’s many contributions in its development, be it through contributions to law commissions or through court judgments on disputed issues.

Within this context we provide not only one-off advice but also regular advice on day-to-day and extraordinary issues, often through secondment of our lawyers to undertakings active in various industries.

Energy Law

The geographical position of Greece makes it not only a potential hub for the transfer and distribution of energy but also a potential key producer of energy from renewable resources, especially solar and wind. We have had extensive experience in energy-related projects and we specialise in the financing of renewable energy projects, having acting for the financing parties of renewables with total output of over 3500 MW.

Litigation

One of the strengths of our firm is our ability to provide a comprehensive service to our clients by being able to cater for our clients’ needs not only on the advisory level but also in active litigation. Our expertise ranges from complex enforcement issues to international arbitration, through a team of attorneys who combine extensive litigation experience with experience in the advisory aspect of the relevant legal fields. This enables us to view the issues in their entirety and especially from the business point of view and to provide top-level representation combined with high-quality strategic advice on the handling of the case.

Competition Law / Anti-trust

Our firm routinely provides advice on such matters as merger control (including filing of notifications), vertical restraints, abuse of dominant position and concerted practices. We also represent clients on competition law, especially anti-trust issues, before the Hellenic Competition Commission and the competent courts. Our expertise is acknowledged by the fact that we have acted for clients in some of the most controversial and significant anti-trust cases of the recent years, including the largest merger clearance in the Greek financial sector and an aborted 3 to 2 undertakings’ merger clearance in the EU.

Employment Law

We advise our clients on a wide range of employment law matters, from the execution or termination of employment agreements and the provision of benefits and incentives to employees to downsizing and implementation of voluntary separations plans. We work closely with our clients to safeguard compliance with employment law and smooth operation of labor relations through business-oriented solutions.

We have extensive experience in the employment aspects of complex M&A transactions and restructuring projects, including the application of EU and national legislation on transfer of undertakings.

Tax Law

Our tax practice focuses on advising corporate clients across a wide range of matters in the area of direct and indirect taxation, both on a standalone basis and as an integrated part of corporate and financial transactions handled by our transactional teams, including with respect to securities offerings and financings.

Data Protection/Privacy/Cybersecurity

We advise on all aspects of data protection and privacy law ranging from day-to-day matters related to the protection of privacy and GDPR compliance issues. Our practice includes assisting both domestic and international clients in ensuring compliance with data protection laws and drafting/reviewing data protection policies and necessary data protection documentation as well as advising on measures to be taken for the security of personal data. We also focus on providing advice on data protection issues in employment relationships, in due diligence reviews as well as arising from personal data breaches. Our deep knowledge in this field and practical legal thinking enables us to offer business-oriented solutions even in the most intricate and pressing privacy and data protection legal matters.

Intellectual Property

Our firm provides advice on any aspect of intellectual property including copyright and industrial property (e.g., trademarks, trade names, trade secrets) matters. Our practice includes offering advisory services in handling and expanding clients’ trademark portfolios and representing clients before courts and competent authorities for any trademark and IP legal dispute. Our support consists, among others, of drafting/reviewing IP license agreements and negotiating on behalf of our clients on any IP matter. We also have experience in the IP aspects of complicated M&A transactions and in providing legal support in entertainment legal matters. Our dynamic and dedicated team provides accurate and high-quality legal services while offering solutions considering clients’ business needs.

Financial Institutions

Energy

Real Estate

Telecommunications, Media & Technology

Private Equity

Industrial & Manufacturing

Life sciences & Healthcare

Consumer & Retail

Hotels & Leisure

Infrastructure & Transport