The Legal 500

Dryllerakis & Associates combines ‘deep knowledge of law with business-oriented thinking’, and is ‘good value’. The practice acted for Gazprom during the privatisation of gas supplier DEPA, and advised Aegean Airlines on its planned takeover of Olympic Air. The firm has several recommended practitioners, including John Dryllerakis and John Damilakis.

KGDI Law Firm’s team ‘always keeps to deadlines’ and has ‘broad industry knowledge’. A recent highlight was advising Groupe Lactalis on its bid to acquire ATEbank’s stake in dairy company Dodoni. Other clients include Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company and the Agricultural Bank of Greece. Practice head Claire Pavlou is praised for her ‘professionalism’ and ‘knowledge of corporate issues’.

Karatzas & Partners Law Firm’s ‘advice is really first class, even better than some big London names’. Its standing is reflected in its workload, such as advising Carrefour on the sale of its €348m stake in the Carrefour Marinopoulos joint venture to Marinopoulos Group. Catherine Karatzas Alexander Metallinos and Anna Manda are praised for their ‘ingenuity’ when acting on high-end corporate matters.

Koutalidis Law Firm advises on some of the largest transactions in the market, and is extremely well regarded. As such, the death of senior partner Tryfon Koutalidis was felt not just by the firm but the legal market as a whole. Managing partner Nikos Koritsas, Nikos Pimblis and Katia Protopapa are recommended.

M & P Bernitsas is among ‘the best’ for M&A, and provides a ‘very good and extremely responsive service’. The firm advised Marinopoulos Group on its full takeover of Carrefour Marinopoulos, and the company’s subsequent restructuring. Linda Vasaka and the ‘very reliable and very versatile’ Nikos Papachristopoulos are the practice co-heads.

PotamitisVekris has a very good reputation and has been involved in some of the largest deals in the market: for example, it advised Pak Group, a Turkish cardboard manufacturer, on the acquisition of Greek competitor Mel. The firm also advised the Hellenic Privatisation Fund on privatising the Athens and Thessaloniki water and sewage companies. Stathis Potamitis heads the team, which also includes public M&A specialist George Bersis and energy expert Euripides Ioannou.

Dimitris Assimakis at Norton Rose LLP is very well regarded within the energy sector, and the firm counts Hanergy Solar Power and PCC Renewables among its clients.

Papapolitis & Papapolitis is ‘a go-to firm for a range of high-quality, complex corporate matters’. The ‘service is always exceptional’ and the team ‘obviously knows the Greek market very well’. Highlights included advising Chipita on the multimillion-dollar sale of two of its brands to B&G Foods. Nicholas Papapolitis ‘stands out when it comes to international transactions’, and ‘always gives the greatest impression’. Pericles Kamarinos is ‘well known for his ingenuity and solution-driven service’.

A significant highlight for Sarantitis Law Firm was advising ATEbank on the sale of its majority shareholding in dairy company Dodoni, as well as stakes in other companies including Hellenic Sugar Industry and Elviz. The firm also advised a US private equity fund on its €200m acquisition of a listed Greek company. Dorotheos Samoladas and Alexandros Metaxas are both very experienced.

V&P Law Firm’s senior partner Eliana Paschalides has a distinguished record in corporate transactional work. The firm acts for a broad range of domestic and international clients.

Zepos & Yannopoulos recently advised a Greek credit company during its acquisition by a major Greek credit institution. The firm also acted for Fosun Group on the purchase of a minority stake in Folli Follie. Dimitris Zepos and Ilias Koimtzoglou are recommended.

Avramopoulos & Partners Law Firm’s practice combines transactional with day-to-day commercial advice. It advised Aegean Blue Holdings on the sale of its shares to Diamond Resorts International, and other clients include Mitsubishi Electric and AT&T. Vassilis Avramopoulos heads the team.

Bahas, Gramatidis & Partners is recommended for M&A and day-to-day corporate advice. Dimitris Emvalomenos and practice head Marios Bahas are recommended.

Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates LPC’s clients include the Greek subsidiaries of Ford, Microsoft, Levi Strauss, and Ralph Lauren. Gregory Pelecanos is the lead partner.

Drakopoulos Law Firm’s service is of ‘the highest quality’, and the team provides ‘quick responses and a pragmatic approach’, and has ‘excellent industry knowledge’. It recently advised Geox on the termination of its distributor agreement, and advised Carrefour Marinopoulos on expanding into Albania. Senior partner Panagiotis Drakopoulos is highly recommended.

KLC Law Firm’s clients include the GEK TERNA Group, which it has advised on joint ventures and M&A throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Thanos Karvelis has a good reputation.

Lambadarios Law Firm is praised for its ‘strength in depth’ and ‘outstanding level of service’. Constantinos Lambadarios is ‘commercially minded’ and ‘stands out for his practical approach’, and Prokopis Dimitriadis has ‘unmatched knowledge of corporate and commercial law’. The firm recently advised Diamond Resorts International on the multimillion-euro purchase of several resorts in Crete and Rhodes.

Paraskevas Law Firm’s ‘very responsive’ team is ‘plugged into the local market’ and is regularly referred work by international firms. It recently acted as local counsel on the restructuring of a major marketing and advertising company. Dimitris Paraskevas is very experienced.

Recent highlights for Spyridakis – Tsoukala Law Firm include advising a major Coca-Cola shareholder on a voluntary tender offer on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) for more shares in the company. Eleni Tsoukala heads the team.

A. S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm’s transactional team represents a mix of corporate and private equity clients. Recent highlights include advising Aquanova International Holdings on selling its majority stake in Eurodrip. Anthony Papadimitriou, Evangelos Lakatzis and Thenia Panagopoulou are recommended.

I.K. Rokas and Partners’ three-partner team advises insurers on corporate issues, including restructuring. The firm also advised the HRADF on the privatisation of two companies in the defence sector: Hellenic Defence Systems and Hellenic Vehicle Industry.

Kelemenis & Co recently represented Baring Private Equity Asia when it acquired equity and debt from ASE-listed Greek companies. Yannis Kelemenis has a good track record.

Moratis – Passas is best known for banking and finance work, but also has a highly sophisticated corporate practice.

Moussas & Partners Attorneys at Law is experienced in international joint ventures, M&A and restructurings. The team recently advised a client in the steel industry on a joint venture in Romania.

Pistiolis – Triantafyllos & Associates’ team is headed by the ‘outstanding’ Theodore Pistiolis, who is ‘a skilful negotiator and talented closer of deals’. The firm is prominent in the energy and TMT sectors, and recently advised Enel on its restructuring.

Politis & Partners acts for major Greek listed companies, including Lavipharm and Sanyo Hellas, and international clients, such as Bosch Rexroth and Sun Chemical. It regularly handles transactional matters, including licensing and distributorship agreements. Evangelos Politis heads the practice.

Tsibanoulis & Partners Law Firm provides day-to-day corporate advice and also has M&A and restructuring experience. Dimitris Tsibanoulis and Anna Apostolaki are the main contacts.

Your Legal Partners advised a major private investor on the privatisation of Hellenic Sugar Industry. Other clients include McCann Erickson, Mytilineos Group and JTI. Konstantin Karagiannis and Maria Golfinopoulou co-head the practice.

Vivian Vassilopoulou and Kriton Metaxopoulos are the main contacts at A. & K. Metaxopoulos & Partners. Law Firm. Clients include Avis, which it advised on fleet management service agreements with Vodafone and Marfin Egnatia Bank. The firm is also known for its experience in the media sector.

AdvoHellas – Dr Ziouvas & Partners regularly advises on German law and has a solid German client base.

Stavros Georgiades is the main corporate partner at Apostolos Georgiades & Associates, which represents McKinsey & Company, Linde, ArcelorMittal, Mizuho Corporate Advisory, and Marriott Hotels, among others.

Calavros and Partners’ corporate group acts for several major clients including Novartis, Panasonic and GlaxoSmithKline, and is supported by an excellent litigation team.

G. Mourgelas & Associates Law Firm’s clients include Danone, Ferrero, Kavala Oil, and Siemens. The firm is particularly strong in the advertising and media sectors.

P.V. Kanellopoulos & Partners Law Firm advises a range of clients from the life sciences, healthcare, entertainment, and private banking sectors. Vassilis Kanellopoulos is the main contact.

Law Offices Papaconstantinou acts for various major international clients including Toyota Hellas, Philip Morris and Amadeus Hellas. Eleni Papaconstantinou heads the practice.

Reed Smith’s five-lawyer team has advised various international companies on establishing operations in Greece, including a US sportswear company and a medical devices manufacturer. Anthony Poulopoulos heads the group.

Stavropoulos & Partners’ clients include Dior, Athenian Brewery, LVMH, and TAG Heuer. The firm is particularly strong on regulatory and tax matters.

Theo V. Sioufas & Co. Law Offices is best known for shipping advice, but also advises domestic and international clients on transactional and day-to-day corporate issues.

Timagenis Law Firm’s shipping clients regularly instruct it on high-level corporate matters and M&A transactions that are not exclusive to the shipping sector. It also advises shipowners on their wider commercial investments.