The Legal 500

A. & K. Metaxopoulos & Partners. Law Firm has an excellent reputation for dispute resolution and is also strong in IP law. It is representing a leading European food company before the Greek Supreme Court in a long-running dispute with Greek farmers regarding the sale of allegedly sick livestock. The group has also been involved in several minority shareholders’ rights disputes. Kriton Metaxopoulos is highly recommended.

Anagnostopoulos Criminal Law and Litigation has ‘a superb level of experience, education and professionalism, and is one of the best law firms for criminal and civil cases in Greece’. This ‘excellent and always timely’ team ‘successfully handles complex cases in multiple jurisdictions’. Clients recommend the attentive Ilias Anagnostopoulos. In addition to disputes, the firm is strong in risk management and anti-bribery advice.

Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates LPC combines ‘excellent service with solid judgement, discretion and precision’. The team successfully represented US defence and security company SAIC in ICC arbitration with the Greek state regarding security at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Gregory Pelecanos ‘stands apart as someone with deep passion for the client’s interests, an impeccable standard of ethics and mature judgement in complex matters’.

Calavros And Partners has an excellent reputation in arbitration and litigation, and a significant record in heavily regulated industries such as life sciences and telecoms. The firm is also well versed in construction disputes. Managing partner Constantin Calavros is recommended, particularly for arbitration.

Dryllerakis & Associates is commended for its expertise in arbitrations. John Dryllerakis has ‘unique experience’ and ‘his reputation and integrity ensures respect, which is a major asset in court’. Gerassimos Apergis is ‘an excellent civil litigator with a very good track record of success in difficult cases’.

KGDI Law Firm’s ‘pragmatic and punctual’ 14-partner disputes team includes several highly rated litigators with ‘excellent language skills’. Senior partner Anthony Hadjioannou is a ‘very experienced, meticulous and hardworking lawyer,’ and is recommended for product liability and distribution disputes. Panos Alexandris is ‘dynamic in court and experienced in both civil and penal cases’. John Kyriakides ‘hears the needs of the client and translates them into proper actions’.

Koutalidis Law Firm is highly recommended for litigation and arbitration, and clients have included Hyatt, Technimont and Intracom. Gregory Logothetis is a key partner in the practice.

Norton Rose LLP is highly recommended for international litigation and arbitration as well as domestic disputes. Group head Marie Kelly ‘gives sharp and business-wise solutions’, and Dimitrios Rampos and Vassilis Koroxenidis show ‘knowledge of the Greek litigation system, as well as good strategic and commercial focus’.

PotamitisVekris represented Aegean Motorways in arbitration with the Greek state over damage caused by farmers’ blockades. Other clients include Citibank, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble. Xenophon Paparrigopoulos and regulatory expert Konstantinos Papadiamantis are recommended.

Zepos & Yannopoulos regularly receives referrals from major international firms, and has an excellent reputation for tax disputes, where Spyros Maratos is prominent. Recently the firm successfully represented Philips in a tax case before the Supreme Administrative Court.

A. S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm’s busy disputes practice has been representing the Haji-Ioannou family in litigation with shipowner John Frangos, which settled privately following a favourable award from the Greek Supreme Court. Anthony Papadimitriou and Elena Kossena are highly experienced.

Apostolos Georgiades & Associates’ well-regarded disputes team continues to advise Hellenic Comunications Company on issues relating to the Siemens bribery scandal. Other clients include Attica Bank, Iberdrola and Intersys. Apostolos Georgiades and George Georgiades are recommended.

Avramopoulos & Partners Law Firm has a very good track record defending Greek media outlets against defamation lawsuits. The firm is also advising Balfour Beatty Rail’s joint venture company in a dispute with Ergose regarding the Piraeus-Athens-Thessaloniki railway line. Dionyssis Gavounelis heads the team.

Bahas, Gramatidis & Partners is no stranger to major cross-border litigation and arbitration, and recently represented Mamidoil-Jetoil Group in a €15m ICSID arbitration. Other clients include Japan Tobacco, Boeing and Chrysler. Spyros Alexandris heads the team, which includes product liability expert Dimitris Emvalomenos.

Bairactaris & Partners is well known for shipping litigation but also has a general commercial litigation practice that is regularly referred work by leading London law firms.

Bazinas Law Firm was formed in 2010 following the dissolution of George Bazinas’ partnership with Ilias Anagnostopoulos of Anagnostopoulos Criminal Law and Litigation. The excellent pedigree of its founding partner has meant the firm has hit the ground running; it recently represented the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Greek litigation regarding a $56m claim against the collapsed US bank Washington Mutual. Clients praise the firm’s ‘excellent overall service’ and ‘outstanding results’.

Drakopoulos Law Firm recently represented United International Pictures in a €1.3m litigation claim against a Greek advertising agency, and won a land dispute against the Greek state for Reckitt Benckiser. Panagiotis Drakopoulos heads this ‘excellent’ team, which also includes highly rated senior associate Sophia Ampoulidou.

KLC Law Firm provides ‘an excellent service in complex international disputes’, and ‘pragmatic advice when dealing with the Greek Courts’. The firm is particularly strong in energy and construction disputes, and equally comfortable in arbitration and litigation. It recently represented ThyssenKrupp in settling a €3bn dispute with the Greek state.

Karatzas & Partners Law Firm has been involved in several multimillion-euro arbitrations. Litigation head Christina Faitakis, Vassiliki Salaka, George Minoudis and Alexander Metallinos are all recommended.

Kelemenis & Co handles all litigation for Chevron’s lubricants subsidiary in Greece. It also represented the Greek brewer Atalanti, a former distributor for Anheuser-Busch InBev in several claims exceeding €4m against its former business partner. Yannis Kelemenis is recommended.

Lambadarios Law Firm’s ‘very strong team’ includes the highly experienced Nondas Lambadarios and Prokopis Dimitriadis. It acted for SAIC in arbitration with the Greek state regarding the security system developed for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

M & P Bernitsas Law Offices’ practice head Dimitris Roussis writes ‘very good legal documents’, and the ‘very reliable and experienced’ Panayotis Bernitsas has ‘very good legal knowledge’.

P.V. Kanellopoulos & Partners Law Firm’s Panagiotis Kanellopoulos and Vassilis Kanellopoulos are seasoned litigators. The firm recently acted for the former shareholders of Softex in a €345m damages claim against the Greek state for the loss of shareholding following a state intervention.

Papapolitis & Papapolitis recently represented Philips Hellas in a €15m dispute with several state-owned hospitals. Other clients include Lamda Development and Kenny Construction. George Gravias is ‘an outstanding litigator’.

Politis & Partners’ well-regarded team is co-headed by Evangelos Politis and Nikolaos Vervessos, and has a good record in arbitration and litigation. It has represented the European Commission in the domestic courts and the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg against Greek private companies and public entities that were the beneficiaries of community subsidy programmes.

‘The level of service is excellent’ at Reed Smith, where the ‘helpful and proactive’ Anthony Poulopoulos ‘provides clear, consistent advice and has a good general commercial awareness and ability to take account of the bigger picture’. It has been representing a client before the Supreme Administrative Court in disputes regarding hospital tenders for medical products.

Sarantitis Law Firm’s disputes practice took on 18 new cases in 2011. It continues to represent United Technologies International in a $150m shipbuilding contract dispute with Hellenic Shipyards. George Latsis heads the team.

Insurance and shipping disputes are the core areas of focus at Scorinis Law Offices. The firm represents several major insurers.

Spyridakis – Tsoukala Law Firm’s John Spyridakis is extremely experienced in arbitration and litigation. The firm has been involved in several major multimillion-euro arbitrations, and several distressed restructurings.

Theo V. Sioufas & Co. Law Offices’ expertise extends beyond shipping litigation to commodities disputes and arbitration, for which Theo Sioufas is well regarded.

Timagenis Law Firm is best known as a shipping law firm, but about half of its contentious instructions relate to general commercial disputes. The firm is currently acting for a syndicate of banks to enforce certain guarantees. Gregory Timagenis is well regarded for international arbitration and is an ICC arbitrator.

V&P Law Firm has kept busy with a major shareholder dispute relating to the Daskalantonakis family’s shareholding in a major Greek hotel chain. Eliana Paschalides is a key figure.

C. & S. Dimitriou & Associates’ Charalampos Dimitriou has a good track record in shareholder disputes.

G. Mourgelas & Associates Law Firm is strong in arbitration and litigation, and recently represented a construction company in an ICC arbitration regarding the development of a power plant in Greece.

Best known for its shipping-related advice, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP’s team also handles some general commercial disputes.

I.K. Rokas And Partners focuses on insurance-related disputes, where it is one of the market leaders.

Kosmidis & Partners Law Firm’s group head Themis Tosounidis is ‘a very good lawyer’ who is ‘fast and to the point’. The team recently advised a marketing company in an unfair competition case.

Kremalis – Law Firm, Member Of Ius Laboris is an employment law boutique with an excellent reputation in disputes.

Nicholas Moussas heads Moussas & Tsibris Attorneys at Law’s versatile team, which successfully represented one of Greece’s largest pension funds in a claim for damages from a Greek brokerage firm.

PMN – Pamboukis, Maravelis, Nikolaidis & Associates is a well-regarded dispute resolution boutique. Clients have included Bacardi Hellas.

Law Offices Papaconstantinou acts for a number of leading corporates and is experienced in distribution agreement and antitrust and competition disputes.

Paraskevas Law Firm ‘provides a level of commercially minded, user-friendly service comparable with that of the leading international law firms’. It recently successfully represented an electronics manufacturer in a €33m litigation. Dimitris Paraskevas is highly regarded.

Stavropoulos & Partners enjoys an excellent reputation for tax disputes and contentious competition matters. Ioannis Stavropoulos is highly recommended.

thelawfirm/Moutzouridou – Sakellariou & Associates Law Firm is another new addition to the market, and was founded by the ‘very experienced’ Victoria Moutzouridou, formerly a partner at Dryllerakis & Associates. The firm’s greatest strengths lie in telecoms-related litigation and arbitration, and it receives a steady flow of work from Ericsson Hellas.

Tsibanoulis & Partners Law Firm has a good record in financial services disputes, particularly regarding capital markets regulation.