The Legal 500

Drakopoulos Law Firm has ‘excellent market and industry knowledge’. Highlights included advising Intrapower on its €250m investment in photovoltaic energy plants in Greece. Name partner Panagiotis Drakopoulos is praised for his ‘experience, international expertise and strong scientific background’.

KGDI Law Firm ‘has the depth of energy sector knowledge that is necessary for foreign direct investments’. As well as being heavily involved in the buoyant renewables sector, the firm is advising the Public Gas Company (DEPA) on international tenders for the development of several gas networks in Greece. Practice head Gus Papamichalopoulos has an excellent reputation.

KLC Law Firm is especially recommended for energy-related projects and infrastructure advice. It recently represented Greek steel company Halyvourgiki on the establishment of a joint venture to construct and operate an 880MW combined cycle gas turbine power station. Other clients include Phoenix Solar, Mott MacDonald and Quest Energy.

Karatzas & Partners Law Firm has been involved in several renewables financings, including acting for Selected Volt on the €30m financing of a 9.9MW photovoltaic energy plant. Christina Faitakis heads the team.

Yannis Kelemenis and Ioanna Lazaridou at Kelemenis & Co are both well regarded for their energy work, whether it be on renewables or oil, gas and power. The firm has helped the Greek Ministry for Energy and the Environment on the drafting of EU-compliant Greek electricity and natural gas legislation. Sunpower and the DEPA are also clients.

M & P Bernitsas Law Offices has a versatile energy practice that handles regulatory and transactional matters. It has represented numerous lenders in financings and restructurings. Augustine Almyroudi is recommended for regulatory advice, as is Yannis Kourniotis for projects and transactions. Clients include BP and Corinthos Power.

Norton Rose LLP’s energy practice handles M&A, project finance and regulatory advice. On the regulatory side, it represented EGL Hellas in a case before the Supreme Administrative Court against various provisions of the Greek Grid Code. Energy specialist Dimitris Assimakis is well regarded.

PotamitisVekris enjoys a good reputation and has been involved in several major photovoltaic energy projects, such as Sun Edison’s 220MW site in central Greece. The firm also advised GDF Suez and GEK Terna as sponsors of Heron II, a 435MW power plant. Euripides Ioannou is highly recommended.

Watson, Farley & Williams – Greek Branch displays ‘deep knowledge of the energy sector and local legal environment’, and group head Virginia Murray is ‘extremely capable when it comes to drafting complex structures’. The renewable energy sector is a core focus; it recently advised Emporiki Bank on the €17.5m loan funding of a 7MW photovoltaic energy project for Quest Energy.

Zepos & Yannopoulos is strong for regulatory, projects and transactional advice. Recently it successfully represented Shell Hellas before the Court of Appeals against a Competition Committee decision alleging collusion with BP over fuel trade prices. Marina Kolia heads this well-regarded team.

AdvoHellas – Dr Ziouvas & Partners acts for several German banks on solar power project financings.

Avramopoulos & Partners Law Firm’s energy head Wolfgang Gebhardt has established a strong German client base, including several in the solar energy sector. Key clients include Conergy Energy Systems and Norwegian company REC Solar.

Cocalis & Psarras has experience of cross-border energy transactions, often involving Eastern Europe.

Dryllerakis & Associates has a good reputation in the energy industry through its work with Hellenic Petroleum and GDF Suez, and recently advised the latter on a €39m energy production project. John Dryllerakis is ‘particularly knowledgeable in the oil refining and trading sector’.

G. Mourgelas & Associates Law Firm often acts for investors in the energy sector and is experienced in the trading of carbon credits and photovoltaic energy projects.

Kosmidis & Partners Law Firm’s Themis Tosounidis and Aris Kapsalis are experienced in energy law. The firm acts for several German clients in the renewables sector, and also advised NKT Cables on a €35m project for the procurement and installation of electric cables to the Greek public power network.

Gregory Logothetis at Koutalidis Law Firm is recommended for his regulatory advice. Evangelos Courakis has a strong track record advising clients such as Endesa Europe.

Lambadarios Law Firm has been heavily involved in the renewables sector, where it represented Volterra on the construction of three wind farms. Other clients include Intrakat and J&P Avax.

Moussas & Tsibris Attorneys At Law regularly advises Mytilineos Group on transactional and regulatory matters. Team head Nicholas Moussas has been advising on issues relating to the deregulation of power contracts between large industries and electricity providers.

Paraskevas Law Firm is well regarded for its advice to borrowers and lenders on major energy projects.

Politis & Partners has been particularly active in the solar energy sector, where it has represented clients such as Solar Power Inc and SDL Solar in several photovoltaic energy projects.

Sarantitis Law Firm provides regulatory, projects and transactional advice. It recently represented MT Energie on the development of a biogas facility and block heating power plant in Greece. Other clients include GDF Suez. Theodora Monochartzis heads the team.

Tsibanoulis & Partners Law Firm regularly provides corporate advice to energy sector clients.

V&P Law Firm’s finance practice is regularly involved in energy-related project financing.

Your Legal Partners has a diverse energy practice that recently advised HSBC on the project finance for a wind farm on the island of Kos. Konstantin Karagiannis and Katerina Politopoulou jointly head the team.