BallasPelecanos Law > Athens, Greece > Firm Profile

BallasPelecanos Law
10 SOLONOS STREET
KOLONAKI
106 73 ATHENS
Greece

Greece > Dispute resolution Tier 2

Consistently managing complex litigation and arbitration proceedings before tribunals and courts of all instances, the ‘super-responsive’ specialists at BallasPelecanos Law cover all aspects of injunction applications, white-collar crime cases, and IP disputes. The practice has particular expertise in the automotive and pharmaceutical spaces, with co-head Gregory Pelecanos being a leading litigator in competition, distribution, and agency disputes. Fellow co-heads George Ballas and Dimitrios Giannimaras specialise in high-profile contentious IP and civil law proceedings, whilst Grace Katsoulis is an expert in collective labour cases. George Moukas provides ‘sound advice’ on anti-counterfeiting cases, and Anthony Mavrides is also noted.

Practice head(s):

Gregory Pelecanos; George Ballas; Dimitrios Giannimaras

Other key lawyers:

Grace Katsoulis; George Moukas; Anthony Mavrides; Alexander Rammos; Apostolia Daskalos

Testimonials

‘The lawyers of BallasPelecanos are business oriented, thus they provide solutions that are business friendly.’

‘They stand out for their level of sophistication, their deep knowledge of the courts and arbitral institutions, their strong connection to the Athens community, and their ability to be pragmatic and find commercial solutions to sticky problems.’

‘Gregory Pelecanos prepares so thoroughly and well for all matters and dominates in cross-examinations and oral arguments. He is a real asset to any litigation or arbitration team.’

‘A super-responsive team, who are reliable and very knowledgeable.’

‘I have worked with George Moukas, who provided sound advice on a dispute we were working on. His advice was concise and commercial and he was very responsive.’

‘BallasPelecanos Law is our go-to firm for IP litigation support before the Greek courts. Their advice is provided in a timely fashion and is always well considered and practical, setting out the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, costs and timescales.’

‘George Ballas and his team are a pleasure to work with. George is responsive and always provides sound, practical advice.’

Key clients

Star Automotive Hellas S.A. (formerly Mercedes Benz Hellas S.A)

SLHRE Newco 2 S.R.L.

Amer Sports Export GmbH

FKG Dentaire SA

Ford Motor Hellas S.A.

Volvo Car Hellas SA

De’ Longhi SPA

Teva Europe Pharmaceuticals

Pharmathen SA

Sandoz Pharmaceuticals D.D.

Stada Arzneimittel AG

Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

Winter Holding GmbH & Co KG

GCS German Capsule Solution GmbH

Addinol Lube Oil GmbH

Red.com, LLC

T.D.G. Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG

NYC Vibe, LLC

Vamvalis Foods SA

Beiersdorf AG

Landis+Gyr A.G.

Europ Assistance SA

Tilco-Alginure GmbH

Laboratoires La Prairie SA

Sarakakis Bros SA

Mega Disposables S.A.

Leidos Inc

Lappset Group Oy

Prenecon Prime Constructions S.A.

Work highlights

  • Represented Mercedes Benz Hellas in more than ten cases involving product liability, claims over sale of (allegedly) defective goods and tort liability.
  • Represented a major construction company in an ICC arbitration against a major wind turbine manufacturer.
  • Acting for Pharmathen in two patent cancellation actions pertaining to API dimethyl fumarate before the Supreme Administrative Court of Greece.

Greece > Employment Tier 2

Fielding a team of specialist employment lawyers, the BallasPelecanos Law group’s expertise is wide in scope, covering immigration issues, voluntary exit plans, and social security services. The ‘very knowledgeable and experienced’ team regularly represents multinational conglomerates. ‘Commercial and pragmatic’ practice head Grace Katsoulis is an expert in collective labour and trade union law matters. Nikoletta Nagy is also highlighted.

Practice head(s):

Grace Katsoulis

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘They have lawyers who are able to anticipate any problems that the client may have. In other words, they do not need the client to come to them with a specific query, but they provide 360-degree advice.’

‘I had the pleasure of working with Grace Katsoulis on several multi-jurisdictional projects.  She always observed the preliminary aspects before giving advice, is totally resolute in her advice and has a very practical approach.’

‘We had a great experience with Grace Katsoulis. She was extremely responsive, very commercial and pragmatic in her advice and I would thoroughly recommend her to anyone.’

‘Highly engaged practice, providing outstanding legal advice with the full range of expertise and experience.’

‘The team demonstrated a high level of responsiveness, providing clear, business-oriented solutions, always delivered to the highest standards. In particular, Grace Katsoulis has demonstrated a great ability to build long-lasting relationships with clients, combined with a deep understanding of their business needs.’

‘Very knowledgeable and experienced team. Professionals with whom it is easy and very enjoyable to cooperate.’

‘In this particular case, Grace Katsoulis has been our reference person. Always collaborative, active and very decisive, with great research and analytical skills and good judgement.’

‘I find this firm very responsive, with a very pragmatic approach  that is always very adaptable to the different types of clients and flexible with fee structures. Their English is very good and they have been particularly helpful when introducing lawyers in neighbouring jurisdictions (Cyprus or Turkey).’

Key clients

Qatar Airways Group

Meta (formerly Facebook)

Envoy Global Inc.

Google

Europ Assistance SA (Greek Branch)

Ford Motor Hellas

Ermenegildo Zegna

Goldman Sachs

SAS Institute Inc.

Mitsubishi

Applied Materials

IQVIA (formerly IMS)

Amdocs

Tetra Pak

Volvo Car Hellas

Airbnb

3M

SSE Energy/Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

SAP Software

YNV Group – Everty

Moet Hennessy

NTT Data

Work highlights

  • Provided a full range of training on all aspects of Greek labour law to HR personnel and employees of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy / SSE Renewables S.A.
  • Assisted NTT Data with a large-scale TUPE project, including the transfer of business, assignment and outsourcing of employees, and staff augmentation.
  • Advised Moet Hennessy SAS on the employment aspects of the establishment of its Greek subsidiary.

Greece > EU and competition Tier 2

Led by Gregory Pelecanos, who demonstrates ‘unique specialisation’ and ‘hardworking spirit’, the Athens-based BallasPelecanos Law competition team covers contentious and non-contentious competition and EU law matters. The practice represents international companies from across the automotive, technology and healthcare industries, with Pelecanos bringing over 36 years’ experience in acting before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Dimitrios Giannimaras is a skilled litigator focusing on competition distribution matters, while Maria Papageorgiou specialises in IP law proceedings and assessments of possible instances of abuse of dominance.

Practice head(s):

Gregory Pelecanos;

Testimonials

‘Full professionalism, excellent knowledge of their subjects, continuous availability, fair pricing, team spirit, technological sustainability.’

‘We work closely with Senior Partner Gregory Pelecanos who is characterized by unique specialization and hardworking spirit, providing us with state-of-the art legal services.’

‘Excellent knowledge of automotive business.’

‘Gregory is a long-time partner of our firm. We trust Gregory to handle the cases we work on together.’

‘We sincerely appreciate Gregory’s responsiveness, user-friendliness and ‘can do’ attitude.’

Key clients

Amer Sport Exports Gmbh

Volvo Greece SA

Ford Motor Greece SA

Star Automotive Hellas SA (formerly Mercedes Benz Greece S.A)

Association of Motor Vehicle Importers and Representatives

Aeroservices SA

De’longhi SpA-De’ Longhi Kenwood Greece SA

Mega Disposables SA

Prenecon SA

Nissan Europe

Lamborghini Europe

Work highlights

  • Advised on the joint venture between GT and MOH to establish an electricity production plant in Komotini, including the merger control aspects before the Hellenic Competition Commission.
  • Advising Aeroservices SA on a dispute concerning a procurement run by NSPA regarding whether NSPA is immune from EU competition and procurement laws.
  • Advised and represented Amer Sports Export (Amer) and an affiliate before the HCC in an investigation into allegations of vertical price fixing and market partitioning.

Greece > Intellectual property Tier 2

Led by the ‘excellent’ George Ballas in Athens, the BallasPelecanos Law IP practice has vast expertise in the patent, trade mark and copyright infringement spheres, acting for a client roster spanning across the life sciences, technology and automotive sectors. The firm provides tailored advice on IP portfolio management and general strategy, in tandem with providing an extensive contentious offering based upon years of experience in handling high-profile anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy trade mark cases. Ballas has been involved in complex pharmaceutical patent cases and assists companies with intellectual asset protection measures, and Dimitrios Giannimaras focuses on IP-related litigation, since his promotion to partner in 2022.

Practice head(s):

George Ballas

Other key lawyers:

Dimitrios Giannimaras; George Moukas; Vicky Xourafas; Andromache Grammatopoulos

Testimonials

‘Full professionalism, excellent knowledge of their subjects, continuous availability, fair pricing, team spirit, technological sustainability.’

‘We work closely with George Ballas who is characterised by unique specialisation and hardworking spirit, providing us with state-of-the art legal services.’

‘Ballas-Pelecanos Law Firm is distinguished for its excellent training, professionalism, the ethos of its members as well as the speed of response to any client request / query, elements for which it must be chosen as an option. It is also very familiar with the use of new technologies, which should be added to the positives of the services provided.’

‘Vicky Xourafas provides clear, concise advice in a timely manner.’

‘All members of staff that makes up the Ballas-Pelecanos Law Firm, stand out for their courtesy as well as for their professionalism and knowledge, making the overall experience of working with this law firm excellent. For each issue that arises, targeted proposals are quickly provided with full analysis and specific costing, thus making cooperation particularly efficient.’

‘Ballas is an excellent attorney with vast experience in court proceedings. The advice he provides is always comprehensive and to the point. Always willing to explain most complicated legal issues in a manner understandable to everyone regardless of legal knowledge.’

‘Their personal service. This aspect of BallasPelecanos Law is one of many which makes them as our choice of contact in Greece above any other IP company.’

‘It is the attention to detail, particularly from Andromache Grammatopoulos, which helps us to help our clients.’

Key clients

Visa International

Beiersdorf AG

Ericsson

Laboratoires La Prairie SA

Star Automotive Hellas SA (formerly Mercedes Benz Greece S.A)

Landis+Gyr A.G.

Vamvalis Foods SA

Teva Europe Pharmaceuticals

Sandoz Pharmaceuticals

Stada Arzneimittel AG

Spotify

Meta (formerly Facebook)

Pharmathen SA

Eli Lilly & Co

Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH

Addinol Lube Oil GmbH

Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

Winter Holding GmbH & Co KG

GCS German Capsule Solution GmbH

Heron Group of companies

Red.com, LLC

Mega Disposables S.A.

T.D.G. Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG

NYC Vibe, LLC

Work highlights

  • Managing Visa International’s trade mark portfolio prosecutions in Greece.
  • Representing Bandai Namco Entertainment in opposition proceedings for the protection and enforcement of the reputation marks PAC-MAN.
  • Managing Beiersdorf’s Greek trade mark portfolio, including assisting the client with several high-profile trade mark oppositions.

Greece > TMT Tier 3

Described as a 'highly skilled' and ‘supportive’ group, BallasPelecanos Law leverages its expertise to support clients with their data protection measures, transfer agreements and NFT issues. The Athens-based practice has a growing presence in the AI and information technology arenas, with George Ballas being an expert in robotics and data security, and Gregory Pelecanos being a pioneer in the software and defence systems space. Grace Katsoulis focuses on the intersection between employment and corporate law with technology. Zoe Provatas and Nikolaos Papadopoulos are also highlighted.

Practice head(s):

George Ballas; Gregory Pelecanos; Grace Katsoulis

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘We always reach out to them when in need of a local view. They are responsive and competent.’

‘Nikolaos Papadopoulos provides clear and to-the-point advice and is particularly responsive and agile.’

‘Immediate response, personal contact, reliability, trust. It is a strong, experienced firm counting many years in the area of law and legal aspects . Supportive and consultative, they can understand the needs of our company and guide us successfully.’

‘Always available, personal contact, easy access and communication. Experienced, polite, supportive.’

‘Specialized knowledge of TMT practice enabling delivery of commercially effective legal advice.’

‘BallasPelecanos Law Office offers a wide range of legal services covering almost all areas of interest of a company. The legal team is highly skilled, experienced and specialized in legal areas such as data privacy, competition, automotive industry.’

‘Deep knowledge and experience in most legal areas, excellent communication and negotiation skills, immediate response and reliability.’

Key clients

Audi AG (via Noerr)

Ford Motor Hellas and Ford Europe

Volvo Cars Hellas and Volvo Car Corporation

Porsche AG (via Baker McKenzie)

Meta – formerly Facebook (via Baker McKenzie)

Microsoft Corporation (via Baker McKenzie)

Apple (via Baker McKenzie)

Google (via Baker McKenzie)

Tik Tok (via Baker McKenzie)

Spotify (via Baker McKenzie)

Pinterest (via Baker McKenzie)

Total Energies

Microsoft Hellas

Ralph Lauren

Linkedin (via Baker McKenzie)

Amazon (via Baker McKenzie)

Goldman Sachs

Hitachi, Ltd (via Baker McKenzie)

Red Bull (via Baker McKenzie)

SAP Hellas S.A.

Orange Business Services, part of Orange Group (via Lexing Network)

Zooplus AG (via Baker McKenzie)

Nissan Center Europe GmbH

Work highlights

  • Advised a household name company on the regulatory framework for the provision of electronic communications in Greece.
  • Provided advice to a client on the applicable regulatory framework for the provision of electronic communication services in Greece.
  • Advised a major company on compliance with the data protection and electronic communications regulatory framework, such as promotional activities and the launch of online tools.

Greece > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 4

Regularly handling complex joint ventures, representing SPACs, and managing inbound investments, the BallasPelecanos Law team is highly praised for its ‘professionalism and knowledge’ when advising multinational corporations. In Athens, Gregory Pelecanos is an expert in the energy, defence, and construction industries, whilst Grace Katsoulis focuses on shareholder agreements and disputes. Dimitrios Giannimaras is also knowledgeable regarding commercial issues.

Practice head(s):

Gregory Pelecanos; Grace Katsoulis

Other key lawyers:

Dimitrios Giannimaras; Apostolia Daskalou; Nikoletta Nagy

Testimonials

‘BallasPelecanos is distinguished by its excellent training, professionalism, and the ethos of its members, as well as the speed of responses to any client request or query. It is also very familiar with the use of new technologies, which should be added to the positives of the services provided.’

‘All members of the staff  of BallasPelecanos stand out for their courtesy, as well as for their professionalism and knowledge, making the overall experience of working with this law firm excellent. For each issue that arises, targeted proposals are quickly provided with full analysis and specific costing, thus making our cooperation particularly efficient.’

‘Gregory Pelecanos stands out for his experience, knowledge, and availability.’

Key clients

Microsoft

Ford Motor Hellas

Volvo Car

Ralph Lauren

Ermenegildo Zegna

Europ Assistance (Greek branch)

Mexx Fashion

SAS Institute

TotalEnergies

GEK Terna S.A.

NUR Energy Ltd

Heron Thermoelectrical I and II SA

Moet Hennessy Hellas

Columbia University

Danos Property S.A./DNS Holding S.A.

Work highlights

  • Advised on the establishment of the Greek subsidiary of the well-known Columbia University in the City of New York, which will operate a lifelong learning centre in Athens.
  • Advised DNS Holding on the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Danos Property S.A. (formerly Moiris S.A.).
  • Advising both Nur Energie Ltd on its commercial discussion with Supcon, a Chinese EPC company, and Prenecon, a Greek energy plant construction company, with regard to the potential acquisition of Nur Energie Greece.
Department Name Email Telephone
Company and commercial
Corporate
Foreign investments
Privatisation and projects
Mergers and acquisitions
Corporate finance
EU and competition (unfair and antitrust)
Industrial and intellectual property
Patents, trade marks, designs (including litigation)
Copyright and allied rights (including litigation)
Licences, franchising
Contract
Litigation and arbitration
Energy
Number of lawyers : 29
English
French
German
Italian
Counterforce Network
International Bar Association
European Patent Institute
Association of European Lawyers
International Trademark Association
Lexing-Advanced Technology Law Network
Contact : George A Ballas
: Formerly Simitis Law Offices, established in 1930