Bernitsas

Bernitsas

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Greece

Commercial, Corporate and M&A

Panayotis Bernitsas

Panayotis Bernitsas

Managing Partner Panayotis is the Managing Partner of the Firm and a leading legal practitioner, with an active, broad-based commercial practice incorporating more than 35 years of experience in transactional, advisory and litigation work. Panayotis is an authority in EU, competition and antitrust law and has represented clients in prominent cartel cases before the Hellenic Competition Commission. He is a senior litigator, with vast experience in all types of dispute resolution, and represents clients in complex, high stake civil and administrative actions before the high courts and arbitration boards. He has also acted as arbitrator at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Panayotis is an expert in concession projects and privatisations, with an unsurpassed track record of playing a key role in many of the pioneering, ground breaking transactions to have taken place in Greece. He advises extensively on major renewable and conventional energy and infrastructure projects and investments in energy property development companies. His real estate practice is focused on large scale developments and real property asset portfolio investments. Within the framework of his private practice, Panayotis has acted on a number of occasions as advisor to the Government on European Union, State Aids and Privatisation issues. He also advises companies and individuals on complex tax structuring and wealth planning matters and has acted extensively in high stakes tax controversies. Panayotis has been widely published in legal journals, books and other publications in his areas of expertise and is a participant in the annual Forum on International Wealth Disputes. He held the position of Associate Professor in International Economic Law, Law of International Business Transactions, European Community Law at the University of Thrace from 1983-2007.
Lambros Belessis

Lambros Belessis

Partner Lambros is an expert in private sector mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructurings of international companies with a presence in Greece. He joined the Firm in 2000 and is specialised in structuring, documenting and negotiating commercial transactions, advising extensively on distribution networks, share-purchase agreements, joint venture partnerships and corporate structuring. Lambros has extensive experience in real estate development and acquisition projects, advising on commercial agreements and corporate transactions in the hospitality, commercial, industrial and high-end residential markets. He assists clients in the protection and exploitation of their intellectual and industrial property. He provides ongoing advice to companies from a highly diversified range of industries, including car manufacturing, private insurance, pharmaceuticals, software and IT, on the full range of issues arising in the course of their business operations, their entry into commercial agreements, company formation, corporate governance and risk management and compliance.
Ria Venaki

Ria Venaki

Senior Associate Ria is a senior associate with the Firm which she joined in 2006. Her practice is focused on the area of Life Sciences, providing clients in highly regulated industries with support on varied and complex legal issues. Ria advises clients active in the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, healthcare, medical devices and technologies and biotechnology sectors on issues such as product liability, clinical trials procedures, public procurement tenders, brand protection and regulatory risk, compliance and filings. She also advises on packaging, labelling, distribution and advertising. Ria advises on commercial agreements, including joint ventures, agency and distribution agreements and undertakes company formation and ongoing corporate governance. She contributes articles to legal periodicals on pharmaceutical related issues and in 2019 completed a course on Advanced Competitive Strategy authorized by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and offered through Coursera.
Martha Ntounou

Martha Ntounou

Senior Associate Martha is an associate with the Firm which she joined in 2022. She advises on various corporate and commercial law issues, including corporate transformations, mergers and acquisitions, demergers and spin-offs. Martha assists clients on their day to day business and drafts commercial agreements and corporate documents. She is experienced in advising clients on establishing corporate entities in Greece and has worked for clients from a range of industries, including energy, banking and real estate. Martha regularly participates in due diligence reviews. Prior to joining the Firm, Martha was a lawyer with EY Law.
Lefteris Mikros

Lefteris Mikros

Senior Associate Lefteris is a senior associate with the Firm, which he joined in 2026. He focuses on corporate law and cross-border M&A transactions and has international experience working with large corporates, private equity firms and financial institutions. Lefteris advises private and listed companies and financial sponsors on strategic investments, portfolio disposals, joint ventures, reorganisations and management incentive arrangements. He has worked on cross‑border transactions involving UK and international companies coordinating multi‑jurisdictional workstreams and has completed client secondments in the financial services and energy sectors. Prior to joining the Firm, Lefteris was an associate in a Magic Circle law firm’s private equity team in London.
Anastasia Kaiara

Anastasia Kaiara

Senior Associate Anastasia is a senior associate at the Firm which she joined in 2017. She advises on corporate and commercial transactions including mergers, acquisitions and companies' restructurings as well as on the establishment of subsidiaries of international companies in Greece and the conduct of their day to day business. Anastasia drafts commercial agreements and corporate documentation, participates in due diligence reviews and advises on corporate governance and compliance issues in regulated industry sectors. Anastasia holds a certificate in Long-Term Tax Law Seminars for Lawyers issued from Athens University of Economics & Business (Aueb). Prior to joining the Firm, Anastasia worked with EY Law as an attorney.
Christina Zakopoulou

Christina Zakopoulou

Counsel Christina is a Counsel at the Firm which she joined in 2000. She specialises in retail and commercial real estate and significant land development projects. Christina's extensive real estate experience encompasses advice on the acquisition and sale of real estate including commercial, residential, hotel and leisure developments and construction contracts. In this context she has also advised on town planning and forestry issues. She acts for investors, private equity funds, developers and managers with respect to a variety of high end hotel projects and is active in teams working with real estate consultants, architects, engineers and other professionals. She handles both real estate asset transactions (asset deals) and corporate real estate transactions (share deals). She also advises high net worth individuals with respect to the sale and acquisition of real estate assets in Greece. Christina has specific expertise in real estate privatisation tenders and the development of real estate assets by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) since it was established in 2011. Christina has experience of acting in public and private mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence and share capital increases. She undertakes company structuring and formation and ongoing corporate governance and advises on regulatory compliance. She also structures, drafts and negotiates commercial agency, commercial lease, share sale and purchase, share contribution and other commercial agreements.
Linda Vasaka

Linda Vasaka

Counsel Linda has been with the Firm since 1984. She is an expert in mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, splits, transfers of businesses and assets and restructurings of private companies and has acted in the local leg of some of the largest international transactions of this type to have taken place in Greece. Linda is specialised in a wide range of corporate transactions, with extensive experience in structuring, documenting and negotiating share purchase, sale of assets and business, joint venture, shareholder and distribution agreements. Linda also has a substantial practice in advising shareholders, directors and managers of companies in the pharmaceutical, retail, clothing and accessories, technology and food and beverages sectors on corporate structuring, formation, compliance, risk management and director and shareholder liability. She has established long-term relationships with many of her clients, for which she acts on an ongoing basis. Linda has advised on many of the largest intra group restructurings to have taken place in Greece, in most cases involving parallel transactions in the jurisdictions in which the groups are active. She is also skilled in the local implementation of global deals.
Eleni Stazilova

Eleni Stazilova

Counsel Eleni is a Counsel at the Firm which she joined in 2017. She is specialised in major project infrastructure development and energy law, including M&A transactions in these areas. Eleni has substantial expertise in the structuring, drafting and negotiation of commercial, agreements of any type with a focus on the infrastructure, energy, commodities, transport and telecoms industries. She assists clients across a wide range of sectors, including renewable energy, utilities, oil and gas, and transportation infrastructure. With expertise in both domestic and international transactions, Eleni specializes in drafting, negotiating, and structuring complex contracts related to acquisitions, project development, financing, construction and operational agreements. reporting and implementation of regulations and leading complex due diligence reviews. Her track record in commercial contracts includes drafting and negotiating construction, supply agreements, operation and maintenance contracts, and energy procurement in general. Eleni has acted on behalf of investors, developers, government entities, and financial institutions in the context of greenfield projects development and M&A transactions. She also advises on regulatory and compliance matters in the field of energy law, leveraging the client’s ability to implement their business models. Prior to joining the Firm, Eleni worked as corporate counsel in the architectural and construction sectors in Greece and abroad. Eleni holds a Degree in Law and an LLM in Civil Law from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and an MOOC (Coursera) Introduction to European Business Law from Lund University. She is admitted to the Piraeus Bar (2016).
Efstathia Kada

Efstathia Kada

Counsel Efstathia is a Counsel at the Firm. She has a broad based practice encompassing corporate and commercial work. Efstathia has extensive experience in advising on commercial law issues arising in the course of the everyday operations of a company, including corporate governance, regulatory compliance and complex contractual and real estate arrangements. She advises on corporate structuring and acts in restructurings and change of control transactions, with in-depth experience in domestic and multinational mergers and acquisitions, transfers of business and assets and takeovers. Efstathia is specialised in drafting and negotiating all types of commercial contracts, including shareholder and joint venture agreements, and financing agreements, and is actively involved in due diligence reviews. Prior to joining the firm, Efstathia was in-house counsel in a variety of sectors including media, sports and healthcare.
Amaryllis Bernitsa

Amaryllis Bernitsa

Counsel Amaryllis specialises in international arbitration, representing clients in complex, high-value commercial disputes under principal arbitration rules, including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ICSID. Her practice spans a broad range of contractual and commercial disputes, including matters arising out of joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, supply and distribution agreements and post-M&A disputes. She has significant experience advising clients throughout all stages of the arbitral process, from pre-dispute strategy and jurisdictional challenges to merits hearings and enforcement. Amaryllis advises on the structuring, drafting and negotiation of cross-border corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and transfers of businesses, and all types of commercial agreements. She has represented listed and private companies operating across the energy, telecommunications and technology, banking and financial services, transportation, gaming, healthcare, consumer goods and other industries. Amaryllis advises global clients on complex issues relating to international trade sanctions and export controls. She helps clients navigate evolving sanctions and regulatory requirements, with a focus on implementing and enhancing compliance frameworks and internal controls. She undertakes analysing sanctions-related disclosures in M&A transactions, negotiating contractual trade sanctions provisions, investigating breach concerns and allegations and advising on licencing procedures. Prior to joining the Firm, Amaryllis was a senior associate at a leading international law firm in London.
Yannis Seiradakis

Yannis Seiradakis

Partner Yannis has a wide-ranging transactional practice which encompasses significant experience in acting in complex privatisations, public and private projects and mergers and acquisitions. He has a particular expertise in the energy, infrastructure, utilities and transport sectors. Yannis' vast experience in privatisations reaches back to his time as Special Secretary for Privatisations at the Ministry of Finance, in which capacity he managed the sale of numerous State owned companies, notably public utilities. Since joining the Firm in 2004, he has been involved in high profile privatisations of grid operators, motorways, ports, airports and railways. Yannis is an expert in energy law, advising on the structuring, development, financing and implementation of transactions and projects in the conventional and renewable energy sectors. He advises extensively on legislative risk and compliance and counts leading energy companies, international investors, financiers and Government bodies among his clients. Yannis advises both privately and State owned entities and consortiums on project financings and public private partnerships, with a specialisation in documenting and negotiating concession contracts. He also advises on the regulatory framework for the assignment of public contracts by way of tenders and for developing projects and public private partnerships. Yannis advises public and private companies, investors and financial advisors in mergers, acquisitions, restructurings and divestments of primarily distressed assets. Much of his work in this area is cross-border and takes place in highly regulated sectors.
Nikos Papachristopoulos

Nikos Papachristopoulos

Partner Nikos is a leading practitioner in capital markets and corporate and M&A, with a specialisation in primary listings and secondary offerings of securities and acquisitions and takeovers of listed companies. He has been heavily involved in numerous privatizations of State-owned companies and the recapitalization of the Greek systemic banks since 2012. Nikos has vast experience advising on the structuring and financing of mergers and acquisitions, including take-over bids, corporate reorganisations and restructurings and equity and debt offerings.
Evi Kitsou

Evi Kitsou

Partner Evi is a specialist in advising on corporate and commercial transactions, company structuring and regulatory compliance across a wide range of industries with an expertise in the insurance, consumer goods, automobile and other highly regulated sectors. Evi has been with the Firm since 2000 and maintains long-standing ongoing relationships with many of her clients, who turn to her for assistance with issues arising in the conduct of their day-to-day business and the structuring and negotiation of a great variety of corporate and commercial contracts. Evi has considerable experience in share transfers, mergers and acquisitions, corporate transformations, business transfers and asset deals, establishment of subsidiaries or branches of international companies and internal restructurings. She is also specialised in insurance law, with extensive experience in advising insurance and reinsurance companies and insurance intermediaries on corporate transactions, commercial arrangements and regulatory compliance in this sector.
Maria Nefeli Bernitsa

Maria Nefeli Bernitsa

Partner Maria Nefeli is specialised in financial services, M&A and ESG law, with a focus on funds, capital markets transactions and corporate transactions for listed companies. Her clients include leading funds, alternative investment managers, banks and a variety of entities from the broader financial services space. Maria Nefeli also has significant experience in leading on financial services matters arising from group restructures of global multi-strategy asset managers, new authorisations of regulated firms and regulatory issues in private placements and IPOs. She is highly experienced in mergers and acquisitions of listed companies, private placements and IPOs and private equity transactions, advising international and Greek funds and financial institutions on the initial structuring and throughout the lifetime of their investment period. Maria Nefeli heads up the Firm’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) department and advises extensively on ESG legislation with a focus on the laws affecting firms in the financial services sector. Prior to joining the Firm, Maria Nefeli was a senior associate in a tier 1 financial services and markets team in London and was seconded to a global investment firm to implement European ESG legislation. Maria Nefeli holds an LLB (Hons) from University College London (UCL) and an MBA from INSEAD. She is admitted to the Law Society of England & Wales (2015) and the Athens Bar (2019).
Anastasia Iliopoulou

Anastasia Iliopoulou

Associate Anastasia is an associate with the Firm and a member of the Corporate and M&A team, which she joined in 2025. She advises domestic and international clients on a broad spectrum of corporate and commercial law matters, focusing on transactional work, regulatory compliance and due diligence across various industry sectors, particularly within the life sciences and healthcare sector. Her practice involves providing ongoing legal support to clients on issues arising from their day-to-day operations.
Marialena Mavrikaki

Marialena Mavrikaki

Associate Marialena is an associate with the Firm and a member of the Corporate and M&A and Intellectual Property teams. She advises on corporate law with a focus on intellectual property, data protection and privacy and new technologies.  Marialena participates in mergers and acquisitions transactions and advises on the registration, protection and management of intellectual property rights. She has experience in trademark registrations and oppositions, as well as the drafting of intellectual property agreements and licences. Prior to joining the Firm Marialena was an attorney at a Collective Management Organization.

Deals

  • - Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) Acquisition of TERNA ENERGY We advised Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar) on the acquisition of TERNA ENERGY from GEK TERNA and other shareholders. The deal represents the largest ever energy transaction on the Athens Exchange and one of the largest in the EU renewables industry.
  • - Constant Contact Acquisition of Moosend from Sitecore We advised Constant Contact on the acquisition of Moosend, an email marketing and automation platform provider, from Sitecore.
  • - CVC and Hellenic Healthcare Group Disposal of Part of its Stake to PureHealth We advised CVC and Hellenic Healthcare Group (HHG) in connection with the sale of a 60% stake in HHG to PureHealth Holding PJSC by CVC and HHG’s CEO. The deal values HHG at €2.2bn and CVC and HHG’s CEO will continue their strategic partnership with HHG by retaining a substantial stake of 40%. Our team advised on complex Greek law transactional and other legal issues deriving from HHG group’s domestic operations and existing contractual, including bank finance, arrangements and third-party consents and approvals.
  • - Georg Duncker GmbH & Co. KG Acquisition of Two Marine Insurance Intermediation Companies We advised Georg Duncker GmbH & Co. KG on the acquisition of two Greek-based insurance brokers, Fortius Risk Solutions and National Insurance Brokers, both active in the marine insurance intermediation business. Our team advised on the entire lifecycle of the transaction including due diligence, drafting and negotiating contractual documents and regulatory issues.

Team Services

Our practice has advised participants in many of the high value and innovative corporate public and private sector transactions to have taken place in Greece. We advise global and domestic market leaders, small to medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurs from a range of industries, financing institutions, funds and other international investors as well as the State on their corporate and commercial activities, risk mitigation and compliance.

Our team has unparalleled experience in structuring and executing ground-breaking deals in the context of new legislation, market liberalisation and foreign investment.

A significant part of our practice is taken up by the provision of ongoing legal services to clients in relation to the legal issues arising in the course of their day-to-day business activities, corporate governance and ESG compliance requirements, commercial contracts and regulatory compliance, for many of which we have acted for over a decade.

We have also assisted in the drafting of new legislation and advised on matters leading to the development of legal frameworks and believe this experience adds substantially to the value of our service. Our aim is to get to know our clients’ individual requirements to ensure we provide a personalised service which is in line with their goals.

- Corporate Advisory & Commercial Agreements
- Corporate Restructurings
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Risk & Compliance