Sioufas & Associates Law Firm > Athens, Greece > Firm Profile
Sioufas & Associates Law Firm Offices
6A, NEOU FALIROU STREET
AGIOS IOANNIS RENTIS
182 33 ATHENS
Greece
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Sioufas & Associates Law Firm > The Legal 500 Rankings
Greece > Dispute resolution Tier 3
With extensive experience of handling employment, IP, and banking litigation (particularly defending Greek banks in court proceedings), the Sioufas & Associates Law Firm practice displays an ‘inherent disposition for constructive cooperation’. Based out of Athens, deputy managing partner Marios Sioufas specialises in complex IP and corporate disputes, Olga Eftychidou is an expert in enforcement and insolvency cases, and Nikolaos Katiforis focuses on administrative disputes and arbitration. Theodora Antonopoulou is also highlighted.Practice head(s):
Marios Sioufas; Olga Eftychidou; Nikolaos Katiforis
Other key lawyers:
Ioanna Rapsomaniki; Theodora Antonopoulou; Marios-Panagiotis Skouras
Testimonials
‘The organisational structure, the tech support systems and the wide network of the law firm make them a valuable partner for the client.’
‘Excellent firm with great lawyers.’
‘The team consisted of individuals from various backgrounds and countries, but the performance was seamless and highly efficient, giving the impression that it was one highly skilled professional who was acting for us. The consultancy support was very useful. The team was highly informed on the legislation involved.’
‘Marios Sioufas is always willing to help and provide valuable advice.’
‘Τhe team are knowledgeable about our sector and have long experience in this practice area, and working with them provides the assurance that the level of service one enjoys is professional. The responsiveness, as well as the business-oriented approach adopted by the firm, is one of the elements that stands out when working with the team.’
‘What stands out in the people I have worked with is their inherent disposition for constructive cooperation and the fact that they know that in order to achieve the desired result, teamwork must be strengthened and promoted.’
‘The team are reliable partners for us. Their service is of a high quality because of their deep and up-to-date knowledge, experience and expertise. Their responsiveness in terms of time is also very satisfying.’
‘The team is very detail-oriented and agile and is able to address the particularities of each case successfully.’
Key clients
Pavlos I. Kontellis S.A.
Agua Terra Alfa (CYPRUS) Limited
A.G.E.T. Heraklis S.A.
Lafarge Beton
L.y.d.a. S.A.
Athenian Brewery S.A.
Hellas Capital S.A.
Papafiloi Mills S.A.
Qualysis LTD
Special Financial Solutions SA
Petros Petropoulos AEBE
Dimou Christina
Glafcos Marine LTD
Rolco Vianil S.A.
Levante Ferries Anmez S.A.
Public Retail S.A.
Elsa Silgan S.A.
Cepal Hellas Financial Services S.A.
Work highlights
- Represented Agua Terra Alfa (Cyprus) Limited in a claim for damages arising from breach of contract within the context of a property conveyance.
- Acted on behalf of Elsa Silgan S.A in a complex case against a bankrupt company.
- Acted on behalf of A.G.E.T. Heraklis S.A. in a claim before the Athens Court of First Instance against a private capital company concerning 42 unpaid invoices.
Greece > Intellectual property Tier 3
Trade marks, designs and trade secret matters are at the core of Sioufas & Associates Law Firm’s IP offering, with the firm frequently advising companies from across the education, technology and agriculture sectors. From Athens, Marios Sioufas oversees the practice, specialising in handling cases of registration and protection of European and international trade marks. Nikolaos Katiforis concentrates on data privacy. Dimitrios Frantzidis is also noted.Practice head(s):
Marios Sioufas
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Specialisation and expertise in IP rights and IP management. Experience and client-centered approach. Problem-solving ability. Strong commitment to ethical standards and professional integrity.’
‘Adaptability to different cases, regarding IP rights consultation and protection. Clear and effective communication.’
Key clients
BENESTAR PROPERTY SINGLE MEMBER SOCIETE ANONYME
KAILATZIS PANAGIOTIS
DEALS SOCIETE ANONYME
ENDLESS S.A.
OIKONOMAKIS DIMTRIOS PAN. AND CO LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
AGGELAKIS S. A
AMPELONES MICHALAKI S.A.
STROMASYS S.A.
AMBIENCE SERVICES P.C.
LYDA SA
PETROS PETROPOULOS SA
ARCHIMEDES TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY OFFICE OF NKUA
PERFETTI VAN MELLE HELLAS SA
KEPENOU MILLS
Work highlights
- Advised a major technology transfer office of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with regard to various IP matters, including trade secrets and licensing.
- Advised LYDA on a trade mark infringement case, whereby an injuctive relief order was granted for the client by the court against a local distributor of illegal products.
Greece > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 4
Combining strong legal advice with the use of legal technologies, the ‘very effective, efficient, results-driven’ team at Sioufas & Associates Law Firm is particularly adept at advising on NPL-related matters for a buy-side client base. Managing partner George Sioufas is pivotal to this work and has deep experience in relation to the necessary due diligence on such transactions. On the lender side, the firm has a particularly strong reputation for representing banks in both out-of-court dispute resolution and litigation.Practice head(s):
George Sioufas; Olga Eftychidou; Nikolaos Katiforis
Other key lawyers:
Marios-Panagiotis Skouras; Konstantinos Ampazas; Aristotelis Aggelis; Nikolaos Stavrou
Testimonials
‘Their collaboration and engagement in the area of banking and commercial law practice is excellent.’
‘The very effective, efficient, results-driven team is extremely experienced in all legal and pre-legal NPL issues.’
‘They understand our business needs and go the extra mile to deliver results.’
Key clients
Special Financial Solutions S.A.
Piraeus Bank S.A.
Cepal Hellas Financial Services S.A.
Pancreta Bank S.A.
Alpha Bank S.A.
doValue Greece
INTRUM HELLAS Α.Ε.D.Α.D.P.
Veraltis S.A.
PQH SA
Arena Investors LP
BAIN CAPITAL CREDIT L.P.
HOIST FINANCE AB
SOUTHROCK ASSET MANAGEMENT S.A.
EOS Matrix Receivables Management from Loans and Credits Greece Single Member S.A.
Alpha Bank S.A.
doValue Greece Loans and Credits Claim Management S.A.
Hellas Capital Leasing Single Member Societe Anonyme
Work highlights
- Advised doValue Greece Loans and Credits Claim Management S. A. on the sale of Eurobank’s retail unsecured non-performing loan portfolio, “Project Souq”, which was one of the largest secondary sales of NPL portfolios in Europe with a deal amount of €630m.
- Performed due diligence for a fund invested into by EOS Matrix Receivables Management from Loans and Credits Greece Single Member S.A. for the acquisition of a portfolio of non-performing loans out of the Frontier 1 securitisation “Project Virgo”, with a deal amount of €135m.
- Advised Southrock Asset Management on the acquisition of HELPE’s non-performing receivables portfolio backed by real estate assets, as part of “Project Proteus”.
Greece > Real estate and construction Tier 4
Offering ‘comprehensive advice’ and ‘sound solutions’ to its domestic and international clients, Sioufas & Associates Law Firm specialises in land acquisitions, hotel management agreements, and the construction aspects of major real estate projects. In Athens, George Sioufas and Neoklis Neokleous have expertise in conveyancing cases and complex financing transactions, while Aikaterini Gkana is an expert in financial lease agreements.Practice head(s):
George Sioufas; Olga Eftychidou; Neoklis Neokleous; Aikaterini Gkana
Other key lawyers:
Maria Pavlou; Aggeliki Montesantou; Evanthia Grigoriou; Athanasia Vaiopoulou
Testimonials
‘Sioufas and Associates Law Firm has proved to be a trusted business partner and not just an expert legal advisor. Their corporate and real estate team is highly sophisticated, assisting us throughout all our corporate projects/activities by providing tailor made advice on our day-to-day or complicated corporate and real estate issues. The said team is always readily available, accommodating our requests in a speedy and efficient manner.’
‘Its people are cooperative and kind and have the required qualifications for the job.’
‘We highlight Neoklis Neokleou, Katerina Gkana, Evi Grigoriou and Nasia Vaiopoulou as they are highly skilled and very experienced lawyers, always efficiently responding to our business requests. They follow up on any issue addressed to them and stand out for their business ethics. Moreover, their flexible approach and ability to tackle complex situations makes collaboration a success story.’
‘Sioufas & Associates Law Firm has deep knowledge of the real estate market & Greek trends handling complex due diligence/property title reviews always providing accurate and timely advice. They are very experienced when it comes to real estate projects’ structuring, assisting us also in the negotiation procedures and final stage regarding the project’s implementation.’
‘Neoklis Neokleou and Aikaterini Gkana stand out for their in-depth knowledge and experience regarding complex real estate issues. They are easy going and always provide custom made/practical solutions whenever needed/asked for. Special reference is made to Neoklis Neokleous who has always assisted our company with his legal expertise and proved to be a valuable business partner!’
Key clients
Elemental Resorts
Benestar Property Single Member S.A.
Supernatural Resorts
Danae Suites Santorini
Cyclades Monoprosopi S.A.
Pexmon Single Member S.A.
Lorbax Single Member P.C.
Enetly Single Member S.A.
Proodos Acumen Single Member P.C.
Fariox Single Member P.C.
Goniry Single Member S.A.
Cosmos Developments S.A.
Alpha Bank
Work highlights
- Advised Benestar Property in the context of a long-term lease agreement regarding a renowned restaurant located in Psarou beach, Mykonos.
- Acted on behalf of Cyclades on the execution of a complex sale and lease back agreement with NBG LEASING.
- Advised, coordinated and concluded on behalf of a client all legal actions regarding the acquisition of a plot of 2,018.10 sq.m. in the ELLINIKON regeneration project.
Sioufas & Associates Law Firm > Firm Profile
Sioufas and Associates Law Firm, was established in 1999 and has been incorporated as a Greek Law Firm by our partners, Mr George D. Sioufas and Mr Marios D. Sioufas.
Our law firm has been providing legal services to all major Greek financial institutions, servicers and foreign investment funds and has been widely acknowledged by all Greek banks as a leading law firm in the banking law sector. We provide legal advice on banking law, due diligence services on NPL portfolios, and specialized services of added value (i.e. property title checks, monitoring third party auctions, post auction legal services, legal indexing, review of legal representations etc). Furthermore, our specialized banking law litigation team represents financial institutions in both out of court and court dispute resolution cases.
Sioufas and Associates Law Firm’s dispute litigation team is currently handling numerous litigation cases per month, representing more than 400 corporate clients, from all areas of businesses.
Our law firm has offices in the three biggest cities in Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki and Patra) and maintains an extensive network of collaborating lawyers, bailiffs and notaries with high business ethics and academic knowledge in order to provide our clients with personalized and high quality legal services, all over Greece.
Our corporate and IP law departments have demonstrated a substantial growth of business within the last ten years, establishing long lasting business relationships. Our specialized lawyers support our clients with commercial advice on all necessary aspects of business and on their relationships with customers and suppliers, drafting commercial agreements and advising on intellectual property, branding, data protection, corporate legal matters and commercial litigation.
Our firm uses high technology software and applications which along with modern management practices, support our lawyers and offer them the necessary tools to be able to work effectively and promptly in a large number of assignments.
Sioufas and Associates Law Firm’s competitive advantage is its ability to provide tailor-made legal solutions and comprehensive advice to our clients, to maintain steadily, effective and frequent communication with them, while being able to successfully handle numerous legal cases everywhere in Greece.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intellectual Property | Marios Sioufas | trademarks@sioufaslaw.gr | +30 213 0393505 |
| Commercial, Corporate and M&A | Ioanna Rapsomaniki | info@sioufaslaw.gr | +30 213 0393560 |
| Real estate and Construction | Neoklis Neokleous | info@sioufaslaw.gr | +30 210 3673096 |
| Restructuring, Insolvency and Forced Execution | Olga Eftychidou | info@sioufaslaw.gr | +30 213 0393505 |
| Dispute Resolution | Marios Sioufas | info@sioufaslaw.gr | +30 213 0393505 |
| Banking & Finance | Olga Eftychidou | info@sioufawlaw.gr | +30 213 0393505 |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Mrs Olga Eftychidou | Legal Manager | View Profile |
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Dr Nikolaos Katiforis | General Counsel | View Profile |
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Mr Konstantinos Konstantellos | Senior Associate | View Profile |
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Mrs Ioanna Rapsomaniki | Manager | View Profile |
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Mr Marios Sioufas | Deputy Managing Partner | View Profile |
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Mr George Sioufas | Managing Partner | View Profile |
Languages
Greek English (fluent) French Spanish German RomanianMemberships
Athens Bar Association AIJA - International Association of Young Lawyers The Legal 500 Hellenic Association of Law FirmsInternational Capabilities
The team:
Sioufas & Associates Law Firm has offices in three major cities of Greece (Athens, Patra and Thessaloniki) and in Romania (Bucharest). In 2020, a Sioufas & Associates representative office will begin its operations in Singapore. It has a diverse team of multi-disciplined lawyers with an international background having studied and worked in various countries, including:
- United Kingdom
- Romania
- France
- Spain
- Mexico
- Germany
- Austria
- Italy
- Algeria
Most of the lawyers of our team are multilingual. Our team as a whole speaks a range of languages, including Greek, Romanian, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Turkish and Farsi.
The clients:
Sioufas & Associates Law Firm has long-term collaborations with more than 140 companies and financial institutions, many of which are affiliated companies of multinational groups.
The network:
Sioufas & Associates Law Firm is a member of the Athens Bar Association, the Association of Greek Law Firms, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA), while maintaining close business relationships with law firms in China, India and Europe.
Diversity
At Sioufas and Associates Law Firm we truly believe that diversity is a direct route to excellence. Our solid team of attorneys’ provide a diverse approach to any case assigned. Their international education and experience in all fields of law supports such fact. All members of the Firm are continuously educated on a non-stop basis in legal and business issues, thereby providing a holistic view in complex matters.
In our law firm we apply a non-discriminatory and equal opportunities policy to recruitment and evaluation procedures. Female representation in our firm is higher than 70% in all departments.
Inclusion and personal development of our younger lawyers is a core value for our law firm. We support young professionals by offering them the opportunity to develop their professional and interpersonal skills allocating personal responsibility of legal case handling, under the mentorship of senior associates.
At Sioufas & Associates, we give emphasis to our social responsibility actions such us:
- Organizing blood donations on a case by case basis for our employees and their families, to whom we also provide private health insurance.
- Providing Financial donations and goods to philanthropic institutions such as “Kivotos tou Kosmou” (2019), “Social Support” (2018), “O kalos Samareitis” (2017), “Nektar Agapis” (2017) and to special causes funds such as for the support of the victims of the wild fire in the area of Mati, Attika (2018).
Diversity
At Sioufas and Associates Law Firm we truly believe that diversity is a direct route to excellence. Our solid team of attorneys’ provide a diverse approach to any case assigned. Their international education and experience in all fields of law supports such fact. All members of the Firm are continuously educated on a non-stop basis in legal and business issues, thereby providing a holistic view in complex matters.
In our law firm we apply a non-discriminatory and equal opportunities policy to recruitment and evaluation procedures. Female representation in our firm is higher than 70% in all departments.
Inclusion and personal development of our younger lawyers is a core value for our law firm. We support young professionals by offering them the opportunity to develop their professional and interpersonal skills allocating personal responsibility of legal case handling, under the mentorship of senior associates.
At Sioufas & Associates, we give emphasis to our social responsibility actions such us:
· Organizing blood donations on a case by case basis for our employees and their families, to whom we also provide private health insurance.
· Providing Financial donations and goods to philanthropic institutions such as “Kivotos tou Kosmou” (2019), “Social Support” (2018), “O kalos Samareitis” (2017), “Nektar Agapis” (2017) and to special causes funds such as for the support of the victims of the wild fire in the area of Mati, Attika (2018).
Interviews
Marios Sioufas, Deputy Managing Director
Deputy Managing Director, Marios Sioufas explains the vision and challenges that the firm will face in 2020 and how the managing team will address them. What do you see as the main points that differentiate Sioufas & Associates Law Firm, from your competitors?
Sioufas & Associates Law Firm has been providing, since its establishment, legal services to Multinational entities, Greek companies and the Greek systemic Banks. Therefore it has established an extensive expertise on most Law fields. Our dispute resolution and out of court mediation departments have been developing extremely well, both in the amount of cases and recovered fees. The first reason, our Law Firm managed to be positioned and recognized as a leading Law Firm in banking law is our in-depth knowledge and effectiveness. On the same coin, our vast investments into new technologies and integrated management systems enabled us to manage centrally numerous legal cases, monitor performance and ensure provision of top quality legal services along with accurate and rapid reporting.
Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
Our Law Firm advises investors in connection with the acquisition and restructuring of non-performing loans (NPL’s). We expect securitizations to continue to play a critical role in the Greek NPL market. All Greek systemic Banks will try to reduce their NPE stock by 2021 by an average of around 20%. The Bank of Greece and the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund have publicly presented a solution combining securitization with state subsidy. In this context, we expect to continue to develop our banking law departments adding new tools and legal services in connection with NPL dispute and out of court resolution.
At the same time, we believe that restructuring business bad debt, will allow in the long-term the Greek economy to grow and help our corporate clients to rebalance their businesses towards export-oriented sectors and the Greek banks to focus on the new technological challenges ahead, including Fintech, Blockchain and the digital transformation of payment systems and subsequently this will pave the way for expansion of our legal services to this effect.
An additional sector we expect to continue to develop in Greece is the Real Estate sector. Our law firm has been advising foreign and domestic investors in the acquisition of real estate assets. Through our interdisciplinary approach, our teams of multi-lingual lawyers provide holistic legal solutions to our clients in relation to both property titles and corporations’ legal due diligence (for asset and share transactions), drafting of services agreements (i.e. construction, renovation, lease, allotment etc.), the establishment of SVPs, legal opinions on regulatory issues etc.
Additionally, we expect more big investments projects to take place in the next twelve months also in the energy sector. The Greek Banks are actively looking to finance Renewable Energy Projects and so thorough due diligence, prudent development and project bankability are key. Greece also expands its interconnected network with new cables connecting Crete and the Cyclades islands.
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?
In our Law Firm, we always inquire what more we can offer to our clients. The affirmation of our dedication to constantly improve our legal services is expressed on our established procedures to perform annually customer and employees’ satisfaction surveys. We try to always maintain feedback on our services, organize face to face meetings with our clients and continuously report back on cases.
We strongly value the importance of client relationships. In order to serve our clients’ needs, we try to understand their business strategy and goals providing them with tailored-made and cost-effective legal solutions.
Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
Sioufas & Associates takes pride in the active development of platforms and tools enhancing the client experience and driving down costs on more standardized projects and legal assignments. Our Law Firm collaborates with renowned international IT firms that provide software solutions in relation to data security and automation of data filing, using A.I. technology. Our data management platforms help us to provide our clients with accurate and fast reporting, accompanied with visual data presentations in order for them to better evaluate case trends, forecast their outcome and take their business decisions in connection with their legal cases, based on data evaluation.
Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
Our law firm has long professional experience and expertise in complex high value disputes and transactions. We always strive to give practical and business-oriented advice to our clients in order to optimize their costs and give them a fair evaluation of the potential gain at the end of a court trial against the benefits of a settlement under certain conditions before the trial or through it. We consistently provide legal advice and offer transaction support and judicial protection to local and international clients and therefore the examples where clients added value to their business are numerous. These include the restructuring of many client groups and the configuration of their tax liabilities, ensuring their continuing survival and profitability. In the Dispute Resolution field we have successfully defended clients from alleged claims on their assets in many high profile cases.
We adopt as a guideline the deep knowledge of the client’s reality, which is a presupposition for our performance. Combining this with the specialized legal and technical knowledge we build solutions for critical cases, negotiated compositions and special projects.
Our advice to clients is not just legal, it is an advice directed at overall value creation and sustainability in its wider sense, especially at times of human crisis where organizations are expected to show their human side
Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
I strongly believe that businesses and employees are more than never attracted to purpose. We built our law firm around a set of values that we share among ourselves and also with our long term clients that is kindness, respect for all, truthfulness and serving people in need.
Stability and business continuity is one of the core concerns for our law firm. We seek to guarantee a balanced, positive and productive professional environment for our team of lawyers, to attract and retain talents and establish a broad and diversified network of clients. Being able to affect positively with our legal expertise and experience the banking, energy and trade sector is how we envision our firm in the next three years.