Masouros & Partners > Athens, Greece > Firm Profile
Masouros & Partners Offices
Masouros & Partners
4 Dimokritou Street
106 71 Athens - Greece
Greece
4 Dimokritou Street
106 71 Athens - Greece
Greece
Masouros & Partners > The Legal 500 Rankings
Greece > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2
Consistently handling high-profile merger and spin-off transactions, the Masouros & Partners corporate practice advises domestic and international clients from across the hospitality, automotive, and energy sectors. The team specialises in assisting corporations with share subscription agreements and concurrent share capital increases. Team head Pavlos Masouros, who is described as an ‘M&A titan’, focuses on the energy sector. Nelly Peraki acts on behalf of players in the hotel and tourism industry, whilst Antonis Nikolaidis is also highlighted as a key contact.Practice head(s):
Pavlos Masouros
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The firm excels in corporate law and M&A.’
‘Pavlos Masouros remains a star lawyer. No one anywhere rivals him in M&A in the Greek market. Antonis Nikolaidis also stands out on the corporate side.’
‘Masouros & Partners clearly tops all the local firms we have worked with, even firms that number dozens more lawyers or firms that have been in the market for longer – the team at Masouros beats them on the ground. They are the brightest, most talented deal lawyers in Greece.’
‘What attracted us to the firm was the founder, Pavlos Masouros. He has multiple skill sets. He is conversant with a wide array of substantive legal and factual matters (and, in cross-border transactions, foreign legal regimes), assesses the parties’ relative bargaining positions in a deal and is able to communicate effectively. He is an M&A titan.’
‘Nelly Peraki is a talented partner who makes a big impact in M&A transactions by leading the due diligence exercises and ensuring everything is done thoroughly and on time. Antonis Nikolaidis deserves a mention as hardworking member of the M&A practice.’
‘The firm houses a deep bench of highly regarded transactional specialists.’
‘Pavlos Masouros and Antonis Nikolaidis are experts in their field and stand out for their responsiveness and their ability to adapt and work with counterparties from various backgrounds.’
‘Pavlos Masouros is an extremely good lawyer who people want to work on their cases. He is charismatic, confident, usually right and authoritative. He is the driving force at the firm.’
Key clients
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Nimaworks Ltd
Phaistos Investment Fund
Adragos Pharma
Everty (YNV Group)
Mandarin Oriental HK
Marriott International
Public Power Corporation (PPC)
Bain & Company
Petrolina (Holdings) Public Ltd
Veltia Greece S.A. (Greek subsidiary of Tentamus Analytics GmbH)
Glensol Energy Ltd
Lamda Pharma Limited
Société Générale & ALD Automative
Solenis
Work highlights
- Advising on the acquisition of LeasePlan, one of the world’s leading fleet management and mobility companies, by Société Générale and ALD Automative from a consortium led by TDR Capital for a total consideration of EUR 4.8 billion.
- Advising Solenis on a definitive merger agreement under which Solenis will acquire Diversey Holdings, Ltd. in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $4.6 billion.
- Advising Mandarin Oriental on its investment in a hotel and villas project in Greece through a hotel management agreement for the Mandarin Oriental Athens, which will be located in the landmark Ellinikon complex in the Athens Riviera.
Greece > Energy Tier 2
Headed by the ‘phenomenal’ Pavlos Masouros, the Athens-based Masouros & Partners practice covers all aspects of corporate matters arising in the energy industry, including M&A, reorganisations and spin-offs. The team’s expertise spans the traditional energy and renewable spheres, including oil and gas initiatives and hydroelectric projects. Masouras specialises in financing projects, development agreements and cross-border investment opportunities. The group also has in-depth experience of handling joint ventures and public procurement projects.Practice head(s):
Pavlos Masouros
Other key lawyers:
Antonis Nikolaidis; Nelly Peraki; Christos Liapis
Testimonials
‘Masouros & Partners is experienced in all matters pertaining to energy infrastructure for prominent clients in both the renewables space and the oil and gas industry. Frequently assists clients with first-in-kind projects.’
‘We found their practice to be outstanding in comparison to other well-known energy law practices in Greece. They have a clear expertise in the Greek energy regulatory environment and their unparalleled talent in M&A (which is well-known in the market) helps a lot in getting demanding energy transactions through.’
‘Pavlos Masouros is a phenomenal lawyer. The very best in his generation and he easily beats lawyers who have 20 years more experience than he has. He brings into energy transactions the expertise of a bright M&A lawyer. Antonis Nikolaidis is an associate who seems have an answer for every regulatory energy law question we’ve got; always up-to-date, always speedy responses.’
‘Pavlos Masouros leads the practice together with Nelly Peraki. Both very diligent. Pavlos is the brightest lawyer around and brings in his unparalleled M&A expertise into the world of energy. Nelly is also solid and reliable, while Antonis Nikolaidis is a clear rising star in the field of Energy law.’
‘Our clients have been very satisfied with Masouros’ expertise in the energy field; they seem to clearly know their job when it comes to advising on energy law matters.’
‘Pavlos Masouros and Antonis Nikolaidis are the key individuals here, with help by Christos Liapis. Antonis is quick and thorough. We send in a list of questions in the morning, by the afternoon he’s got us covered. He’s impressive.’
‘The team is very responsive. Their feedback is quite quick and to the point.’
‘Pavlos Masouros is very professional and he knows what the client really wants.’
Key clients
Petrolina (Holdings) Public Ltd
Public Power Corporation S.A.
Public Power Corporation Renewables
Glensol Energy Ltd
Herrenknecht AG
Alpha Bank
Work highlights
- Advising Public Power Corporation on its first non-Greek energy project, the joint bidding with Archirodon for the 330MW Cebren hydro-electric project procured by the Government of North Macedonia.
- Advising PPC in relation to a JV with Accenture regarding a three-year, €20mn project for the digital transformation of PPC’s retail division.
- Advising PPC Renewables on its indirect partnership with Motor Oil’s renewables subsidiary in relation to the acquisition of Unagi, in which PPC Renewables and Motor Oil will together hold a portfolio of 1.9GW in RES projects.
Greece > Employment Tier 3
Providing a ‘full 24/7 service’ to its client base of international technology companies and Greek multinational entities, the employment team at Masouros & Partners specialises in handling the employment aspects of M&A transactions, as well as social security law issues. Practice head Pavlos Masouros is praised for his skill in ‘synthesising information’, whilst Prokopis Iatropoulos is knowledgeable in employment matters in the energy, tourism, and biochemicals industries.Practice head(s):
Pavlos Masouros
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Masouros & Partners provides a professional employment law service in Greece and stands ready to advise clients on very complex matters that are at the intersection of M&A and labour law, such as TUPE, post-M&A restructuring, incentive schemes, and employee stock option plans.’
‘Prokopis Iatropoulos stands ready to advise us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, even meeting unrealistically tight deadlines given by our clients. He is fast working, always available and very committed to what he does, with expertise in complex labour law matters.’
‘The team, and in particular Pavlos Masouros, have always been very good at synthesising information. As a client, we could easily get overloaded with information and facts, so we have appreciated Pavlos’ ability to cut straight to the essentials and enable us to make decisions with agility.’
‘The firm provides a full 24/7 service, and is always prepared to provide advice or give an opinion on an overnight basis. They treat everything as a crisis, so they never slow things down for us. They turn out the best possible piece of work.’
‘They advise in relation to consultations with employees and trade unions ahead of a deal or after a takeover, and handle the difficult stuff – dealing with the unions and with scared employees. We’ve seen them do that in a couple of instances with immense respect for the companies’ human capital, for the employees and also with monumental knowledge of the nuts and bolts of this niche area with labour law.’
‘Prokopis Iatropoulos is quick, kind, respectful and has a lot of expertise in labour law matters.’
‘Prokopis Iatropoulos is the person we go to first when we have an employment law issue. He is an excellent lawyer and we trust him fully.’
‘The team is always available and responsive. We have observed that over the course of the past year, while their activity has increased, they have maintained the same level of exceptional responsiveness.’
Key clients
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Adragos Pharma
TikTok
Viva Payment Services
Gefco Greece
Stihl
Nimaworks Limited
Unilens SA
Selka Single Member Limited Company
Work highlights
- Advising the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel on its day-to-day management of employment law matters, working regulations, policies, complaints and litigation.
- Advising Viva Payment Services in relation to multi-jurisdictional employment law matters, such as meal-voucher benefit schemes, as well as on basic employment law matters relating to the applicable legislation and local regulations.
- Advising TikTok on the establishment and organisation of a works council within the company.
Masouros & Partners > Firm Profile
Masouros & Partners is a law firm headquartered in Athens focusing exclusively on sophisticated capital and specializing in corporate law and M&A.
The firm is consistently ranked by Chambers Global as the only Greek law firm with foreign expertise (2017 – 2023), while it has also received a number of awards for its M&A and corporate capabilities (e.g. 2019 ‘M&A Law Firm of the Year’ by CorpINTL, 2019 ‘M&A Law Firm of the Year’ by the Business Excellence Awards, 2019 ‘Corporate Lawyer of the Year’ by AcquisitionINTL, 2020 ‘Most Outstanding Corporate Transactions Law Firm’ by Acquisition INTL, 2021 ‘European Specialist law firm of the year’ by The Lawyer European Awards).
Masouros & Partners advises routinely private equity funds in relation to high-profile cross-border corporate deals and Greek (public and private) M&A, while it is also involved in big ticket corporate litigation and M&A arbitration in Greece and beyond. The firm has a ‘best friends’ relationship with a good number of major US and UK law firms and is also a traditional advisor for Dutch clients doing business in Greece.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate/M&A | Pavlos Masouros | pavlos.masouros@masouros.com | +302103613694 |
Meet The Team(s)
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Prokopis Iatropoulos | Associate | View Profile |
|
|
Ass Prof Pavlos Masouros | Managing Partner | View Profile |
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Antonis Nikolaidis | Associate | View Profile |
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Miss Nelly Peraki | Partner | View Profile |
Languages
English German Dutch French ItalianInterviews
Masouros & Partners
What do you see as the main points that differentiate Masouros & Partners from your competitors?
Our strategy is to concentrate on high-stakes corporate situations and service sophisticated capital only. Rather than taking in run-on-the-mill legal matters, we stay focused on advising clients on specific matters that fall within our core areas of expertise.
In line with our culture to act as special counsel, the work at Masouros & Partners is very partner-heavy; partners do not have an army of associates to foist work onto, this is not part of our culture.
Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
Despite inflation and looming uncertainty in the banking sector returns on investment in Greece are greater than elsewhere in the developed world. Therefore, we expect the upward trend in M&A to continue, particularly in the Hotels & Tourism and Energy sectors.
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?
We have developed in-house with the help of AI apps a process that allow us to handle much quicker massive data involved in legal due diligence exercises. Instead of spending endless hours on traditional LDD review of documents, our in-house, tailor-made, software tool allows us to be more efficient and move quickly to the critical parts of deal-making, that is drafting and negotiating the agreements.
Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
It goes without saying that the age of AI has come and will forever change the way we do legal work. We have been the first law firm in Greece to rely on AI, so we shall simply continue to be on the cutting edge of developments.
Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
A corporate client came to us on the verge of bankruptcy. A mountain of debt suffocated the business and banks were threatening with auctions; we went to the banks within a week with a plan to convert 55% of the debt into cumulative preferred stock. The banks flatly refused and with the help of English Counsel we quickly put together a draft scheme of arrangement, which could cram the plan down on the banks. With the threat of scheme of arrangement hanging there, the banks accepted our suggested workout. Using an English scheme of arrangement for a failing Greek business would be a first, as far as we know, so we like to think we’ve been very innovative with this one.
Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
Our small size insulates us from downturns, which have become very common in the Greek economy in the past decade or so. We intend to keep it this way. Small is stable for clients, as it guarantees that they will likely be serviced by the same team in their next deal. If you’re good at what you do and you do the best job you can, there will always be people who come to you.
Interviews
Pavlos Masouros, Managing Partner
1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate Masouros & Partners from your competitors?
Our strategy is to concentrate on high-stakes corporate situations and service sophisticated capital only. Rather than taking in run-on-the-mill legal matters, we stay focused on advising clients on specific matters that fall within our core areas of expertise.
In line with our culture to act as special counsel, the work at Masouros & Partners is very partner-heavy; partners do not have an army of associates to foist work onto, this is not part of our culture.
2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
Despite inflation and looming uncertainty in the banking sector returns on investment in Greece are greater than elsewhere in the developed world. Therefore, we expect the upward trend in M&A to continue, particularly in the Hotels & Tourism and Energy sectors.
3) What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?
We have developed in-house with the help of AI apps a process that allow us to handle much quicker massive data involved in legal due diligence exercises. Instead of spending endless hours on traditional LDD review of documents, our in-house, tailor-made, software tool allows us to be more efficient and move quickly to the critical parts of deal-making, that is drafting and negotiating the agreements.
4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
It goes without saying that the age of AI has come and will forever change the way we do legal work. We have been the first law firm in Greece to rely on AI, so we shall simply continue to be on the cutting edge of developments.
5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
A corporate client came to us on the verge of bankruptcy. A mountain of debt suffocated the business and banks were threatening with auctions; we went to the banks within a week with a plan to convert 55% of the debt into cumulative preferred stock. The banks flatly refused and with the help of English Counsel we quickly put together a draft scheme of arrangement, which could cram the plan down on the banks. With the threat of scheme of arrangement hanging there, the banks accepted our suggested workout. Using an English scheme of arrangement for a failing Greek business would be a first, as far as we know, so we like to think we’ve been very innovative with this one.
6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
Our small size insulates us from downturns, which have become very common in the Greek economy in the past decade or so. We intend to keep it this way. Small is stable for clients, as it guarantees that they will likely be serviced by the same team in their next deal. If you’re good at what you do and you do the best job you can, there will always be people who come to you.
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Energy