Bernitsas, praised by clients as an ‘outstanding firm with highly experienced lawyers’, advises on domestic and cross-border transactions for major banks, investment firms, funds, and public and private companies. The team is jointly led by Maria Nefeli Bernitsa, Nikos Papachristopoulos and Athanasia Tsene. Bernitsa, commended for her ’impressive legal expertise’ and ‘interpersonal skills’, specialises in financial services and ESG law, with recent work involving corporate restructuring, financing and privatisation transactions. Papachristopoulos focuses on capital markets, corporate and M&A matters, including IPOs and equity investment and capital raising. Tsene brings expertise in banking and finance, advising on sale and purchase agreements, refinancing and restructuring. Sildia Fotopoulou frequently assists on renewable energy and banking-related transactions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Maria Nefeli is an excellent communicator, who is on top of the latest developments in the fintech industry.'
- 'Athanasia Tsene is an excellent lawyer and one of the best in her field. Her advice is clear and enables us to take informative decisions.'
- 'Outstanding dedication and knowledge - they are extremely responsive and committed to getting the deal done to the highest standards.'
- 'Bernitsas Law is an outstanding firm with highly experienced lawyers. They can lead and close even the most complex of deals. Having worked with a number of lawyers at all levels, each of them is skilled, professional and very responsive.'
- 'Maria Nefeli Bernitsa is exceptional! She is not only smart with impressive legal expertise, but her interpersonal skills also set her apart. She is always approachable and professional, even in difficult situations. She truly invests in understanding the needs of the client and in offering the best advice and solutions every step of the way.'
- 'Nikos Papachristopoulos and Maria Nefeli Bernitsa formed a very impressive team of partners leading the transaction. They both were incredibly hands-on, working around the clock for extended periods of time and remaining indefatigable. They have no sense of ego and we worked collaboratively as one team throughout.'
Key clients
- Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar) Aktor Société Anonyme Holding Company Technical and Energy Projects (Aktor Group of Companies) Alpha Bank American Express Apollo Global Management Arena Investors Attica Bank Bank of America Merrill Lynch Bank of New York Mellon Cerberus Cepal Citigroup Commerzbank Credit Agricole Credit Suisse CVC Deutsche Bank Eurobank European Investment Bank European Investment Fund Euroxx Securities Gastrade Golden Age Capital Goldman Sachs Growthfund Hellenic Healthcare Group HELLENiQ ENERGY Holdings and its subsidiaries, Hellenic Petroleum and EKO Hoist Finance HSBC Intrakat Intrum AB (publ) J.C. Flowers & Co JP Morgan Kommunalkredit Austria AG Lapithus Group Lavipharm SA Macquarie Asset Management Metlen Energy and Metals (former Mytilineos SA) Morgan Stanley Motor Oil Group National Bank of Greece N.M. Rothschild and Sons Limited Olympia Group of Companies Olympia Odos Concession Company Optima Bank Pancreta Bank Partners Group Pharmathen Piraeus Bank RIA Payment Institution Santander UK PLC SMB Holdings BV Societe Anonyme of Maintenance Compulsory Stocks and Trading of Crude Oil Société Générale Thanos Hotels and Resorts Thrivest Holding Ltd (Thrivest) Titan Group UBS Unicredit Vivartia Holdings SMSA Western Union
Work highlights
Αdvising Metlen Energy & Metals PLC and Metlen Energy & Metals S.A. (formerly Mytilineos S.A.), one of Greece's largest listed companies with a market capitalisation of approximately €6.2bn and a major European industrial conglomerate, as leading Greek counsel on their dual-listing transaction.
Advised Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar) on its high-profile acquisition of 100% of TERNA ENERGY.
Advised AP Hermes Securitisation Sàrl in connection with the acquisition of an NPL Portfolio of unsecured and secured loans of a total legal claim of c.€700m (the Hermes Portfolio).
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Maria Nefeli Bernitsa; Nikos Papachristopoulos; Athanasia Tsene
Other key lawyers
Sildia Fotopoulou