Bernitsas Law, 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 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.'
- '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.'
- 'Maria Nefeli is an excellent communicator, who is on top of the latest developments in the fintech industry.'
- 'Outstanding dedication and knowledge - they are extremely responsive and committed to getting the deal done to the highest standards.'
- 'Nikos Papachristopoulos, in my mind, is the best corporate and capital markets lawyer in Greece. Maria Nefeli Bernitsa provides amazing client service - she brings practical solutions to the table and is pragmatic whilst still robust.'
- 'The quality, commitment and commerciality exhibited by the Bernitsas team was incomparable. I would have no hesitation in recommending them for other complex public M&A or Equity Capital Markets transactions, and indeed I have already done so on several occasions.'
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
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