Bernitsas Law is ranked in the Top Bands by Chambers Europe in their 2022 Guide to Europe’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
'very dedicated, helpful and available ... very effective and always to the point ... responsive ... good experience and knowledge and provides us with useful guidance ... great reputation, commercial experience and depth of knowledge ... they work seamlessly with international counsel'
Banking & Finance
Greek law firm Bernitsas Law offers exceptional expertise across the banking and finance spectrum. The law firm enjoys an excellent standing in capital market transactions, handling large bond and notes issuances and delistings, as well as receivables securitisations and structured finance mandates. Additionally, its clientele benefits from in-depth expertise in NPL transactions including the sale and acquisition of portfolios and all regulatory issues. Lawyers at the firm frequently assist with the Greek aspects of pan-European finance deals, acting for a wide range of prestigious financial institutions and private companies.
Sources appreciate Bernitsas Law for being 'responsive', adding: 'The team has good experience and knowledge and provides us with useful guidance.' Another client praises the team's ability to work on cross-border files, stressing: 'They work seamlessly with international counsel.'
Athanasia Tsene is widely appreciated for her comprehensive coverage of complex finance and capital market transactions, ranging from corporate credit facilities and non-performing receivables sales to structured finance deals and NPL transactions. One client praises her for being 'quick and responsive,' while another describes her as 'very strong, experienced and handy to work with.'
Dionysis Flambouras covers a broad spectrum of finance work including real estate financings, NPL transactions and bond loans. Sources say: 'He knows the subject very well and he is a hard worker, a good colleague and a team player.'
Nikos Papachristopoulos enjoys strong market recognition for his expertise in notes and bond issuances, as well as delistings. He offers strong expertise acting for bookrunners, banking syndicates and corporates, with clients stressing: 'He is very experienced, hard-working and a good colleague.'
Managing partner Panayotis Bernitsas is appreciated for his depth of expertise and well-reputed standing in the Greek banking and finance world.
Competition / European Law
Bernitsas Law is a well-recognised corporate firm with a respected competition law offering, acting for an impressive roster of clients. The team has a particular focus on merger control mandates, as well as regulatory issues connected to distribution networks and price fixing. The department also has experience in investigations and dawn raids. The law firm additionally assists with the appeal of fines and decisions from the authorities relating to alleged collusion and anti-competitive conduct.
Marina Androulakakis leads the competition department, advising a diverse client list on transaction-related topics and antitrust litigation before the Hellenic Competition Commission. Clients praise her for being 'very effective and always to the point.'
Managing partner Panayotis Bernitsas is a well-respected figure in the sector, boasting longstanding expertise in competition law. His practice covers merger clearances, distribution networks and state aid issues. Clients laud him as an 'exceptional lawyer with vast experience.'
Corporate/Commercial
The law firm Bernitsas Law boasts a broad corporate and commercial practice based in Athens, aided by its strong financing offering. The team comes highly reputed for its expertise in M&A transactions ranging from divestments and demergers to cross-border acquisitions. A further key strength of the firm lies in the handling of shareholder agreements and share acquisitions, as well as the participation in public tenders, making it a great choice for international clients. Additionally, the firm regularly assists with corporate restructurings, contract negotiations and due diligence issues. The firm's clientele includes investment funds and pharmaceutical companies, and lawyers in the team also act for public authorities, further underlining the firm's strong market position.
Clients highlight the firm's 'great reputation, commercial experience and depth of knowledge.' Another source praises the firm for being 'client-oriented.'
Evi Kitsou enters the rankings following her involvement in complex corporate mandates include share sales, restructurings and mergers, whereby she often acts on cross-border cases. Sources endorse Kitsou's 'quality and ability in understanding the needs of the clients.'
Nikos Papachristopoulos is a leading corporate lawyer with an incredible breadth of expertise in shareholder agreements, demergers and acquisitions. He often acts for investment funds and is particularly experienced in cross-border work.
Panayotis Bernitsas is lauded by clients as a 'top-class lawyer.' He is held in high esteem for his longstanding expertise in corporate and commercial law matters across Greece.
Dispute Resolution
Bernitsas Law maintains a top-tier ranking on account of its strong market recognition and consistent presence in high-profile cases. The law firm has proven capabilities in public law litigation, including cases linked to public tenders and the breach of public contracts. The team handles IP litigation, often defending companies in enforcement actions taken by the Greek data protection regulator or other domestic public bodies. It also assists with disputes arising in insolvency situations and additionally offers advice on employment law disputes and civil action claims. Bernitsas Law has a strong reputation for the capacity to handle complex commercial arbitration cases.
'They are extremely responsive. They are a very strong name in the market, and the quality of the work is always very good: it is easy for clients to understand the reasoning and the strategy in litigation,' a source reports. 'They're always very dedicated, helpful and available,' a client says.
Christos Paraskevopoulos is a well-established litigator with significant experience in contentious intellectual property matters, civil claims, employment and shareholder disputes.
Dimitris Roussis represents clients before the administrative courts in actions against the Hellenic Republic, including notable cases relating to contractual breaches, environmental decisions and results of public tenders. He is also active in arbitration.
Associate-to-watch Evangelos Mamalakis is noted by market sources for his experience in commercial disputes. He assists clients with product liability cases and litigation relating to public-private partnerships and terminated distribution agreements.
Employment
Bernitsas Law houses a respected employment team advising multinational and domestic clients on a range of contentious and non-contentious labour issues. The well-established legal team is particularly knowledgeable in employment termination and dismissals, including restructuring, voluntary exits and redundancies. It is experienced in mandates involving regulatory compliance and collective labour contracts. The team also assists with transaction-related mandates and transfer of undertakings.
Katia Papantonopoulou leads the employment team at Bernitsas Law and advises clients on a broad range of collective and individual employment law issues, including M&A-related labour law matters and severance agreements. She is also equipped to advise on regulatory and compliance matters. Clients appreciate that she offers 'outstanding support on any issue raised.'
Energy
Bernitsas Law's energy team advises both domestic and international clients on energy matters, frequently working alongside international law firms on cross-border mandates. The department is particularly knowledgeable in contractual and financing agreements pertaining to gas infrastructure projects. The team additionally assists with transactions and developments relating to a range of renewable energy sources, including wind and photovoltaic energy. The lawyers also advise on licensing topics relating to power trading activities.
Praising the team's work, one source highlights: 'They provided timely and detailed feedback on all the questions.'
Yannis Seiradakis heads the firm's energy and environment practice and acts on a range of transactions, including M&A, privatisations, public-private partnership projects and the associated regulatory matters. One client praises Seiradakis for having 'a thorough understanding of the Greek market and regulatory regime' and providing 'creative solutions for complex issues.'
Real Estate
The experienced department at Bernitsas Law assists with the acquisition and divestment of properties and portfolios, often involving residential and hospitality assets. The law firm is also active in financing and refinancing mandates relating to transactions and development projects, acting for lenders or borrowers. Clients of the practice include banks, hotel operators and state entities. The law firm offers further assistance with lease agreements. Interviewees applaud the team's 'impressive track record in complex developments.'
Managing partner Panayotis Bernitsas is a key contact for clients.
Tax
Bernitsas Law provides a full-service tax offering which works closely with the firm's M&A and dispute resolution teams. The law firm handles cross-border mandates, often assisting international clients with their operations in Greece, including transactions. It is also knowledgeable in transfer pricing issues, corporate income tax, VAT matters and customs duties. It represents clients from a range of industries including manufacturing, automotive, financial services, and travel and hospitality.
One client reports: 'Bernitsas Law is very good on the client service front, in terms of time and responsiveness.'
Fotodotis Malamas is well placed to handle the tax aspects of large transactions, and he has additional experience in handling income tax matters, transfer pricing issues and inheritance tax law compliance topics. 'He possesses deep knowledge and is excellent in expressing his views and confronting arguments,' hails one client, while another appreciates that 'he is always available when needed and is very experienced in this field.'
TMT
Bernitsas Law is a full-service corporate firm with a notable TMT offering. The group advises clients on compliance matters, transactional mandates and contentious proceedings before regulatory bodies and administrative courts. Its lawyers often assist foreign companies wishing to provide services in Greece. The team has significant experience in data protection and GDPR issues, often advising telecom, technology and e-commerce companies. It also advises on agreements in the television industry relating to advertising, sponsorship, and production.
