Bernitsas Law

Managing Partner: Panayotis Bernitsas
Number of partners: 12
Number of lawyers: 38
Languages: English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish

Firm Overview:
Bernitsas Law is a market leader in the provision of commercial law services in Greece and one of the largest firms in the country. The firm counts industry frontrunners, listed and private companies, supranational, global and national entities and corporations, as well as small and medium sized enterprises from all the major industry sectors among its clients.

Main Areas of Practice:

Banking & Finance:
4 partners, 9 associates
■ OTE Plc EUR€400 million Guaranteed Notes Issue: Nikos Papachristopoulos and team advised Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley & Co International (the Lead Managers), Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank (the Co-Managers) in the issuance and offering by OTE Plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (OTE), of EUR€400 million guaranteed notes due 2022, guaranteed by OTE under their EUR€6.5 billion Global Medium Term Note Programme
■ Sale of EUR€3.7 billion NPL Portfolio: Athanasia Tsene and team advised Cepal in their entry into an interim servicing agreement for the servicing of a non-performing loan consumer loan and credit portfolio of an aggregate balance of EUR€3.7 billion (the Venus portfolio), sold and transferred by Alpha Bank to Ultimo Investment (Luxembourg), a member of the B2Holding group
■ PIMCO Indirect Investment in Qualco: Athanasia Tsene and team advised PIMCO on an indirect investment in the Qualco Group, including the corporate reorganisation of the Qualco Group and the requirements for the approval by the Bank of Greece of PIMCO’s acquisition of an indirect shareholding in a Qualco subsidiary, a licensed servicing company for NPLs
Key Clients: Alpha Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays Bank, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Credit Agricole, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Ellington Management Group, Eurobank Ergasias, Hellenic Financial Stability Fund, HSBC Bank, Morgan Stanley, N.M. Rothschilds, Societe Generale, Värde Partners

Competition/European:
3 partners, 1 counsel, 1 associate
■ Hellenic Healthcare Acquisition Clearance: Marina Androulakakis and team have successfully represented Hellenic Healthcare Sàrl, part of the CVC Group, before the Hellenic Competition Commission, in its acquisition of sole control over IASO General and HYGEIA, resulting in clearance being granted in both cases unconditionally
■ Attica Group Merger Clearance: Marina Androulakakis and team successfully represented the Attica Group in its application for clearance before the Hellenic Competition Commission of its acquisition of sole control over Hellenic Seaways
Key Clients: Bristol Myers Squibb, BMW Hellas, Hellenic Healthcare Sàrl, Hellenic Fuels, Hellenic Petroleum, Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund

Corporate/Commercial:
6 partners, 1 counsel, 12 associates
■ Amerra Capital Management Acquisition of Majority Stakes in Nireus and Selonda: Nikos Papachristopoulos and team are advising Amerra Capital Management LLC, a shareholder of Andromeda Group, in the latter’s acquisition of majority stakes in Nireus and Selonda, two major European fish farming companies, from the four Greek systemic banks
■ Japan Tobacco Acquisition of SEKAP: Yannis Seiradakis and team advised Japan Tobacco in their acquisition of Greek Cooperative Cigarette Manufacturing Company (SEKAP) in the context of a major cross border transaction
■ Forthnet Sale of Forth CRS: Lambros Belessis, Evi Kitsou and team advised Linxx Holding in their purchase of Forth CRS from Forthnet, a major Greek telecommunications provider
■ Hellenic Healthcare Acquisition of Majority Holding in Ygeia: Nikos Papachristopoulous and team are advising Hellenic Healthcare Sàrl in their entry into a binding agreement to acquire c.70% of Diagnostikon and Therapeftikon Kentron Athinon Ygeia from Marfin Investment Group Holdings
Key Clients: Amerra Capital Management LLC, BMW Hellas, CVC Capital Partners, Diesel Hellas, National Bank of Greece

Dispute Resolution:
4 partners, 7 associates
■ Cana Pharmaceuticals Clawbacks Appeal: Dimitris Roussis and team act on behalf of Cana in their appeal before the Council of State of the decision requiring them to pay claw backs to Greek Hospitals in relation to hospital supplies
■ Techtronic Industries Dispute: Christos Paraskevopoulos and team represent Techtronic in a dispute with a former business partner who is requesting payment of compensation in respect of goodwill indemnity, actual compensation for the value of all remaining stock and moral damages arising out of the allegedly groundless termination of a pre-existing tacit distributorship agreement
Key Clients: Apivita, BMW Hellas, Cana Pharmaceuticals, Hellenic Petroleum, Orion Pharma Hellas, TTI (Techtronic Industries)

Employment:
1 counsel, 2 associates
■ Crown Hellas Advice: Katia Papantonopoulou and team advise Crown on a wide range of employment matters on an ongoing basis
Key Clients: Bristol Myers Squibb, Diesel Hellas, Smart Hellas, Unilever

Energy:
2 partners, 4 associates
■ Alexandroupolis LNG Project: Panayotis Bernitsas, Yannis Seiradakis and team are advising Gastrade, the project company, in relation to the development of the Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System (INGS) project
■ Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP) Project: Panayotis Bernitsas, Yannis Seiradakis and team are advising on the project financing of TAP’s development of a c.871km gas pipeline connecting to the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, sponsored by AzTap, Snam, BP Gas Marketing, Fluxys Europe, Enagas Internacional, SLU and Axpo Trading
Key Clients: European Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Gastrade, Hellenic Petroleum, ICGB

Real Estate:
1 partner, 3 associates
■ Hellas Capital Leasing Disposal of Commercial Real Estate Portfolio: Nikos Vouhiounis and team advised Hellas Capital Leasing REIC in the disposal of two high profile commercial properties
Key Clients: Blueland Real Estate, a T. Aggelopoulos Group Company, Florac, The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund, Hellas Capital Leasing REIC, Värde Partners Europe

Restructuring/Insolvency:
6 partners, 11 associates
■ doBank Establishment of Servicing Platform for Non-Performing SMEs: Athanasia Tsene and team advised doBank in connection with the servicing platform to be established for non-performing SME exposures of National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Alpha Bank and Eurobank Ergasias
■ Bond Loan Restructurings: Athanasia Tsene and team advised Eurobank Ergasias on the restructuring of a bond loan in the aggregate amount of c. EUR€109 million issued by a Greek societe anonyme and secured over receivables and shares
Key Clients: Commerzbank, Cyprus Popular Bank Co, doBank, Eurobank Ergasias, Thea Artemis

Tax:
1 partner, 2 associates
■ Transfer Pricing Dispute: Panayotis Bernitsas, Fotodotis Malamas and team advise a leading automobile manufacturer in relation to a dispute arising from wholesale prices transfer pricing between a parent entity and a subsidiary

TMT:
1 partner, 1 counsel, 2 associates
■ CYTA Cyprus Sale of Cyta Hellas to Vodafone: Augustine Almyroudi and team advised CYTA Telecoms Authority on the telecoms and data privacy regulatory issues arising in the sale by CYTA Cyprus of CYTA Hellas to Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications
Key Clients: Acun Media Group, BMW Hellas, Cyta Telecoms Authority (CYTA)