Maria Petrou

Practice Areas

Maria Petrou is a Special Counsel in the Corporate – Commercial Department at Said Al Shahry & Partners (SASLO). She specialises in corporate law, commercial law, and international arbitration. Maria has extensive experience in corporate structures, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions, due diligence procedures, and drafting of agreements and other legal documents. She frequently advises clients on a broad range of commercial matters and has significant expertise in advising consortia and lenders on large-scale infrastructure projects, including independent water projects (IWPs) in Oman.

Career

Maria joined SASLO in 2015 and has since developed into a highly accomplished lawyer. Prior to joining SASLO, she worked as a corporate lawyer in Cyprus and as a corporate and commercial lawyer in Dubai. Maria's experience includes advising on corporate structures, setting up various types of companies, cross-border M&A transactions, due diligence procedures, and drafting legal documents. She has also advised on construction-related disputes and acted for clients in international commercial arbitrations. In recognition of her contributions, Maria was promoted to Special Counsel in 2024.

Professional Memberships

Maria is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and holds a diploma in international arbitration. She is also a member of the Cyprus Bar Association, Nicosia Bar Association, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Personal

Maria is a native Greek speaker, fluent in English, has working proficiency in German, and basic knowledge of Arabic.

Work Highlights

Maria Petrou has been involved in numerous high-profile cases and projects. Some of her notable work highlights include:

Advising a client on their proposed entry into a consortium bidding for a significant project, including reviewing key documents and advising on legal perspectives and licensing requirements.

Assisting a consortium member in making structural changes and novating project-related agreements for an awarded project.

Supporting a major contractor in satisfying conditions precedent under the financing arrangements for a large-scale solar project.

Advising a contractor on legal and licensing requirements for a solar project and issuing capacity opinions on project and finance documents.

Acting for a government entity in a pioneering public-private partnership (PPP) project under a new transaction advisory framework.

Advising a company on the procurement and operation of new and existing sewage treatment plants via a PPP model.

Providing pre-bid advice to a bidder for a solar power project.

Guiding a developer through the regulatory framework and agreements for a solar power system in an industrial estate.

Regularly advising a project company on operations, regulatory matters, financing, and corporate governance for a water project.

Assisting a successful bidder with compliance, project agreements, permits, corporate governance, and IPO matters for a water project.

Advising a bidding consortium on compliance, project agreements, permits, corporate governance, and commercial close for a water project.

Advising a bidding consortium on pre-bid, preferred bidder phase, and lenders' counsel matters for a water project.

Assisting a consortium with financing, security packages, regulatory matters, and fulfilling conditions precedent for a water project.

Industry Sector Expertise

Commercial contracts

Company formation, secretarial, and corporate governance

Construction and engineering

M&A and joint ventures

Employment

Litigation and dispute resolution

Projects, infrastructure, and PPP

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Oman

Cyprus

United Arab Emirates

Languages Spoken

Greek (native)

English

German (working proficiency)

Arabic (basic)

Education