Panayotis M Bernitsas

Practice Areas

Corporate and M&A; Energy; EU, Competition & Antitrust; Foreign Direct Investment, Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution; Privatisations, Project Development, Finance & PPPs; Real Estate, Land Development & Hospitality; Tax.

Career

Panayotis is the Managing Partner of the Firm and a leading legal practitioner, with an active, broad-based commercial practice incorporating more than 35 years of experience in transactional, advisory and litigation work.

Professional Memberships

Athens Bar; Supreme Court of Greece.

Work Highlights

Panayotis led the team advising Intrakat on obtaining unconditional merger control clearance from the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) and thereafter on the successful completion of its acquisition of 100% of Aktor, a landmark transaction in the Greek constructions market. The transaction was signed on 30 March 2023 and completed on 8 November 2023. He also led the team advising Pancreta Bank on its investment in Attica Bank.

He led the team advising Attica Group and successfully applied the failing firm defence before the HCC, achieving clearance for the merger by absorption of ANEK by Attica Group and the repayment by the post-merger entity of ANEK's loan obligations to its creditors.

Experience

Panayotis is an authority in EU, competition and antitrust law and has represented clients in prominent cartel cases before the Hellenic Competition Commission. He is a senior litigator, with vast experience in all types of dispute resolution, and represents clients in complex, high stake civil and administrative actions before the high courts and arbitration boards. He has also acted as arbitrator at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Panayotis is an expert in concession projects and privatisations, with an unsurpassed track record of playing a key role in many of the pioneering, ground breaking transactions to have taken place in Greece. He advises extensively on major renewable and conventional energy and infrastructure projects and investments in energy property development companies. His real estate practice is focused on large scale developments and real property asset portfolio investments.

Within the framework of his private practice, Panayotis has acted on a number of occasions as advisor to the Government on European Union, State Aids and Privatisation issues. He also advises companies and individuals on complex tax structuring and wealth planning matters and has acted extensively in high stakes tax controversies.

Panayotis has been widely published in legal journals, books and other publications in his areas of expertise and is a participant in the annual Forum on International Wealth Disputes. He held the position of Associate Professor in International Economic Law, Law of International Business Transactions, European Community Law at the University of Thrace from 1983-2007.

Panayotis holds a Degree in Law from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, a DES in Public Law from the University of Paris and a PhD from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is admitted to the Athens Bar (1974) and the Supreme Court of Greece (1984).