ALIENS & IMMIGRATION LAW
Our Office offers services in various matters of immigration law, such as applications for immigration permits and offering of advice on visa issues in collaboration with relevant embassies. We also appear before the Supreme Court litigating on issues related to the interpretation and execution of the Aliens and Immigration Law, Cap. 105, as amended and the Law regarding the right of EU citizens and members of their family to move and reside freely in the Republic, Law 7(I)2007, as amended.
BANKING LAW
We have decades of experience in banking litigation in relation to debts. We also offer advice on banking matters, such as drafting and advising on account opening documentation, loan agreements and security documentation, including charges over assets and undertakings of companies, pledge of shares, debentures, assignments, indemnities and guarantees, letters of guarantee, compliance with perfection requirements and registration of charges, stamp duty issues, as well as on matters relating to electronic banking and institutions of electronic money.
Over recent years, our services in this area have expanded, and we now represent lenders, arrangers and facility agents on single and syndicated loans, providing legal opinions and carrying out legal due diligence exercises on their behalf.
COMPETITION LAW, ANTITRUST, CONCENTRATION NOTIFICATIONS
We are known to have one of the most highly acclaimed competition and antitrust practices in Cyprus, offering extensive expertise in all aspects of EU and national competition law, including: abuse of dominance, cartel investigations, merger notification filings, judicial review applications against decisions of the Commission for the Protection of Competition (“CPC”), and private actions for damages.
We have advised and successfully represented, before the CPC and domestic courts, market leaders of various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, insurance, aviation, food and beverage, and tobacco.
Our aim is to truly understand the client’s business, identify antitrust risk at an early stage and deliver clear, practical, commercial advice, tailored to our client’s needs, coupled with creative solutions in the context of the specific sector.
CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL LAW
We have solid and extensive expertise in this area of the law and we offer advice on matters of both corporate and commercial law. Each member of our corporate team has the practical experience to handle such matters as incorporation and administration/ management of companies, provide legal advice and support to companies on various matters, including regulatory, share purchase agreements, shareholders’ agreements, loans, provision of securities by companies, carry out legal due diligence, and draft any kind of corporate agreements, including sale of land and goods agreements. Our services also include offering advice to start-ups, cross-border mergers and redomiciliation of companies to and from Cyprus.
On the commercial side, we have extensive experience in drafting and providing advice on various kinds of commercial agreements, including but not limited to partnership agreements, agency and distribution agreements, pre-incorporation agreements, consultancy, software, employment and loan agreements, leases, mortgage agreements, assignments, pledges, as well as on web page terms and conditions. Furthermore, we offer advice on and handle the registration of patents, business or service names, trade marks and Community trade marks.
EMPLOYMENT LAW
Employment Law is often interrelated with other areas of law, e.g. data protection, competition, administrative, international and European, as well as human rights law.
Our Office, with its experience and expertise in all the said areas of law, is in an ideal position to provide clients with thorough advice on a wide range of legal matters, from day-to-day advice to strategically sensitive restructuring operations and complicated and novel disputes. We also advise on redundancies, termination of employment, collective dismissals, transfer of business and undertakings, protection of maternity, discrimination at work, health and safety, confidential and non-compete agreements and conflict of interest declarations, employer manuals and regulations, and disciplinary procedures.
Both employers and employees, as well as trade unions, trust us to advise them on complicated and novel legal issues, as well as to represent them before employment tribunals, civil courts, labour authorities and committees in the Republic of Cyprus as well as in the Sovereign Base Areas. Our expertise and thorough under- standing of our clients’ needs allow us to efficiently help them in their decision- making process, in the preparation and drafting of employment agreements and other related documents as well as in the effective protection of their rights and interests.
FAMILY LAW
Our office offers services in matters of family law, such as marriage, cohabitation, divorce, adoption, custody issues including communication of parent and child, division of assets and any other family dispute. We also appear before the Family Courts to litigate on these issues. Furthermore, we use our significant experience in other relevant sectors, such as administration of estates and immigration issues, to advise on more complex family law matters.
HEALTH & PHARMACEUTICALS REGULATORY LAW
With an increasingly complex web of EU and national legislation that pharmaceutical companies have to navigate through and comply with, providing legal assistance in this context has become more important than ever. We advise a large number of research and development pharmaceutical companies on various matters including, but not limited to their legal obligations, contractual relationships, promotion, distribution and pricing issues, pharmacovigilance, public procurement, interactions with healthcare professionals and compliance with the local research and development pharmaceutical association’s (KEFEA) code of compliance. Our vast experience in intellectual property law allows for a seamless service in terms of understanding our clients’ strategies and requirements in the regulatory and compliance sphere too.
Aside from advisory work, we assist clients with enforcing their rights through administrative and judicial means, where necessary. We often represent clients before the Tenders Review Authority, as well as the Administrative Court, and our various departments work closely in order to provide the highest level of expertise to clients. It is worth noting that the policy of our Office is to represent only research and development pharmaceutical companies, so as to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights occupy an important part in the daily practice of our Office. As a believer in the protection of the rights of all people, our Office has been a pioneer in the conduct of relevant litigation, both at home and abroad. We have also been assigned the task of assisting in the drawing up of human rights reports on Cyprus for various international organizations.
Noteworthy cases successfully argued by our Office before the European Court of Human Rights (the “Court”) include: Modinos v. Cyprus (1993), being the first individual case ever to reach the Court, with Cyprus as Respondent, and Loizidou v. Turkey (1995, 1996, 1998), being the first case ever to be brought before the Court by a Greek-Cypriot individual against Turkey over human rights violations arising out of Turkey’s on-going occupation of the northern part of Cyprus.
Our Office successfully argued before the Court other cases against the Republic of Cyprus concerning, among others, the right to home, the length of proceedings, home and property rights, the issue of the “quality of law” and against Turkey cases on missing persons and the failure of the authorities to conduct an effective investigation into the fate of the nine men who disappeared in life-threatening circumstances for the inhuman treatment of their relatives (Varnava a.o. v. Turkey), as well as cases on violation of the right to peaceful enjoyment of immovable property in Istanbul (Yiannopoulou v. Turkey).
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
& DATA PROTECTION LAW
The spectrum of legal services we offer under this area of law is quite wide and includes advice on privacy and data protection, preparation of software licensing and computer contracts, advice on e-commerce, on website operation and maintenance (terms and conditions, privacy policies), electronic signatures and domain name registration. We also provide specialised IT and data protection due diligence / audit services in the context of mergers, acquisitions and other transactions.
INSURANCE LAW
Over the years, we have gained extensive experience in litigation in this area – a service that dates back to the establishment of our Office – defending mostly accident claims on behalf of leading insurers in Cyprus and the Motor Insurers’ Fund.
We also offer advice on a broad range of insurance matters, including regulatory issues, setting-up requirements, mergers and acquisitions, drafting of insurance policies, advice on policy wording interpretations, disputes arising out of insurance contracts, claim settlements, insurance advertisements and agency agreements.
During recent years, our services have expanded to include the provision of legal opinions on and the carrying out of legal due diligence on the acquisition of Cyprus registered insurance companies by international investors.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW
We consider ourselves pioneers in the field of intellectual property and we offer a complete line of services and support to our clients, who must be rightholders.
Our services include advising on securing protection under copyright, undertaking of anti-piracy actions, as well as registration of and litigation on trade marks, patents, industrial design and unfair competition. We also assist Cyprus Customs on border control of intellectual property rights and provide anti-piracy training. Finally, we provide specialised IP due diligence / audit services in the context of mergers, acquisitions and other transactions.
PUBLIC, CONSTITUTIONAL & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
We represent local and international businesses on litigation, arbitration, mediation and regulatory matters. We have broad experience in this field and provide a comprehensive service, covering all areas of commercial law, competition and insurance law, employment law, banking law and extending into intellectual property and administrative law, international trade law, international European law and human rights before domestic, international and regional courts and tribunals.
We handle, among others, matters such as insurance claims and disputes, debt collection, traffic accidents, employer’s liability, personal injury claims, trusts and equity, company and partnership disputes, rent control and compulsory acquisition, construction disputes, torts and breach of contracts, intellectual property claims, as well as cases involving human rights violations.
Our aim is to offer proper advice to our clients on the best and most effective and speedy course of action to be pursued.
LITIGATION, ARBITRATION & DISPUTE RESOLUTION
We have an in-depth understanding and expertise in the public, constitutional and administrative field. We have experience in advising both individuals as well as companies on the interpretation and application of relevant legislation as well as on the constitutionality of certain sections of laws. We have also been active in drafting and supporting clients on amendments of laws and in representing clients in proceedings before the courts and other bodies regulated by administrative law, e.g. the Tenders Review Authority of Cyprus and the Commission for the Protection of Competition.
We have successfully represented clients in matters of illegality of certain acts/decisions or omissions by administrative organs or authorities and unconstitutionality of law, both before the Supreme Court of Cyprus, which used to have exclusive jurisdiction, and currently before the newly-established Administrative Court, at first instance and before the Supreme Court sitting as Appeal Court. We have extensive experience in advising on citizenship issues as well as pharmaceutical regulatory matters.
WHISTLEBLOWING
The Protection of Persons Reporting Breaches of EU and National Law of 2022 (L. 6(I)/2022) (“Law”) entered into force on 4 February 2022 and constitutes the national transposition of European Directive 2019/1937/EU. The Law seeks to establish an effective framework for the legal protection of reporting persons who disclose information and data that came into their possession or perception within their workplace (commonly known as “whistleblowers”). The purpose of the Law appears to be to strengthen the enforcement of the law and policies of the European Union and by extension of the Republic of Cyprus in specific areas that include corruption offences.
The Law builds a powerful weapon for, inter alia, the fight against corruption, with zero tolerance of acts of retaliation against persons who report violations covered by this Law. By creating a new institutional framework of increased protection for reporting persons, increased obligations are foreseen for employers and competent authorities.
Our office can provide a bespoke analysis on the Law for clients, and assist them in formulating an action plan so as to comply with their obligations. We also liaise with third parties to provide technical solutions where requested by the client. Please feel free to contact us for further information.