Our corporate practice extends to all aspects of corporate life from trivial day-to-day issues, to significant and complex corporate structures and transactions. With our market-focus, practical and cost-effective advice, we assist our clients to establish and operate their business smoothly and successfully. We cover entities of all types and sizes, from big multinationals to entrepreneurial start-ups, matching innovative spirit with quality and excellence.
Our goal is to help our clients form and operate corporate entities which are most appropriate for their size and territorial expansion plans and at the same time, tax effective, compatible with their scope, the nature and perspectives of their founders and other prospective investors, and symbiotic with pre-existing or planned affiliates.
We are very experienced in the preparation of corporate documentation and contracts, as well as in the organisation of the operating legalities of corporations and other legal entities, such as the follow up of their day-to-day corporate affairs with Registrars, Courts, tax and other industry specific authorities.
Our work comprehensively addresses all corporate issues in any type of entity, such as the formation and status modifications and/or transformations of any kind of public or private entities, the negotiation and drafting of corporate agreements, such as partnership and shareholders agreements, the negotiation and drafting of SPAs, the issue of convertible or exchangeable notes and bonds, the issue of warrants, the redemption of shares, public offerings, equity adjustments of any description, etc.
We have particular experience in corporate governance, officers or shareholders liability, also in litigating corporate disputes, including disputes with the administration. Members of our team have participated in drafting of the Law relating to the Société Anonyme, which is the most important form of corporation in Greece.
M&A has been a key practice of our firm for more than 35 years. Our clients include corporations of diverse geographical origins, types and sizes, private equity funds and other financial sponsors, investment bankers, financial advisors, and other participants in corporate transactions. We have been retained in national and international M&A projects of very substantial size in or relating to (alphabetically) Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, FYROM, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, the Netherlands, Serbia, Turkey, UK, USA, and Ukraine.
Our experience covers several industries (alphabetically): agrochemicals, apparel, aviation, banks, chemicals, direct sales, distributors, electrical appliances, electricity distribution, electricity production, electronics, food & beverages, hotels, household products, insurance companies, logistics, media (pay television), medical appliances, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, publishing (books), scientific instruments, software, telecommunications infrastructure & services, tobacco products, a.o.
Our M&A work is often associated with any of (alphabetically): corporate restructuring, direct investment private equity, privatizations, strategic investment, and venture capital, therefore we combine our M&A experience with our experience in the above areas of practice, in which we also hold a strong position. Since 2017, our firm is the advisor to the Board of Directors of the HELLENIC REPUBLIC ASSETS DEVELOPMENT FUND (HRADF), the privatization arm of the Greek state. Our work involves advising the board and the executive management on structuring, maturing and implementing large size, complex privatization projects and includes tender processes for selling state-owned companies and real property, for the concession of strategic infrastructures (ports, airports, roads, networks), following up and offering guidance to the project teams and the projects advisors, co-drafting relevant bills to be enacted, following up and co-defending disputes, e.t.c
Our M&A team has exceptional experience, in planning and structuring complex M&A processes (including spin-offs, spin-outs, absorptions, etc.), in addressing/resolving/negotiating adversities, in leading combined legal teams or participating in multinational teams of lawyers; We are fully organized in setting up data rooms, planning, setting up or performing due diligence exercises (for which we have developed comprehensive sets of rules, checklists and templates), setting up or participating in bidding processes, drafting/processing and negotiating all necessary transaction and financing documents, following up and perfecting closings, addressing competition, regulatory and licensing issues etc.
What makes our M&A practice stand out, is that we are fully dedicated to business clients and their needs and are active in diverse industries, while at the same time our practice areas are relevant and complementary to each other. This is an invaluable asset in understanding what is required from us and how it is best addressed for the specific client and industry. We exhaust every breadth and depth in addressing the individuality of each project, rather than trying to squeeze it in a “one size fits all” approach.
Due to our boutique size, everything in an M&A project, including due diligence, is done by well-seasoned lawyers, employing due diligence technology we have developed over several years. Nothing is left to chance. Everything, starting from the organization and rules of data rooms, down to DD templates, sector specific questionnaires, interview patterns, is constantly fine-tuned over time. We pay special attention in maintaining a system of close continuous cooperation and interaction between all the members of the team dealing with each M&A project, to provide real time support to the negotiators, based on the due diligence findings and relevant legal research and arrive at a balanced deal and carefully drafted transaction documents.