Karatzas & Partners

The firm: Karatzas & Partners is a market-leading law firm, with outstanding experience advising international clients and a strong focus on transactional work. The firm was established in 1963, and has since grown and expanded steadily. The firm offers legal services and advice across the entire spectrum of commercial and financial law, including banking and finance, capital markets, corporate and commercial, competition/antitrust, energy, project finance, M&A, real estate, employment, tax, securities, telecommunications, data protection and intellectual property, with a client base both in Greece and abroad. The firm’s dispute resolution department represents clients in litigation and arbitration relating to all aforementioned areas.

Karatzas & Partners has extensive experience advising international clients in relation to a wide range of transactions and practice areas. The firm has been involved in some of the biggest transactions in Greece in recent years, many of which have had a strong international element. Examples of key recent matters include: the restructuring of Helleniq Energy, the largest energy group in Southeast Europe, the acquisition of Viva Wallet, the first Greek unicorn startup, by JP Morgan, the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of DEPA Infrastructure S.A. by Italgas SpA, the sale of Pharmathen Group of Companies by BC Partners to global private equity firm Partners Group, the sale of Ethniki Insurance by the National Bank of Greece to CVC Capital Partners’ Fund VII, the acquisition of cinema chain Village Roadshow Operations, Greece by Antenna Group and Project Skyline, the largest open market real estate portfolio transaction in Greece in recent years.

The firm’s clients include foreign banks and multinational corporations such as Barclays, Citibank, Coca-Cola Company, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, EIB, EBRD, Goldman Sachs, Goodyear, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Italgas, EDP Renewables EUROPE SLU, DIXONS, Eni Plenitude, Black Sea Trade Development Bank, Unilever and Wrigley. The firm also regularly works with major international law firms, such as Allen & Overy, Cleary Gottlieb, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters, Shearman & Sterling, Simpson Thacher and Bartlett, Skadden Arps, Slaughter & May and White & Case.

Areas of practice
Banking and finance: the firm advises on all aspects of banking and finance, including project finance, structured finance, secured and syndicated loan transactions, as well as derivatives and other OTC or listed products and securitisation.

M&A: the firm regularly advises international clients on M&A transactions in Greece and has participated in all the major pioneering corporate transactions in Greece in recent decades.

Securities: the firm advises on all aspects of securities law, such as initial public offerings, regulation of business conduct of securities firms and listed companies, bond issues and takeover bids. The firm routinely represents clients before the Hellenic Capital Market Commission and the Athens Exchange.

Corporate: the firm advises on the establishment of companies and joint ventures, spin-offs of Greek companies, stock option schemes, marketing law and due diligence. It also assists with the day-to-day legal affairs of a number of major Greek companies with international activities.

Energy: the firm is a market leader in energy projects and has participated in all the major pioneering energy projects and project finance transactions in Greece in recent decades. For the past years the firm has built a strong reputation on RES projects, especially wind and solar and it also provides day-to-day advice to clients, including regulatory advice.

Telecommunications: the firm has been involved in many of the seminal transactions in the telecoms sector over the past 20 years, including the first change of control of a mobile telephony operator and the first merger of two competitors in the mobile telephony market.

Competition/antitrust: the firm advises international clients on all aspects of Greek and EU competition law such as merger control, vertical restraints, abuse of dominant position and concerted practices.

Dispute resolution: the firm represents clients in litigation and arbitration before Greek courts and international arbitral tribunals in relation to a wide range of disputes.

Intellectual property: the firm advises on trade mark portfolio management, registration and litigation.