Michael Damianos & Co LLC

The firm: Michael Damianos & Co LLC is a Cyprus law firm based in Nicosia. The firm’s founder graduated from the University of Southampton with the degree of Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with First Class Honours and from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge with a degree of Master of Law (LLM). Before practising in Cyprus he qualified as a solicitor at the London office of Simmons & Simmons and then moved to the London office of Lovells LLP (now Hogan Lovells), where he was mainly involved in mergers and acquisitions (general), energy-related mergers and acquisitions and energy-related commercial and regulatory work.

The firm has grown in size considerably since its formation in 2010.  It now employs seven lawyers and four paralegals.

The firm’s objective and commitment is to provide best-quality, practical and cost-effective advice/services to its clients and to rapidly respond to their instructions and needs. It has an expanding client base ranging from financial institutions, to high-net-worth individuals, a variety of corporate entities and multinational organisations (private/public company and funds), but despite the diversity of its clients, it recognises that each client is unique with particular business concerns and needs and, therefore, it exercises a personal commitment to all of its clients.

Areas of practice: The firm’s practice is highly international with a strong commercial, corporate, M&A, banking and finance, and energy focus.  Although a full-service Cyprus law firm, our main areas of practice are: (a) banking and finance (such as asset finance, refinancing and debt restructuring, real estate financing, acquisition financing and corporate financing), (b) international and local mergers and acquisitions, (c) corporate (such as joint ventures, takeovers and restructurings), (d) private equity, (e) energy related projects (including the drafting of acquisition documents and commercial agreements), (f) general commercial work (such as preparing all types of commercial contracts, such as agency, distribution, franchising, supply of goods/services, outsourcing, manufacturing and licensing contracts), (g) real estate (including advice and negotiation on the terms of sale-purchase agreements and drafting of lease agreements), (h) shipping, and (i) privacy and data protection.

The majority of the firm’s work comes from referrals from international law firms in relation to the Cypriot element of international transactions that are usually run by overseas counsel, or by clients of such international law firms in relation to transactions that the firm will run itself for them directly from Cyprus. The firm, therefore, specialises in this type of transactions. Local corporate and banking work comes from Cypriot groups of companies (in various sectors) in relation to their legal work in Cyprus (and sometimes abroad) and also with respect to their advisory role with Cypriot banks as outsourced consultants.

In addition to the firm’s purely legal work, it also practices in the area of company formation and administration/corporate services. The firm incorporates Cyprus companies (along with companies in various other jurisdictions, mainly offshore) to suit its clients’ needs and provides a complete range of fiduciary/corporate services to such companies (such as the provision of company secretarial services, registered office address, company directors, company nominee shareholders and bank account opening). The firm is also able to assist its clients to establish representative offices in Cyprus and, through its associated companies, provide them with all relevant services for such purpose.