Akis Papakyriacou LLC

The firm

At Papakyriacou LLC we offer much more than legal advice. We are at the forefront of legal developments in Cyprus, delivering critical insight and taking a stand, by providing clear recommendations. We have long-standing relationships with our clients, due to our responsiveness and commercial awareness, as we recognize our clients’ commercial concerns and we strive to take our clients’ business forward.

Our services are personalized and always led by our founding partner, offering a broad range of legal services with a focus on cross-border transactions, including corporate and commercial, mergers & acquisitions, banking & finance, capital markets, regulatory, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and initial coin offerings, intellectual property, employment law, immigration law, GDPR, and real estate. We briefly set out below information for some of our services.

Areas of Practice

Banking and Finance: We have extensive experience advising on various financing arrangements, including single lender loans, syndicated loans, distressed debt and asset trades, and risk participations under standard LMA terms, as well as bond loans. Our proficiency extends to the trading of distressed debt and assets, where we deliver solutions under standard terms or develop bespoke strategies tailored to the specifics of each transaction.

Commercial and Corporate: Our firm boasts extensive experience in handling complex corporate and commercial transactions, including local and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. Our services include, inter alia, the drafting of tailored shareholder agreements and bespoke articles of association and the formation, disposal, and acquisition of Cyprus companies, and we provide expert advice on agency and distribution agreements, franchise agreements, and cross-border joint ventures.

Dispute Resolution: We take pride in being assertive yet pragmatic, consistently aiming to secure the best outcomes for our clients in their disputes. We recognize the economic need to resolve issues swiftly and favorably. Our practical approach ensures transparency in legal costs and maintains a steadfast focus on resolving disputes effectively and amicably. Our team consists of experienced litigation lawyers, mediators and legal consultants, with significant expertise and experience to manage large-scale and complex cases.

Financial Services and Regulatory:  Our firm has extensive experience in advising on financial services regulatory compliance matters having advised a number of financial institutions in order to achieve compliance with a constantly evolving and increasingly challenging regulatory compliance framework. We provide services of drafting and advising on custody arrangements and agreements as well as prime brokerage agreements. Our clients include CySEC-regulated funds and investment firms as well as financial institutions. We are involved in fund establishment, regulatory compliance, structuring of fund vehicles including umbrella structures and master-feeder structures. We advise asset managers, custodians/depositaries, fund administrators and investors on a wide spectrum of fund operations in the set-up of bespoke investment platforms and to provide legal support across the full life cycle of funds.

Fintech and Online Payments: We provide clients with assistance to deal with the complex legal and regulatory environment surrounding these novel areas of law and technology, providing innovative legal solutions. We assist our clients with understanding the legal implications and boundaries involved in these novel areas of law and technology.

Intellectual Property: We provide comprehensive Intellectual Property (IP) law services, including acquisition, enforcement, and commercialization of IP rights. The Cyprus IP Box Regime offers attractive tax incentives, making it an ideal location for business. Our IP services included indicatively the following:

• • Advising and offering legal support with respect to the IP Box Regime
  • Advising on the acquisition, registration and protection of Intellectual Property rights
  • Offering legal support with respect to franchising and licensing
  • Advising on restrictive trade practices
  • Offering legal support with the registration of patents, trademarks and industrial designs
  • Renewal of Trademarks
  • Offering advice with respect to the infringement of Intellectual Property rights

Private Client: We represent a distinguished portfolio of international clients who seek our expertise for a variety of complex legal matters. Our services include global asset structuring, cross-border tax and succession planning, and the resolution of major trust and estate disputes. While each client’s situation is unique, common challenges often include facilitating smooth generational transitions, minimizing tax liabilities, preventing family conflicts through strategic planning and governance, and safeguarding critical assets. These challenges are magnified when considered in an international framework.

Real Estate:

We advise on transactions on sale and purchase and development of real estate by locals as well as foreigners, integrating legal and tax advice in order to give well rounded and well considered advice from all relevant aspects. Our services include indicatively the following:

• • Drafting of sale and purchase agreements
  • Providing assistance through all stages of the acquisition of property, including assistance with filing documents at the Department of Lands and Surveys
  • Advising on the acquisition of property in Cyprus
  • Offering legal support on estate planning and administration
  • Conducting the legal due diligence on properties prior to acquisitions
  • Advising on the acquisition or construction, including obtaining of the relevant licenses, of hotels
  • Advising on the licensing property for the purpose of short-term rental

Renewable Energy and Natural Resources:  We specialize in providing comprehensive legal guidance across various facets within the energy sector, inter alia, licensing and regulation ensuring compliance with the dynamic legal framework governing the industry and drafting sale purchase agreements, reflecting a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in energy transactions.