An outstanding in-house lawyer in the maritime sector, the path to Petros Papaevagorou’s in-house legal career is a varied one, having first begun it in 2014 as a trainee lawyer in the litigation department of Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC, a law firm based in Paphos. During this time he became a member of the Cyprus Bar Association, working in private practice for around two years with a focus on immigration and real estate law. In June 2017 he joined Cyprus-headquartered Tototheo Maritime – a multinational specialist in the fields of maritime satellite and radio communication, automation and navigation systems – as an in-house legal officer.

Papaevagorou has since proven himself as a business enabler for the company, no more noticeably than when he assisted on the opening of an office in Piraeus. In doing so he explains that with his colleagues he had to ‘research in setting-up the company’s structure including opening corporate bank accounts, drafting employment agreements and related policies’. This process was a complex one due to ‘certain differences’ between Greek and Cypriot legislation, as well as the need to familiarise himself with ‘all procedures in order for our Greek company to operate and do business smoothly in order to meet the customer’s needs’. In ensuring the business is compliant in its relevant legal and regulatory affairs he has, in consultation with management, set up a more cost-efficient practice by having all materials under a single software system. This procedure has not only assisted the legal department to trace all of its agreements but acted as a crutch for other units within the company. He states this has ‘reduced the workload in the department and [therefore] we have had more time to implement new strategies to improve the department and the company from a legal and regulatory perspective’.

With a keen eye on the future developments of the field from a legal and regulatory perspective, he has actively participated in drafting and communicating internal policies that focus on new GDPR regulation at European level. In addition to his day-to-day work, Papaevagorou is passionate in terms of advising the next generation of lawyers. He states: ‘The best thing a young lawyer can do is try different fields in law, gain knowledge and develop new skills. We have to remember to be open to new opportunities and keep educating ourselves’.