The ‘sharp and responsive’ team at Bernitsas Law provides ’very accessible and customised advice’ to lenders and borrowers across a range of restructuring and insolvency matters, running the gamut from balance sheet restructurings and distressed M&A through to advice on administrations, workouts and receiverships. Under the guidance of the ‘exceptional’ Athanasia Tsene, and Lambros Belessis the team remains a prominent player in the secondary market for NPLs - whether acting as Greek counsel to an investor, the originator bank, the arranger or the note and security trustee. As part of her broad corporate and commercial expertise, Evi Kitsou regularly provides ’succinct and on-point advice’ to clients on refinancing matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘It is an exceptional, sharp and responsive team.’
'They provide very accessible and customised advice.'
‘Athanasia Tsene is an exceptional lawyer who provides sharp and practical advice.'
'Evi Kitsou provides succinct and on point advice.'
Key clients
- Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc.
- Apollo Capital Management LLC - Lapithus Group
- CPPIB
- Eurobank Ergasias
- Hellenic Petroleum SA
- Hoist Hellas SA and Hoist Finance (publ) AB
- Intrum AB (publ)
- Intrum Hellas SA
- Piraeus Bank
- PIMCO
- The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF)
- Viatris
- Vivartia
- The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF)
Work highlights
- Advising Apollo Global Management LLC and its servicing arm (Lapithus Group) in the recovery process for the securitised Jupiter portfolio of receivables from non-performing corporate and SMEs loans originated by Alpha Bank, in various restructurings and secondary sales of restructured exposures, as well as in the financing arrangements for the Jupiter portfolio.
- Advising Viatris, a global healthcare group of companies, in relation to their intragroup restructuring which includes various transfers of shares and share parts and a merger by absorption of three Group Companies by another Group Company.
- Advising Hoist Finance in connection with its participation in PQH SA, which is the single liquidator appointed by the Bank of Greece in respect of credit and financial institutions placed into liquidation.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Lambros Belessis, Athanasia Tsene