Bazinas Law Firm is recognised for its acclaimed litigation department. The Firm's reputation as a highly specialised litigation practice was built on complex civil and commercial litigation proceedings, mainly before the higher tiers of the Greek judiciary.
The firm’s involvement in complex litigation proceedings continued in the course of the last year, where the firm was (again) trusted by a foreign State to act on multiparty (civil-commercial) litigation proceedings that were successfully concluded for the foreign State.
Furthermore, the Firm frequently acts for foreign States and their local Embassies in litigation proceedings before first instance and appellate domestic courts (civil-commercial). Bazinas Law Firm has also provided a number of legal opinions on various matters, including Greek labour law, to foreign Embassies in Greece.
Furthermore, the Firm has also been a part of international legal teams in various projects during the last couple of years, acting on mandates from international law firms on complex cross border litigation proceedings involving Greek courts. In one case, the Firm, acting for a major multinational corporation (creditor), has successfully managed to declare the insolvency of the debtor-legal entity, as well as its shareholders, successfully invoking doctrines on lifting the corporate veil, in a ground breaking decision issued following fierce litigation, in what is perhaps one of the largest insolvencies in Greece of recent times.
In addition, Bazinas continues to represent the US Bankruptcy Trustee in the first case in Greece under the UNCITRAL Model Law on cross border insolvencies. This year the Firm managed to secure a pivotal decision from a Court in Greece that deals with complex issues of the UNCITRAL Model Law on cross border insolvency, U.S. bankruptcy law and Greek procedural law and expressly acknowledges the effect and validity of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court judgments in Greece in the context of a conservative measures application the Firm has filed (and accepted by the Court) for the appointment of the Trustee as custodian in property alienated from the insolvency estate. This is an extremely crucial and highly technical decision that is making law in Greece in a rather complex field, focusing on issues like jurisdiction, applicable substantive and procedural law on cross border insolvencies under the UNCITRAL Model Law etc.
The Firm has further tried an application before the Greek insolvency court (Athens) for the recognition and enforcement of US Bankruptcy Court avoidance judgements arguing, among others, that these constitute insolvency related judgments that need to be recognized on the basis of the provisions of the Model Law in Greece, a matter that has not previously determined in Greece.
The ADR seat of Bazinas Law Firm specialises in international arbitration proceedings in a wide array of fields, including the construction industry as well as in matters relating to work contracts, loan agreements, SPAs etc.
The international outlook of the Firm ensures its clientele superior coverage for significant matters with cross border dimensions, through the long established strong links at the highest levels of the international legal community, including leading academics and practitioners. This is particularly important in facilitating international arbitrations and expediting ADR, subsequently reducing the overall cost of the proceedings.
The Firm also continues its successful track record in the recognition and enforcement of arbitration awards in Greece. This year, the Firm acted for one of the biggest internationally operating shipping companies worldwide in proceedings before Greek courts for the recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award under the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) Terms and Procedures. The Firm was successful in obtaining the decision on the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award for the client.
Furthermore, the Firm has ample experience in complex international arbitration proceedings under the ICC Rules of Arbitration in various business sectors, including constructions, where the Firm has secured in the past multi-million euro awards in complex international arbitration proceedings for a Greek construction company, contractual damages in the range of several million euro for a major domestic corporation, claims under a loan agreement representing a foreign industrial corporation, while it has also been engaged in proceedings under Expedited Procedure Provisions of the ICC Rules.
Particularly suitable for high net worth private individuals, the asset tracing and recovery practice of Bazinas Law Firm has employed various litigation and out-of-court discovery procedures in jurisdictions across the globe to locate and re-claim embezzled, appropriated, or concealed in complex corporate structures, highly valuable assets including shares, gold and art work or the money trail from the disposition of same.
This entails in-depth knowledge of the law on trusts, foundations and establishments and extensive understanding of their operations as well as the duties and responsibilities of trustees and protectors.
In the course of the last few years the Firm has acted as leading counsel, coordinating a grid of multi-jurisdictional asset recovery proceedings, in what was perhaps the largest recovery action, in terms of asset value, before the Greek courts.
The corporate insolvency and reorganisation practice of Bazinas Law Firm is amongst the top tier service providers in the Greek market, distinguished for its cross border expertise. The name partner of the Firm is an honorary founding member of the International Insolvency Institute (III) and is repeatedly featured among the handful of specialised practitioners for Greece in the prestigious INSOL International directory.
The Firm is continuously involved in large scale corporate restructuring and reorganisation proceedings, mostly acting for foreign creditors, but is often instructed to advice foreign appointed liquidators and turnaround professionals in domestic and cross border restructurings.
The Firm is currently acting for a major multinational corporation (creditor), successfully initiating insolvency proceedings against a debtor, securing a landmark decision before the Greek insolvency court where the shareholders of the debtor were also declared insolvent. This is one of the most complex and demanding cross border insolvency cases brought before Greek courts, involving issues of cross-border jurisdiction, the insolvency capacity of both the debtor –as well as its shareholders, piercing the corporate veil etc. Several international creditors are involved (credit institutions, etc.) resulting in a very vivid and challenging insolvency procedure.
Bazinas continues to represent the US Bankruptcy Trustee in the first case in Greece under the UNCITRAL Model Law on cross border insolvencies.
The Firm has also acted in the cross border restructuring of a Greek telecommunications operator, effected through a sale in administration under UK insolvency law. Bazinas received instructions by a leading international law firm to represent senior secured creditors on matters of Greek corporate insolvency and reorganization law and cross border insolvency proceedings in most likely the largest ever restructuring involving a Greek company to date and one of the most highly sophisticated and technical transactions of recent times.
The Firm also had the privilege of being among the handful of law firms across the globe which advised (twice) on matters of the Greek sovereign debt restructuring, receiving two separate mandates from a major international law firm to advice in two different cases pertaining to Greek sovereign debt.
The Firm has also been appointed by the Community of Practice on Insolvency and Creditor/Debtor Regimes as national coordinator for Greece in a comprehensive research project on the “Treatment of Shareholders' Rights in the Insolvency of Companies”, for the purposes of a survey on how various jurisdictions treat the legal position of shareholders under a financially distressed scenario.
Bazinas Law Firm has a developed banking and finance practice with an impressive track record in major projects involving both listed and privately owned enterprises. The Firm regularly advices credit institutions, finance houses, venture capital and hedge funds on a wide variety of structured, secured and unsecured credit and equity transactions, leasing, factoring, documentary credit, export finance, creditors' rights and collateral security.
The Firm is frequently drafting bond loan programmes and secured financing instruments for a wide array of clientele.
Our key strength is rendering advise on complex matters of company and corporate law, including corporate representation and the liability of the board of directors, shareholders rights, the transfer of shares and share capital increases, share subscription and preference rights, as well as competition and antitrust law. Our clients are also able to draw upon the vast experience of the Firm's corporate insolvency and reorganisation practice, also offering advice on the dissolution and liquidation of legal entities, either in the course of insolvency proceedings or otherwise.
Our capability is focused on both mergers & acquisitions as well as equity capital markets and takeovers, with services including advice on regulatory matters for listed corporations as well as demergers, intra group transfers and due diligence reports for pre-sale preparation. We work closely with tax and financial advisors to ensure that all legal aspects of strategic risk management are covered seamlessly.
The firm has long and comprehensive experience in all aspects of private and public construction and real estate.
From the design and implementation of tender documents, to the fine-tuning for legal efficiency or project management systems in large and complex EPC projects, to the litigation or arbitration of complex construction disputes, the firm has a comprehensive understanding of the construction industry, and is well equipped to assist owners, process and construction engineers and construction contractors throughout the stages of project development.