Cyprus Law, EU Law and International Law

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Law Firm Overview

Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC is generally recognized as the leading firm in Cyprus. The firm was established in 1965 and has grown steadily to become the largest in Cyprus and one of the largest in south-east Europe and the Middle East. Its head office is in Limassol, the commercial centre of Cyprus and the home of many international companies. Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC deals with all aspects of Cyprus, EU and international law. Most of our clients are leading international law firms or major international companies. All our staff are English-speaking and in addition we can do business in Czech, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian. We have recently relocated our Limassol head office to new, purpose-built premises, offering state-of-the-art telecommunications, information technology and conference facilities.

The island's geographical location, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, makes it easily accessible and foreign participation in its economy is officially encouraged. Tax incentives and a high standard of living have led to the development of Cyprus as an important financial centre with first-class telecommunications and there is a growing awareness among many foreign companies and individuals of the unique advantages of using Cyprus as a business base. All these factors have contributed to the growth and status of Andreas Neocleous & Co as an international law firm.

We pride ourselves on our extensive and expanding client base ranging from private individuals through a variety of corporate entities to multinational organizations, but we recognize that each of our clients is unique with particular business concerns. We exercise a personal commitment to all of them, to understand their objectives rapidly and effectively and to expedite solutions by means of clear and practical business-oriented legal advice and action. Our lawyers are all specialists who call on the expertise of their associates in the firm when the client's interests involve more than one area of the law. The application of professional excellence by all our lawyers and cross-utilization of specialist skills as and when appropriate result in the production of a comprehensive legal package, tailored to the specific circumstances of each client.

The majority of our 116 lawyers and 6 tax consultants are based in Limassol. The firm operates on a departmental basis, covering all aspects of the law. For convenience, the name of the partner in charge of each department has been included as a focal point for contact with the firm.

Apart from the full range of legal services offered by our Limassol office, extensive facilities are provided by our national offices in Nicosia and Paphos and also by our overseas offices in Moscow, Budapest, Kiev, Prague, Sevastopol and Brussels. Each overseas office is fully staffed by local lawyers who advise a wide range of clients engaged in commerce and investment on numerous legal matters, including all aspects of corporate and commercial law, international financial transactions, project financing, banking law, joint ventures, agency arrangements, construction and engineering contracts, energy law, shipping and admiralty law. The offices also conduct all types of litigation using the services of advocates in or associated with the firm.

Furthermore, through our extensive network of corresponding and associate offices around the world, which includes permanent representation arrangements in Athens, London, New York, Paris, Rotterdam and Zurich, we are able to offer legal advice in every part of the world when necessary. Through consistent striving for greater proficiency to meet and service the needs of our clients, we are equipped with the knowledge, dynamism and confidence to face the challenges of today's business environment.

Year this Office was Established: 1965

Areas of Law

Additional Areas of Law: Matrimonial Law; Debt Collection; Residence Permits.

Areas of Law Description

Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC provides legal representation and services in the following areas of law:

- Admiralty and Shipping Law

Our firm is one of the best known firms in the field of admiralty and shipping law. We advise owners, managers, charterers, freight forwarders and their respective insurers and help to resolve commercial and legal problems in Cyprus and abroad. Our overseas offices, as well as a network of contacts with leading maritime lawyers in a number of countries, enable the firm to act as coordinator in concurrent litigation in different jurisdictions. We are recommended by a number of independent rating organizations, including Legal 500 and Chambers Global guide, in this area.

Our advice and assistance is sought on all types of maritime matters, including:

• claims for loss or damage to cargo
• freight and off-hire disputes
• general average
• collisions
• salvage claims
• pollution
• transshipment and towage agreements
• disputes under shipbuilding and repairing contracts
• financing, security and the enforcement of mortgages
• problems relating to the employment of officers and crew
• personal injury claims
• advice in respect of H&M and P&I policies and claims
• advising on the acquisition of new tonnage
• choice of flag and registration
• aviation matters including aircraft registration and finance
• all related company law and tax matters

- Banking and Finance

Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC represents lenders, arrangers and facility agents (on single-lender and syndicated, secured and unsecured loans) as well as borrowers, guarantors and security providers. All clients of Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC benefit from our world-class resources, the unrivalled breadth of expertise and experience of our lawyers and the international reputation of our firm.

Our banking and finance team has unrivalled experience in helping clients to navigate the Cyprus legal system across the whole spectrum of banking and finance transactions including:

• domestic and cross-border loan and security transactions;
• loan documentation for single-lender and syndicated loans;
• security documentation including charges over assets and undertakings of companies, debentures, pledges of share certificates, security assignments of rights etc.;
• restructuring of existing loans and collateral;
• refinancing of existing debts;
• project finance and asset finance;
• financing of international trade, including letters of credit, negotiable instruments and related matters;
• construction and project financing; finance leasing;
• indemnities and guarantees;
• aviation finance and aviation leasing;
• securities law compliance;
• compliance with perfection requirements and registrations of charges;
• legal opinions and legal due diligence exercises.

- Corporate and Commercial

Our firm offers extensive international corporate and commercial experience. The favourable Cypriot tax régime and the extensive network of double-taxation treaties have created an ideal base for non-European Union companies seeking to exploit the EU market, as well as for EU companies seeking to expand their global horizons especially with regard to the CIS. Our own offices in Moscow, Budapest and Kiev play a key role in this respect. We are recommended by a number of rating organizations, including Legal 500, Chambers Global guide and IFLR as a leading firm in this area.

The work undertaken by this department includes:

Company:
• formation and acquisition of companies in Cyprus and abroad
• corporate reorganization and reconstruction
• shareholder agreements and corporate governance issues
• capital-raising transactions
• venture-capital financing
• public and private offerings of securities and securities law compliance
• mergers and acquisitions
• management buy-outs and earn-outs
• corporate management and domiciliation services

Commercial:
• cross-border transactions and joint ventures
• partnership formation and dissolution
• insolvency and restructures
• agency and distributorship agreements
• information technology
• technology transfers and intellectual property rights
• formation and use of trusts
• international tax planning

- E-Business

The lawyers in our e-business law team specialize in all areas of Cyprus law which are relevant to e-business such as IT aspects of all practice areas, cryptography, electronic signatures, regulation of electronic payments, data protection and security, direct marketing and intellectual property as well as consumer protection issues including the sale of goods, unfair contract terms in consumer contracts, unfair trade practices, product safety and liability, consumer warranties, long distance contracts, and rights and obligations under electronic contracts.

We also take pride in having contributed to the development of the current legislative framework for e‑commerce in Cyprus, having acted as Cyprus legal consultants in the project for the formulation of a national strategy and legal framework for an electronic commerce study for the Cyprus government Planning Bureau. In this project we advised on all legal matters relevant to e‑commerce and consumer protection under Cyprus law for the purposes of harmonization with EU law and implementation of an appropriate legal framework for e‑commerce.

- Energy

Our firm has more than 20 years' experience in advising potential investors in a wide range of energy projects ranging from onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration operations to renewable energy projects. We have up-to-date knowledge and experience of the relevant national, EU and international legal and regulatory environment applying to all types of energy projects. Our specialists in public procurement have extensive experience in assisting clients in preparing and submitting tenders to the relevant government authorities and in subsequent negotiations and finalization of contracts.

Our legal advice and assistance to individuals, businesses and state authorities cover all aspects of energy operations and activities including:

• Oil and gas law
• National and EU energy law
• Public procurement procedures
• Negotiation with state authorities, operating agreements and resolution of disputes
• EU funding opportunities
• Taxation
• Securities law
• Creation of corporate structures
• Regulation of business transactions

- European Union Law

Our legal advice and assistance cover all aspects of European law including:

• competition law, trade and regulatory law and legal aspects of the internal market
• European business grant schemes
• European Territorial Cooperation Programmes
• Coordination, design and analysis of the development strategy for the establishment of national programming documents of the EU
• Training and networking through workshops and seminars
• Implementation of the institutional framework of the EU into national law
• Negotiation with EU institutions for the enlargement of the national institutional framework and the assimilation of Cyprus with the other outermost regions of the EU
• Strategy and actions concerning the Cyprus EU Presidency for 2012.

- Intellectual Property

Our firm deals with all aspects of patent and trade mark protection, design registration, copyright and the licensing of technology. Our close association with lawyers and trade mark agents in all major industrial countries enables us to meet our clients' worldwide requirements. Our partner Maria Kyriacou served for 12 years as Registrar of Patents and Trade Marks and is a pioneer in the protection of intellectual property rights in Cyprus. We are recommended by a number of independent rating organizations, including Legal 500, as a leading firm in this area.

Our expertise covers the following areas:

• advice on the acquisition, registration and protection of all intellectual property
• franchising and licensing
• restrictive trade practices
• competition and agency law
• patent, trademark, copyright proceedings and passing-off actions
• advice on all related tax aspects

- Litigation and Arbitration

Our law firm has a large dispute resolution practice, covering all areas of general and commercial law. Our litigation department works with clients to resolve disputes in a timely and effective manner through prompt assistance and sound legal advice. We have the resources to handle complex and urgent issues and we have experience in a wide variety of claims and disputes. When appropriate, we will seek to avoid lengthy court actions through constructive negotiation in the first instance, or by pursuing swift and economic alternatives to full-scale litigation such as summary trials, interim remedies, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution. The firm conducts both domestic and international arbitration under internationally recognized arbitration bodies.

- Real Estate

Our law firm's property department deals with all matters relating to freehold and leasehold property, including transactions and disputes involving commercial and residential property. The department advises both individual and corporate clients.

Areas of work include:

• sale agreements
• acquisition of property by foreigners
• property management for non-residents
• estate planning and administration
• wills, probate and re-sealings and estate administration

- Tax Law and International Tax Planning

Our firm has an excellent reputation for high quality, sound tax advice and innovative tax planning, as well as extensive experience in negotiating and handling tax disputes. Our clients are involved in a wide range of business interests including the property, shipping, industrial and trading sectors. We assist them with all aspects of cross-border development, from establishing their initial foreign representative office to joint venture agreements and full-scale mergers and acquisitions. Our tax specialists have extensive experience covering activities from the US to the Far East, with a growing emphasis on expansion into Central and Eastern Europe, China and India. Through close co-operation with International Fiscal Services (IFS), specialists in international fiscal law, we are able to assist our clients in structuring their international cross-border activities in the most tax-efficient manner.

More Information on Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC

Corporate Lawyers in Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos, Cyprus European Union Law Firm
E-Business Lawyers in Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos, Cyprus International Tax Planning Lawyer
Shipping Law Firm in Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos, Cyprus Intellectual Property Lawyer
Real Estate Lawyers in Paphos, Cyprus
Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC News and Publications

Office Locations

• Belgium - Brussels
• Ukraine - Sevastopol
• Cyprus - Limassol - Main Office
• Cyprus - Nicosia
• Czech Republic - Prague
• Hungary - Budapest
• Russia - Moscow
• Ukraine - Kiev