Dispute Resolution & ADR

The dispute resolution practice is the firm’s largest, renowned for delivering exceptional service to clients.

With nearly 60 years’ experience in the legal market and backed up by an international culture, the legal team successfully handles cases in conventional and alternative forms of dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation of international and domestic disputes. Clients come from various industry sectors and include public and private companies, multinational corporations, banks, financial institutions, entrepreneurs as well as a host of individual clients from Cyprus and abroad.

Litigation

Headed by four partners, the litigation team handles a wide range of claims and disputes, both locally and internationally, in respect of general civil, corporate, commercial and criminal litigation as well as administrative recourses to the Supreme Court of Cyprus including:

Corporate and shareholders’ disputes
Banking and finance disputes
Professional negligence, incl. medical malpractice
Bankruptcy, insolvency and receivership
Landlord and tenant disputes
Employment disputes
Matrimonial law
Breach of contracts
Personal injury claims
Road traffic accidents
Insurance claims
Admiralty claims
Defamation, libel and slander claims

International Arbitration

The department is headed by Mr Stavros Pavlou, Senior & Managing Partner of the firm, who has excellent negotiating skills and extensive experience in international arbitration centres, such as the London Court of International Arbitration, the Stockholm Arbitration Court, the Austrian Arbitration Centre and others. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). The team handles arbitration for:

Commercial cross-border transactions
Corporate finance disputes
Shareholders’ disputes
Trade & Construction industry related disputes
Judicial proceedings in aid of arbitration

Mediation

The mediation team provides comprehensive private mediation services and assists in representing individual parties to help resolve conflicts as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Partners Chrysostomos Nicolaou and Stella Louka Pavlou have been specifically trained and accredited as mediators and they are included in the official list of mediators of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Central Bank of Cyprus. The legal team offers mediation services in the following sectors:

Banking Law: typical banking mediation cases often involve negotiation of reconstruction of loan agreements
Corporate Law: contractual disputes or partnership dissolutions
Labour Law: employment disputes, illegal dismissals, compensations etc.
Contract Law: landlord and tenant conflicts

Sample of Major Cases Handled

Representing companies which own an oil refinery in the Russian Federation, in shareholders’ disputes for the amount of USD 200 million for alleged breaches of shareholders’ agreement, misrepresentation and fraud.
Handling over 50 cases, with an approximate total aggregate amount of USD 3 billion, relating to the registration, recognition and enforcement of Russian judgments and arbitral awards obtained by one of the leading and largest banks of Russia against various companies and individuals.
For four and a half years, we have been representing a leading Russian bank in significant arbitration proceedings before a Cypriot tribunal, in a USD 40 million claim relating to the performance of certain bank guarantees; the Final Award has recently been received in the favour of our client pursuant to which the multimillion-claim of the claimants is dismissed.
Representing high-net worth individuals in a multi-million dispute arising out of a joint venture for the construction of residential properties in Moscow
Advising before the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) on the enforcement of a Sale and Purchase Agreement for the sale of issued share capital through complex corporate structures (claim amount USD 800 million).
Representing one of Cyprus’s biggest banks in relation to a recent amendment on Immovable Property (Transfer and Mortgage) Law No. 9/1965. We promoted applications/appeals with the District Courts, requesting that several provisions of article 44 of the Law, as amended, are unconstitutional; the Court agreed and declared certain articles of the Law unconstitutional, as breaching articles 23 and 26 of the Constitution.
Advising India’s largest real estate construction company, which is also a key player in real estate investments, on matters relating to the enforcement and execution of an LCIA Arbitration Award; worth approximately GBP 350 million.
Representing a major Russian financial institution on the recovery of over USD 1.5 billion in assets, by a leading Russian group of companies, through liquidation and other out of Court enforcement measures in order to ensure asset recoveries for debt repayment.
Handling the application of Limassol’s ex-mayor, Mr Andreas Christou, regarding the re-counting of the latest election votes.
Representing a large Russian bank in litigation proceedings in Cyprus, initiated against the bank and third parties (amount USD 118 million) on the basis of alleged breaches of contractual obligations by third parties for which, allegedly, the bank is responsible in tort under Russian law, as being their ultimate mother company.