Andreas Neocleous & Co is the largest and most internationally focused firm in Cyprus, capable of handling numerous demanding mandates at a time. In November 2008 Andreas Neocleous & Co moved to a new office in Limassol, building on its reputation as one of the best-equipped firms in the jurisdiction....
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Andreas Neocleous & Co is the largest and most internationally focused firm in Cyprus, capable of handling numerous demanding mandates at a time. In November 2008 Andreas Neocleous & Co moved to a new office in Limassol, building on its reputation as one of the best-equipped firms in the jurisdiction.
"They are responsive and down to earth," says one client. "They know how to structure cross-border transactions and they know the needs of Russian clients ... how Russian [inbound and outbound] business works. They are quite helpful in handling matters."
Kyriacos Georgiades is often singled out for praise by clients. "He takes a very practical approach to legal problems and is able to give very balanced advice in light of the facts," says one client, adding: "And that's certainly appreciated, not being a Cypriot lawyer. Seeking help, one appreciates being able to get quick answers that are not half-answers. He was responsive and available for conference calls when needed and the documentation that the firm produced was always of a good standard."
Georgiades is advising MDM SE, which is the majority shareholder of the bank created from a merger between Russian banks MDM Bank and Ursa Bank. As well as advising on the merger itself, the firm is advising MDM SE on the subsequent restructuring of the merged bank's ownership structure. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and White & Case are also involved in the merger and restructuring, valued at €13.4 billion.
In December 2008 Elias Neocleous, the firm's other leading lawyer, led the team acting as Cyprus legal counsel for Société Générale as security agent on a €276 million credit facility. The facility was arranged by Société Générale and BNP Paribas and provided to Brunswick Rail Leasing, a Russian-registered company that acquires railcars and leases them to large industrial and transport companies.
And Neocleous and Georgiades worked together on one of the firm's largest-value transactions, advising 3i investments on Cyprus law aspects of capital and loan contributions to a Scottish limited partnership through a Cyprus entity in a deal worth €1.4 billion. The transaction closed in August 2008, with Berwin Leighton Paisner advising on the English law aspects of the deal.
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