Andreas Neocleous is still considered as one of the largest and most well established law firms in Cyprus, working on a substantial number of mandates. "Their legal knowledge is very good, they understand everything....
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Andreas Neocleous is still considered as one of the largest and most well established law firms in Cyprus, working on a substantial number of mandates. "Their legal knowledge is very good, they understand everything. I worked a lot with them," says one client, while another adds: "They're excellent, because when we compare them to other lawyers, we seem to go back to them to get their second opinion."
The firm is highlighted by peers for its Russian experience: "They have a lot of Russian clients, their experience is more concentrated on their Russian clients in this area," says one.
In an attempt to take advantage of the increasing workflow from China coming through the island, the firm is also looking at the possibility of opening in Beijing and has submitted an application to establish a presence.
As a result, the market sees it receiving lots of work from global players. Partner Kyriacos Georgiades headed the team advising Avanti Communications Group on the redomiciliation of its more than £300 million satellite assets from the UK to Cyprus. "Mr Georgiades is very good, he has a vast experience in handling M&A transactions," says one client.
Georgiades was also heavily involved in banking work, advising Raiffeisen Bank International's (RBI) on the Cyprus aspects of existing loan and security agreements following its formation after the $6.43 billion merger of Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich and Raiffeisen International Bank Holding.
Georgiades and partner Panos Labropoulos also advised UK local authority Barnsley Council on its "building schools for the future" PPP (public-private partnership) programme, worth over £1.1 billion.
Elsewhere Labropoulos and Olga Mikhailova advised on the restructuring of the French publisher Lagardere after the merger of two intermediate Cyprus companies.
Clients appreciated both partners: "Mr Labropoulos is very thorough, and paying a lot of attention to details and accuracy. Olga has great understanding of Russia and EU, corporate law and finance."
On top of that, the team also advised a comprehensive group restructuring of Bank Audi, which involved cross-border merger of a Cyprus company with a Dutch company as well as the acquisition of a Monaco-based credit institution. The value of the shareholders' equity is more than $2.4 billion.
"They have a good business sense.," says one client, "They're always professional and understanding, they're in comparison with other Cypriot law firms probably doing more high-end work."
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