OVERVIEW
Our real estate practice goes back to the origins of our firm. Over the decades we have witnessed the market grow, transform and evolve, while being involved in some of the most prominent—and complex—real estate transactions. Our practice is characterized by the close collaboration between our designated real estate tax desk and our real estate law experts, and is consistently top ranked by all major directories. We work for developers, occupiers and funders, with a focus on international players. Our clients include investment banks, private equity funds, REICs, large corporates in retail, leisure and tourism, family offices and high net worth individuals. Our work covers the entire property “life-cycle”, from initial acquisition joint venturing, financing, development, holding and leasing through to sale, on a transactional, regulatory or litigation basis.
From a private island to a shopping mall and from a luxury private residence to a prime hotel facility, our toolkit of precedents includes the widest range of property types; this, combined with our in-depth knowledge of real estate related laws and regulations gives us a competitive advantage when it comes to structuring, advising or litigating on real property. We know the market and we know rules. We also know how to help our clients create value, share risk and mitigate costs in a vast array of asset profiles. Among others, we deal with commercial (office, retail, shopping center, hotel & leisure, storage & logistics), industrial and residential assets, borderline, coastal and island properties, infrastructure (windfarms, power plants, fuel terminals, highways), located throughout Greece.
We have the ability both in terms of resources and expertise to deliver on large-scale, complex transactions. Our practice draws-upon the firm’s multidisciplinary multidimensional bench of specialists, thus ensuring our advice is comprehensive, pragmatic and acute. Having established a network of external experts from other practices (engineers, notaries, realtors, valuators etc.), we are able to offer to our clients truly turnkey solutions. Our wide network of best-friend law firms around the globe gives our team access to valuable insight when doing cross-border work.
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Experience
We cover every aspect of real estate: acquisitions and disposals, construction and development, lease and tenancy, investment and divestment structuring, M&A and joint ventures (both diligence and transactional), real estate finance, asset-backed transactions, RE backed NPL portfolios and asset management.
Our work includes among others
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Advising on structuring real estate acquisitions and investments, restructuring of real estate portfolios as well as divesting through the use of flexible and efficient schemes
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Conducting real estate due diligence, covering both legal and tax aspects
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Undertaking procedures and implementing deeds for the acquisition and sale of real estate, including working with notaries public and engineers, calculating taxes and filing tax return statements in respect of the relevant deeds
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Providing real estate related advice with respect to properties held either for residential/pleasure or business purposes, including on regulatory restrictions on land usage, administrative permits and implications arising from the transfer of land in border areas
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Providing advice for assessing and managing tax liabilities arising in Greece, related to purchasing, holding and disposing of real estate, as well as to real estate collateral
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Undertaking the establishment and restructuring of collateral packages comprising securities over real estate
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Advising on the legal framework applicable to real estate projects, such as zoning & planning areas, permits & other regulatory approvals, forest and archaeology clearances, as well as environmental issues
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We advise, negotiate and draft long term agreements (such as lease, hotel agreements, management, sales & marketing)
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Performing real estate and tax compliance work, such as monitoring the implementation of the Cadastral and of forest maps, filing tax returns and collecting supportive documentation for various property tax compliance purposes
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Advising clients with respect to the establishment and operation of Real Estate Investment Companies and on all relevant regulatory, corporate and tax related aspects
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Representing clients in real estate related litigation
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Advising on real estate succession planning.
Our real estate practice is complemented by our dynamic project development team, which makes for a strong presence in the infrastructure and project development market. We draw upon the team’s insights on construction, EPC, O&M and development contracts—a result of their excellent track record on privatisations, energy & infrastructure and asset development projects. We are proud of our work for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and particularly the SNFCC: on what is considered a landmark of modern Athens, we advised from its inception all the way to its delivery to the Greek State.
