Arbitration and ADR - A. Vassardanis & Partners Law Firm

Arbitration & ADR

Our firm possesses long-standing experience in arbitration and in particular in international arbitration, which has been widely acknowledged as a particular strength of the firm. Our arbitration practice group is one of an extremely limited number of specialist teams operating in this field in Greece. Its lawyers act both as counsel and as arbitrators. The lawyers of our firm are also members of some of the most prestigious arbitration organizations and associations worldwide and regularly publish articles in scientific journals on arbitration matters and participate in conferences and congresses as speakers and as moderators. In particular, Aphrodite Vassardani is Council Member of the Greek Arbitration Association.

The firm and its lawyers are involved in all aspects of commercial transactions with a particular emphasis on:

Infrastructure and construction projects
Insurance
Protection of investments
Oil & gas
Energy
Corporate law and post-M&A disputes
International sale of goods
Agency/distribution, transfer of technology and licensing matters

We have a dedicated practice group handling a broad range of international and domestic arbitration matters. The group possesses extensive experience in arbitrations under the auspices of major institutions worldwide, mainly of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). In addition, the members of our firm regularly appear before ad hoc arbitral tribunals in different jurisdictions. The group handles arbitrations taking place in various locations and under several governing laws (as indicatively, under the Greek, French, Swiss, German, English and Swedish laws) sometimes in cooperation with some of the largest law firms in the world.

The arbitration group offers assistance, representation and advice at all stages of the arbitration process, from the drafting of efficient clauses in international contracts through to the conduct of arbitral proceedings, the enforcement of arbitral awards and the annulment of arbitral awards. The group has developed extensive arbitration documentation and know-how. The group’s client portfolio consists of both claimants and respondents. Typically, clients are major corporations in Greece and abroad.

Current and recent international cases handled by the group include the representation of:

A Greek company as respondent in an ICC arbitration in Paris against an East European company. Transnational law and the Hague Convention of 1964 for the International Sale of corporal movables applied and English was the language of the arbitration. The dispute had arisen from a sale and distribution agreement. The firm had successfully defended the client as the claims against it were rejected.
(In cooperation with a large Swiss firm) a German company belonging to a large multinational group of companies as respondent in an ICC arbitration in Zurich. The Swiss law applied and English was the language of the arbitration.
(In cooperation with a large Swedish firm) a leading world energy company as claimant in an ad hoc arbitration in Stockholm against a Greek state-owned company. The Swedish law applied and resulted in an extremely favourable settlement for the firm’s client.
Greek company belonging to an international group of companies as claimant in an arbitration in Stockholm before the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce against a Scandinavian company. The Swedish law applied. A favourable award was obtained.
The Greek subsidiary of a French company as claimant in an ICC arbitration in Athens against the Greek subsidiary of an Italian company. The dispute arose from a services contract that was governed by Greek law and the language of the proceedings was English. A favourable award was obtained.
An East European company as claimant in an ICC arbitration in Athens against a Greek insurance company. The Greek law applied and a favourable settlement was achieved at an early stage.
A Greek company as claimant in an ICC arbitration in Stockholm against a Russian company. The applicable law was the Swiss law and a favourable for the firm’s client award by consent was rendered following the exchange of written pleadings.
A Greek company in an ICC arbitration in Stockholm under the Rules of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce against a West European company. The applicable law was the Swedish law and English was the language of the arbitration.
An English construction company in an ICC arbitration in Paris against two companies belonging to a multinational group of companies. The dispute concerned the performance of a project in a Middle Eastern country. English law applied and a very favourable settlement was achieved for the firm’s client following the rejection of the jurisdictional objections raised by the respondent.
A multinational construction consortium as claimant in four ICC arbitrations in Athens against a Greek state-owned company. Greek law applied and English was the language of the arbitration. The dispute had arisen from the performance of four contracts in relation to one of the largest projects in Greece. The tribunal rendered an award valued at more than $10 million in favour of the firm’s client.
A Greek factoring company as claimant in an ICC arbitration in Paris against an Italian factoring company. The Italian law and the general principles of transnational law applied. The dispute arose from an interfactors agreement. All of the client’s claims were satisfied.
A Greek company as respondent but also as counterclaimant in a pending ICC arbitration in Paris against an Italian company. The total amount in dispute far exceeds the amount of $50 million and arises from the construction of a large energy project in Greece. The applicable law is the Greek law and English will be the language of the arbitration.
A major Greek company as claimant in an ICC arbitration in Zurich against a German company belonging to a multinational group of companies. Greek law applied and the language of the arbitration was English. This dispute arose from the performance of a contract for the construction of a big power plant. An award by consent was issued that was favourable to our client.
A Greek construction company as claimant in two arbitrations of the Technical Chamber of Greece against an English company in a dispute arising from the construction of a major energy project in Greece. A favourable award has already been rendered in the first arbitration, while the second one is still pending.
A Greek construction company as claimant in an ICC arbitration in Paris against an Italian company. The applicable law was French law and the language of the arbitration was English. A favourable settlement was reached for our client.
An English construction company in an ad hoc arbitration in Athens against a Greek company in relation to an energy project. The applicable law was the Greek law and English was the language of the arbitration.
A large West Europe company in an ad hoc arbitration in Athens under the UNCITRAL Rules against a Greek company. The dispute concerned a joint venture agreement in the telecommunications sector. The applicable law was the Swiss law and English was the language of the arbitration. A favourable award was obtained
In addition to the above, the firm also has a very strong track record in arbitration related proceedings before the Greek courts and also (in cooperation with international law firms) before the foreign courts. We have handled numerous annulment and enforcement proceedings as well as conservatory measures proceedings. A characteristic indicative example is our involvement as co-counsel in annulment proceedings that led to a foreign court decision being among the five shortlisted by the Global Arbitration Review for the Most Important Published Decision award worldwide at the 2nd Annual GAR Awards (2011-2012).

Our firm has contributed the “Greece” chapter in the “Getting the Deal Through – Enforcement of Foreign Judgments” publication for three consecutive years 2013, 2014 and 2015.