SCORDIS, PAPAPETROU & Co LLC (“SP&Co”) is a law firm regulated by the Cyprus Law Council and the Cyprus Bar Association and this year it celebrates its centenary – 100 years of continuous practice since the founding of its oldest legal firm member in 1922 in Famagusta by the late Andreas Michaelides.
Today, SP&Co encompasses SCORDIS, PAPAPETROU & Co LLC, SCORDIS, PAPAPETROU & Cο (Corporate Services) Ltd, SPA Financial Services Ltd and a number of affiliates companies, providing legal and other related professional services to clients both in Cyprus and worldwide. With over 60 specialized lawyers and other professionals in related fields, and 40 support and administrative personnel, with offices in Nicosia, Limassol, Athens, Valletta, Moscow and most recently the UAE, SP&Co can look back with satisfaction and confidence on the many and important milestones of its evolution.
A pivotal year was 1973 when the law firms of Andis Scordis (then in Famagusta) and Michalis Papapetrou (in Nicosia) joined forces to found the first cross-city partnership of lawyers by the establishment of SCORDIS, PAPAPETROU & Co. In 2008, SCORDIS, PAPAPETROU & Co LLC, was established, representing one of the first limited liability law firms to be registered in Cyprus. Followed by the mergers with Adamos K. Adamides & Co and Michaelides & Michaelides in 2011 and 2018 respectively.
Building on its international presence and reputation, in 2012 it co-founded SPA Financial Services Ltd, a successful licensed financial services company, which together with the expanding legal footprint enhanced the multi-faceted practice of the firm, created synergies and joined practices, as well as lawyers and other professionals, who share a common culture and vision and a reputation for excellence.
The corporate & commercial practice of the firm is best known for servicing high-profile local and international clients in complex or pioneering and precedent-setting matters, whilst providing ongoing advice to prominent local and international companies. SP&Co has acted and advised on a multitude of multi-million financial transactions, most with a cross-border element and the provision of specialised advice on a variety of corporate and commercial matters forms part of its day-to-day practice. Such matters include corporate finance (including syndicated loans), venture capital, corporate mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, real estate investments, joint ventures, escrow arrangements, and other complex (local or cross-border) commercial and corporate transactions.
SP&Co handles both local and international litigation and arbitration for high profile clients within Cyprus and across the world, whilst our lawyers have appeared on behalf of clients before court tribunals from New York to Siberia. Apart from its longstanding strong general domestic litigation practice which includes acting on behalf of banks and other financial institutions, municipalities, public bodies, companies and individuals, SP has established a ‘beyond the borders’ reputation having acted, instructed or advised in relation to international multi-million claims resulting in litigation in Cyprus, the US, UK, BVI, Switzerland, Russia, Greece or arbitration in Cyprus, London (LCIA), Zurich (ZCC), Stockholm (SCC), International Court of Arbitration (France), International Chamber of Commerce and Moscow (ICAC). Our international practice includes numerous highly publicised and hotly contested litigation and arbitration cases.
Furthermore, SP is a leader in the field of corporate support services and in the establishment and organization of corporate structures for cross-border investments. SCORDIS, PAPAPETROU & Co (Corporate Services) Ltd and other affiliated companied offer a wide range of services, including corporate, tax & VAT advisory, accounting, secretarial, trusteeship services and other related services through in-house tax consultants, accountants and other qualified professionals who deal with the day-to-day needs of the SP’s clients.
At SP&Co, a customer-centric model of services is applied which over time has proven to serve it consistently. SP&Co’s objective is to remain faithful to this philosophy while at the same time maintaining a pioneering position in the provision of high-quality services to its clients.
SP&Co also ensures that there is always a spherical oversight of its clients’ matters by allowing well-informed and well-considered decisions to be made in a tailor-made and client focused manner. Its main concern is to devote the necessary and appropriate resources to each case, depending on the circumstances, respecting the needs and budget of each of its clients.
SP&Co is proud of its success in handling a large number of important judicial and arbitration cases, in domestic and foreign jurisdictions, as well as important international and local reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, financing and investments which form part of its large portfolio and it looks to the future with optimism, adapting to the ever-changing climate. Its main goal is to continue to provide competitive and cohesive services, by continuing to invest in highly trained staff and integrating cutting-edge technologies.