Areas of Practice
Victoria-Zoi Papagiannis is a partner in the litigation and dispute resolution department of the firm.
Her practice focuses mainly on high-value, complex commercial and corporate litigation and arbitration, primarily with an international or multijurisdictional aspect, and she has very extensive experience in the issuance of injunctive relief, including freezing, disclosure, search and anti-suit interim injunctions in support of both domestic and international, court and arbitral proceedings (both ad hoc and institutional).
She has successfully represented legal entities and HNW individuals in the context of very complex and high-value corporate and commercial cases involving fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, fraudulent transfers and negligence.
She also regularly advises on issues pertaining to the recognition and enforcement of foreign court judgments and arbitral awards in Cyprus, as well as, on cases relating to EUTM infringements.
Victoria-Zoi Papagiannis was named ‘Cyprus Lawyer of the Year’ in the area of Dispute Resolution at the 2021 Benchmark Litigation Europe Awards, while she has been also consistently recognised and ranked in international legal directories, including Chambers and Partners, LEGAL 500 and Benchmark Litigation.
She is also a regular contributor in legal publications in the areas of litigation, arbitration and mediation, including Wolters Kluwer, Chambers, ICLG, Getting the Deal Through, Lexology etc., while she previously served as the Vice-President of the Cyprus Bar Association’s Committee on International and European Law.
“Victoria Zoi Papagiannis is outstanding. She is knowledgeable, she has excellent communication skills and the ability to focus on the key points of the case. She is an excellent negotiator. She has a first class mind and sound judgement.” Legal 500
“Victoria Papagiannis is extremely capable combining legal expertise, good judgment, and efficiency.” Legal 500
“Victoria Papagiannis is very diligent, competent and clear in her advice.” Legal 500
“Victoria-Zoi Papagiannis is very good – tough and effective.” Chambers and Partners
Admitted
- Cyprus Bar Association (2008)
- Bar Council of England & Wales (2007)
Education
- Bar Vocational Course (BVC), College of Law, UK
- LLM, University College London, UK
- Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), College of Law, UK
- BSc Government, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK
Languages
- Greek
- English
- French
- German (basic)
- Italian (basic)
Areas of Practice
Litigation, Arbitration & Mediation
Victoria has considerable experience in the handling of complex and high-value corporate and commercial disputes, mainly with a cross-border element, involving fraud, misrepresentation, negligence, breach of duties, as well as, on shareholders’ disputes, insolvency proceedings, cancellations of fraudulent transfers, breach of distribution agreements, product liability cases etc.
She specialises in the pursuit or defending of freezing (“Mareva” and “Chabra”), disclosure (“Norwich Pharmacal”) and search (“Anton Piller”) interim injunctions issued in the context and support of litigation or ad hoc/institutional arbitration proceedings, both in Cyprus and abroad.
Notable examples of her work include:
- securing the first pan-European interim injunction by a Cypriot court in a case of infringement of European Trade Marks (EUTMs), prohibiting a client’s competitor from using anywhere within the European Union signs that were identical with and/or confusingly similar to its EUTMs.
- successfully acting for the world’s leading potash fertilizer producer and exporter in a 1 billion EUR claim;
- securing worldwide freezing and disclosure (“Norwich-Pharmacal”) interim orders against a HNW-individual, his listed company and other parties, in the context of a 500 million EUR complex fraud and conspiracy claim;
- representing a Russian aluminium and power producer in a 150 million EUR claim, inter alia securing worldwide freezing injunctions in its favour;
- successfully representing 498 individuals (beneficiaries of insurance/investment programs) in one of the largest class actions ever brought in the Republic of Cyprus, for damages stemming from fraud;
- representing depositors, shareholders and bondholders of ex-Laiki Bank and the Bank of Cyprus in the context of two actions brought against the European Union institutions before the CJEU, in Luxembourg, in relation to the 2013 “bail-in” measures imposed on the Republic of Cyprus;
- obtaining worldwide freezing and Chabra interim orders securing a Respondent’s assets up to the amount of 50 million USD in the context of proceedings for the recognition and enforcement of an SCC arbitral award in Cyprus;
- acting as head legal counsel of the Respondent in the context of a 10 million USD ICC arbitration adjudicated in Nicosia, Cyprus, brought against it for an alleged breach of a Joint-Venture Agreement and oppressive behaviour;
- advising on all matters pertaining to Cypriot law in pending LCIA arbitration proceedings pursued for the payment of dividends exceeding the amount of 300 million USD.
Victoria is also a CEDR-accredited mediator since 2011 and has acted as mediator in a number of mediations under the auspices of the Financial Ombudsman of the Republic of Cyprus.
Victoria regularly advises on matters pertaining to a wide range of corporate and commercial law issues, including the drafting, conclusion, validity, interpretation, breach and termination of complex multi-party agreements, including shareholders’, agency, distribution and real estate agreements.
She also advises on the voluntary and involuntary winding-up of companies, fraudulent preference and fraudulent transfers, complex shareholders’ disputes, derivative actions etc.
Victoria represented 100 applicants, all depositors, shareholders or bondholders of the two largest banks which operated in the Republic of Cyprus in 2013, in the context of two landmark cases brought by the firm before the CJEU, in Luxemburg, against the decisions and acts of the European Central Bank, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the Eurogroup and the European Union as a whole, in connection with the ‘bail-in’ measures which were imposed on the Republic of Cyprus in March 2013.
In the context of these high-profile and complex cases, the applicants sought compensation for the loss they suffered as a result of the ‘haircut’ imposed on their deposits, as well as, the depreciation (in both value and number) or elimination of their shares and/or bonds in the said two Cypriot Banks, which gave rise to grievous violations, inter alia, of their rights to property and of the principles of non-discrimination, protection of legitimate expectations and the principle of proportionality, as prescribed by EU law.
Victoria also advises on preliminary ruling references before the CJEU, including in relation to challenges pertaining to the interpretation or validity of EU and national legislative provisions (transposing EU measures) in the Republic of Cyprus and other matters of EU law.
Victoria regularly advises on the legal interpretation of financing and security documents, letters of guarantee and bankers’ drafts. She has also advised on writing-down and conversion powers pursuant to the applicable national legislation implementing the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive and the EC Regulation No. 806/2014.
She has acted for Barclays Bank PLC and Société Générale Bank – Cyprus Ltd on a number of court cases before the District Courts of Cyprus, whereas she managed to secure a final judgment in favour of International Air Transport Association (IATA) in the context of a complex case brought against the National Bank of Greece (Cyprus) Ltd in connection with the legal interpretation and honouring of a letter of guarantee.
Victoria regularly acts as mediator in mediation proceedings commenced between Cypriot banks and their clients, in the context of complaints brought and examined under the auspices of the Financial Ombudsman of the Republic of Cyprus.
Victoria specialised in Human Rights’ Law through both her postgraduate studies (LLM) and past work experience at the International Standards Section of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
She has advised and represented applicants before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in cases pertaining to violations of the right to property, the principle of non-discrimination, as well as, the right to access to justice and to an effective remedy, while she also represented the families of two missing persons following Cyprus’s invasion by Turkey in 1974, in the context of recourses filed against Turkey before the same Court.
Public & Private International Law
Victoria regularly advises on issues pertaining to the recognition and enforcement in the Republic of Cyprus of foreign arbitral awards, as well as foreign commercial and civil court judgments issued within the EU or in third countries, pursuant to international or bilateral treaties or on the basis of common law or mutuality and reciprocity principles.
Distribution, Commercial & Franchise Agreements
Victoria regularly advises clients on the drafting, legal interpretation and termination of distribution and franchise agreements and all related matters, including notice requirements, unlawful terminations, post termination rights and compensation, collection of royalties, as well as abuse of a relationship of economic dependence between a principal and a distributor.
News & Publications
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