Corporate & M&A · Greece
Find a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Greece who fits your deal
Whether you are buying a Greek company, selling a family business or merging two entities, the transaction turns on codified Greek statute, registry records and clean drafting. We match you with a lawyer whose practice is built around that work — free of charge and with no obligation to instruct.
- Share deals, asset deals, mergers and carve-outs
- Due diligence, SPA drafting and closing support
- Free matching, no obligation to proceed
Free matching · No obligation · Usual first response within 24–48 hours
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Why a local specialist matters
Greek M&A work needs someone who knows the Greek statute book
Buying or selling a business in Greece pulls together company law, competition review, tax, employment and real-property rules that rarely sit in one adviser’s head. A mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Greece coordinates that work: structuring the share or asset deal, running legal due diligence on the target, drafting and negotiating the sale and purchase agreement, and managing closing conditions and post-completion steps. Because Greek practice rests on codified statute rather than binding judicial precedent, the precision of the drafting and the accuracy of registry searches matter enormously. You do not need to work out which specialist to call. Tell us what you are planning — a share purchase, a merger, a carve-out or an exit — and we match you with a Greek lawyer whose practice covers exactly that kind of transaction.
Greece in practice
How mergers and acquisitions are handled in Greece
Greek transactional work sits inside a continental civil-law system: codified statutes, a three-branch court structure and compulsory bar membership for anyone who advises or represents you. These are the practical features that shape how a Greek deal is prepared, documented and closed.
A codified, not case-driven, system
Greece follows the continental civil-law model. The Civil Code (Astikós Kódikas), in force since 23 February 1946 and currently codified by Presidential Decree 456/1984, sits alongside the Code of Civil Procedure and the Commercial Code. Supreme Court (Areios Pagos) decisions promote uniform interpretation of the law but are not formally binding precedent, so transaction documents must stand on their own wording.
Who is entitled to act for you
Membership of a Bar Association is compulsory in order to practise law in Greece. Under Article 4 of Law 4194/2013 (the Code of Lawyers), admission follows the nationwide bar examinations, a ministerial appointment published in the Government Gazette, the statutory oath and entry in a Bar register. Article 1 characterises the lawyer as a public functionary whose office is a foundation of the rule of law.
Courts and commercial disputes
Civil and criminal justice sits under the Court of Cassation (Areios Pagos), whose six civil-law chambers cover contractual and commercial matters, while the Council of State heads administrative justice and the Court of Auditors handles fiscal audit. Below sit the Magistrates’ Courts, the Courts of First Instance and the Courts of Appeal. Areios Pagos reviews legal correctness only and does not re-examine the facts.
Real property inside the target
Immovable property is transferred or encumbered only by notarial deed, and ownership passes when that deed is registered with the competent Land Registry or Cadastral Office — registration is constitutive, not declarative (Articles 1033 and 1192 of the Civil Code). Real Estate Transfer Tax of 3% must be paid before the deed is signed, and only lawyers, bailiffs and notaries may carry out registry searches.
Fees, court costs and legal aid
A lawyer’s fee is freely agreed in writing and may cover the whole transaction or specific steps (Article 58, Code of Lawyers); where no written agreement exists, the statutory scale applies, and fees attract 24% VAT. Court fees are set by statute, with proportional judicial stamp duty of 4 or 8 per mille on civil claims plus a 30% surcharge for the TAXDIK fund.
Employment liabilities carried with the deal
An open-ended contract may be terminated without cause, but dismissal remains subject to the prohibition of abuse of rights and to good-faith limits. Severance rises with length of service, from two to twelve months’ pay, and is halved where statutory notice is given. Discriminatory dismissals are void and the burden of proof shifts to the employer.
Key time limit — Commercial & Corporate Law
Commercial, professional-fee and periodic claims — 5 years. Commercial dealings and recurring payments fall under the shorter five-year period.
Country-specific details on this page are taken from official Greek and European Union sources — the Greek Ministry of Justice, the Greek Bar Associations, the Ministry of Labour, the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) and the European e-Justice Portal — as published and consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Greece
- European e-Justice Portal — Costs of proceedings: Greece
- Plenary of the Presidents of the Greek Bar Associations — the lawyer’s status
- Greek Ministry of Justice — Civil Code (Astikós Kódikas)
- Greek Ministry of Labour — individual employment relations, FAQ
- AADE — tax obligations arising from loss of life
- AADE — inheritance tax for Greeks abroad and non-residents
Common situations
What usually brings people to us
Most enquiries arrive at the same three moments, and each one has a short window in which the right adviser changes the outcome.
Deals that look simple until due diligence
You find a target, agree a price and assume the paperwork will follow. Then registry records, employment liabilities and tax arrears surface, and the timetable you promised your board begins to slip.
Not knowing whether you need a Greek adviser at all
A cross-border buyer may not realise that Greek law governs the target’s property, contracts and workforce, or that registry searches are reserved to lawyers, bailiffs and notaries. Guessing here becomes expensive later.
One adviser, five specialisms
M&A touches corporate, competition, tax, employment and real property. An opinion that skims all five without Greek statute behind it leaves gaps that only appear at closing.
How the matching works
What you get from europeanlawyerfinder.com
No directories to scroll through and no cold calls. You describe the transaction once, and we route it to the right Greek practice.
Matched on the deal, not on the letterhead
We look at your transaction type, sector and whether the target is Greek or foreign-owned, then connect you with a lawyer whose practice is genuinely built around that work.
Greek-qualified professionals
Every lawyer we match is admitted to a Greek Bar Association and entitled to represent clients before courts, authorities and public services in Greece, in line with Article 4 of the Code of Lawyers.
Free, and with no obligation
Describing your matter costs nothing and commits you to nothing. You decide whether to instruct once you have spoken to the lawyer and understood the proposed scope of work.
Cross-border comfort
If you are based outside Greece, matching is not limited by borders. Tell us where you are and which language you prefer to work in, and we look for a suitable fit.
Beyond Greece
Matching across European jurisdictions
Deals rarely stop at one border. If your transaction also touches another European market, we can look for advisers there in parallel.
Questions we hear
Mergers and acquisitions in Greece: frequent questions
Do I need a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Greece for a share purchase?
For a share purchase, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Greece will usually run due diligence on the target, review its statutory records and key contracts, draft or mark up the sale and purchase agreement and handle the closing mechanics. Greek practice is statute-based and registry-driven, so a locally qualified adviser is the practical route.
Which courts handle commercial disputes in Greece?
Civil and commercial cases begin in the Magistrates’ Courts or the Courts of First Instance, with appeals to the Courts of Appeal. The Court of Cassation (Areios Pagos) has six civil-law chambers covering contractual and commercial matters, but it reviews legal correctness only and does not re-examine the facts.
How does real property pass in a Greek acquisition?
Immovable property is transferred only by notarial deed, and ownership passes on registration with the competent Land Registry or Cadastral Office, which is constitutive rather than declarative. Real Estate Transfer Tax of 3% is payable before the deed is signed, and only lawyers, bailiffs and notaries may conduct registry searches.
Can I claim free legal aid for a commercial case in Greece?
Free legal aid under Law 3226/2004 is available in criminal, civil and commercial cases. Low-income applicants whose annual family income does not exceed two thirds of the minimum annual personal income set by the National General Collective Labour Agreement qualify, as may EU citizens and lawfully resident third-country nationals, subject to the cost-of-living assessment.
What fees should I expect from a Greek M&A lawyer?
A lawyer’s fee is freely agreed in writing and may cover the entire transaction or specific steps; where no written agreement exists, the statutory scale based on the value of the matter applies. Fees attract 24% VAT, and any court proceedings carry separate charges set by statute.
Does a Greek transaction have to be documented in Greek?
The language of the courts and public authorities in Greece is Greek. Parties may work in English during negotiation, but any filing, registration or notarial act that must take legal effect in Greece has to satisfy Greek formalities, so translation and local drafting should be planned from the outset rather than left to closing.
Next step
Tell us about your transaction
Describe the deal in a few lines — target, structure, timing and where you are based. We will match you with a Greek lawyer who handles mergers and acquisitions work, free of charge and with no obligation to instruct.