Inspiring confidence and peace of mind
Delivering results and peace of mind to our predominantly expatriate and foreign investor clients
We are a boutique law firm that delivers results and peace of mind to our clients. We predominantly work with expatriates and foreign investors in all their dealings in Cyprus
This includes the purchase or sale of properties, estate planning, corporate work, investments in Cyprus and dispute resolution.
The law firm was established in 1980 by Polycarpos Philippou. More than 30 years later, with his children Eleni and Gregoris taking over, the law firm transformed from a sole practitioner’s office to an innovative and compact law firm that maintains its core family values. We believe people should feel confident and stress-free when planning their future or investing in Cyprus. Our belief underpins our service and drives our continuous improvement making sure that we deliver results in the most efficient and smooth way. However, we don’t only deliver results. We build long-term relationships with the people who work with us and do our part for a better world.
We are recognised by the Legal 500. We are members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Cyprus Bar Association and the Chamber of Commerce.
We have a common way of doing this in our firm because we have common values and a common vision. Our values bring us closer together and shape the work of every person in our firm, from Greg & Eleni (the partners), to every associate, administrator and our recptionists.
Polycarpos Philippou
Founding Partner
Values
CHANGING THINGS FOR THE BETTER
We love changing things. It comes down to doing things properly and then doing them even better within our law firm. Change is inevitable for the wellbeing of humans and the personal development of every member of our team is the start of any change in our ecosystem. It is part of what gives us meaning; changing things for the better in the legal and business environment of Cyprus.
SUCCEEDING AS A TEAM
The success of the entire company is the success of every individual. We care about our people, and in our law firm we encourage them to find and pursue their talents, tailor the roles of each individual accordingly and expect that everyone is willing to do what it takes to get the job done. The family culture within the firm is a pillar for our future.
ETHICS. DOING WHAT’S RIGHT
The great legacy of Polycarpos Philippou, the founder of the law firm, is nothing tangible. It is his approach to doing the right thing and being honest. This family value underpins everything we do. We are honest and fair with all of our clients, associates and people we interact. It’s where we base our relationships with our stakeholders and how we create the necessary trust between us.
RESULTS FOR OUR CLIENTS
For us, our clients are always first. We consider their success as our success, and we are willing to stand in front of a bus for them. We view the world from their eyes to understand them properly. We advise them as we would advise a member of our family (without the related emotional attachments that fog the mind). We never allow anything and anyone to get in the way. Whatever our clients’ concerns are, whatever the needs, we are here to deliver.
Recognitions
History
The law firm was started by Polycarpos Philippou, the senior partner in the firm, back in 1980. Polycarpos, or Polis for those close to him, the son of farmers in a Cyprus village dreamed about a life in the law as he read it in his books. Resilient and hard working he graduated from the University of Athens while at the same time holding full time jobs. After completing his practice, Polis started working as a sole practitioner and gained a reputation for being a vigorous fighter in Court with a strong ethical code. Polis worked as a sole practitioner until 2002, when Eleni, his daughter joined the firm.
With Eleni in the team the firm set the processes that allowed it to develop to a compact team predominantly practicing real estate, immigration and litigation. At that time both the team and the clientele grew catching the wave of English property buyers in Paphos.
In 2013 Gregoris Philippou joined. Having completed his practice at a well-known boutique law firm in Nicosia and specializing in commercial, corporate and trust work, the firm’s offering increased. As the firm grew, it started making decisions on strategy, operations and culture.
Today, our team is evidencing steady growth as we still value quality over numbers. We are focused in doing better not more. This means that we may not be one of the biggest firms in Cyprus in headcount but we are compact enough to ensure that the people in our team are exceptional and offer a great and personalised service. In addition, our team shares the family values passed on by Polycarpos and upon which our culture is based.
Now we are gradually shifting towards a partnership model to retain and reward talented individuals who share our values and pass on the legacy of doing things right and doing the right thing.
Successful businesses constantly change and improve and so do we. We are firm believers of innovation and we are continuously evolving the way we do things while retaining the traditional values inherited from Polycarpos. All the people in our firm are engaged in our improvement and differentiation while the firm has created an innovation and change procedure, which has been reshaped more than once.
In recent years we have invested heavily in creating one of the best legal libraries in Cyprus, have moved to new offices and started a branding process to ensure our material communicate the right messages both internally to our people and externally to our clients and associates. In 2018, we re-designed our HR strategy and started a digitalization procedure that allowed us to go greener, eliminating 50% of our paper copies.
Amongst other, in 2018 the firm also started the process of revamping and re-designing its operations from scratch. With the first part being completed in February 2019 we expect that it will take 9-12 months to complete all of the projected changes. However, the most exciting changes have not come yet as we continue to evolve to provide service of the highest quality in the most efficient way.
It is all about doing better for the people we work for as well as the community.
Social Responsibility
We believe businesses and companies have a great duty towards society. They are a vehicle by which we can improve the world and the lives of people.
Being a values-driven company of people doing the right thing, we are making ongoing efforts in the areas of philanthropy, environmental change, pro-bono work, local sports and equal opportunities.
In addition, we believe in making good people better and helping them influence the people around them in bringing systemic change. The work environment at our law firm is a safe, happy workplace where everyone is valued regardless of differences. Everyone is encouraged to follow his or her passions and is supported in developing both as a professional and as a person.
Coming down to it, we do what we see as a universal duty: to make this world better than it was when we found it.
Key People
Polycarpos Philippou
Founding Partner
Eleni Philippou
Partner
