Business Law · Retainer Service

Sub-PracticeOutsourced
General Counsel.

Your legal department — without the overhead. An outsourced general counsel in Greece on a monthly retainer, calibrated to the scale and complexity of your business. Contracts, employment, regulatory, disputes and everything in between.

GC-level advice, not associate-level work
You get direct access to a senior lawyer who understands your business — not a rotating cast of associates unfamiliar with your context
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Contracts reviewed and drafted as standard
Commercial agreements, NDAs, supplier contracts, partnership frameworks — reviewed and drafted as part of the retainer
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Dual-qualified: Greece & England / Wales
Cross-border commercial work covered. Greek and English law. Where proceedings are needed in England, we instruct and coordinate English counsel.
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International business experience
Eleven years as General Counsel to a Fortune 50 technology group, across seven business lines and eight countries. That experience now available to your business.
Interested in a retainer?
Tell us about your business and volume of legal needs. We'll propose a retainer structure that fits — in English, Greek or Italian.
Request Consultation
Overview What's Covered Retainer Options How It Works FAQs

Outsourced General Counsel

Your business needs legal advice. It doesn't need a full-time GC.

Most growing companies — whether Greek businesses expanding internationally, foreign companies entering the Greek market, or SMEs managing an increasing legal burden — reach a point where ad-hoc legal advice is no longer enough. Contracts are being signed without proper review. Employment decisions are made without legal input. Regulatory obligations are tracked informally. The risks accumulate quietly. An outsourced general counsel in Greece is measured by how few matters escalate, not by how many are opened.

Hiring a full-time General Counsel is the obvious solution — but for most companies at this stage, it is not the right one. A senior in-house lawyer in Greece commands a significant salary, generates ongoing employment obligations, and may not bring the breadth of expertise a growing business genuinely needs.

"The Outsourced GC model gives you the judgement and experience of a senior lawyer who knows your business — at a fraction of the cost of an in-house hire, with none of the employment overhead." Companies use an outsourced general counsel in Greece when the legal questions are constant but do not justify a salaried hire.

Pantazis & Associates offers a dedicated Outsourced General Counsel service on a monthly retainer basis. You get a senior lawyer — not a junior — who learns your business, attends your meetings when needed, reviews your contracts, advises your management, and handles the full range of day-to-day legal matters that arise. We act as your legal department. We will scope a retainer against your actual volume, not a standard tier.

Who this is for
Companies without in-house legal
SMEs and mid-market companies that have outgrown ad-hoc legal advice but are not yet ready for an in-house hire. Also ideal for foreign companies operating in Greece who need local legal support without a local entity overhead.
The alternative
Why not just hire a lawyer?
An in-house GC means a full salary commitment, plus employer contributions, benefits and the employment relationship itself. The retainer model gives you senior expertise at a predictable monthly cost, scalable as your needs change.
What you get
A lawyer who knows your business
Unlike one-off instructions to external lawyers, the retainer relationship means your lawyer builds deep familiarity with your business, your contracts, your people and your risk profile — and gives advice in that context.
Our background
GC experience at Fortune 50 level
This service is led by Dionysios Pantazis, who has served for eleven years as General Counsel to a Fortune 50 technology group, covering eight countries and seven business lines. That in-house instinct, commercial pragmatism and cross-border experience is what we bring to your retainer.

Scope of Service

Everything a legal department handles — handled for you.

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Commercial Contracts
Review, drafting and negotiation of all commercial agreements — supply contracts, service agreements, distribution arrangements, NDAs, partnership frameworks and bespoke commercial documentation.
DraftingReviewNegotiation
01
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Employment & HR Legal
Employment contracts, internal policies, disciplinary procedures, redundancy and termination advice, works council relations and compliance with Greek employment law obligations.
ContractsTerminationCompliance
02
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Data Protection & GDPR
GDPR compliance advice, privacy notices, data processing agreements, DPO support, data breach response and regulatory liaison with the Hellenic DPA — led by our certified lawyer.
GDPRDPA
03
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Regulatory & Compliance
Ongoing advice on applicable regulatory frameworks — sector licences, corporate governance obligations, anti-corruption, export controls, and any sector-specific compliance your business faces.
RegulatoryLicensingGovernance
04
Disputes & Demand Letters
Pre-litigation dispute management, demand letters, negotiated settlements and coordination of any court or arbitration proceedings that escalate — with early-stage strategy focused on avoiding litigation cost.
DisputesLitigationSettlement
05
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Cross-Border & International
For businesses operating across borders — Greek law, English law, PIL questions, foreign jurisdiction referral and coordination. Dual qualification (Greece & England/Wales) and 8-jurisdiction in-house experience.
Cross-BorderPILMulti-Jurisdiction
06

Retainer Options

Three retainer tiers. All include senior lawyer access.

Hours are allocated per month and do not roll over. Retainer terms are agreed following a scoping conversation.

Essential
Legal Support Retainer
On request
Up to 8 hours / month
✓  Contract review (up to 3 / month)
✓  Employment law queries
✓  GDPR compliance checks
✓  Demand letter drafting
✓  Monthly legal check-in call
✓  Priority response within 48h
Enterprise
Full Legal Department
On request
Bespoke / uncapped
✓  Everything in Outsourced GC
✓  Board-level legal advisory
✓  M&A and transaction support
✓  Full cross-border coverage
✓  Multi-jurisdiction coordination
✓  Subsidiary / group structure advice
✓  Same-day priority response
✓  Bespoke SLA agreed

How It Works

Getting started is straightforward.

STEP 01
Initial Scoping Call
We have a conversation about your business, the volume and nature of legal matters you deal with, and any particular areas of concern.
STEP 02
Retainer Proposal
We propose a retainer structure — tier, monthly hours and specific scope — tailored to your business. We agree the terms, the dedicated lawyer and the communication protocol.
STEP 03
Onboarding & Briefing
Your dedicated lawyer gets to know your business — existing contracts, corporate structure, key relationships, sector-specific regulatory obligations and any live legal matters. We build context from day one.
STEP 04
Ongoing Service
Legal matters are directed to your lawyer as they arise. Monthly reporting on hours used, matters handled and any issues identified. Quarterly review call to assess whether the retainer scope remains right.

Why Pantazis & Associates

The GC experience your business needs — available on retainer.

In-House · Fortune 50
Fortune 50 general counsel
Dionysios Pantazis has served for eleven years as General Counsel to a Fortune 50 technology group, with responsibility across seven business lines and eight countries. That in-house experience — managing complex regulatory, commercial and dispute matters at scale — informs every retainer engagement.
Dual Qualification · International
England & Wales + Greece — cross-border matters
Many growing businesses face legal questions that cross borders — contracts governed by English law, counterparties in multiple jurisdictions, or proceedings in both Greece and the UK. Dual qualification means the English-law analysis is done here, with English counsel instructed for any proceedings in England.
Data Protection
GDPR and EU data protection compliance
With extensive GDPR advisory experience across multiple jurisdictions, we provide data protection advice that is both legally sound and commercially practical — not a compliance checklist exercise.
Regulatory · Technology Law
EU AI Act, NIS2, DSA and emerging regulation
For technology businesses, digital platforms and companies navigating the rapidly evolving EU regulatory landscape, our technology law expertise means regulatory compliance advice is integrated into the retainer — not a separate engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about the retainer model.

What size of company is this service designed for?

The Outsourced GC service is designed for companies that have grown beyond the point where ad-hoc legal advice is adequate, but where hiring a full-time in-house lawyer is not yet the right decision economically. In practice, this covers a wide range — from a 10-person tech startup dealing with its first complex commercial contracts, to a 200-person company managing a significant volume of employment, regulatory and commercial matters without a legal team. We have also acted for the Greek operations of international companies that have a global legal function but need dedicated local counsel.

What is not included in the retainer?

The retainer covers ongoing legal advisory, contract work, compliance and dispute management within the agreed monthly hours. Major one-off transactions — such as M&A deals, property acquisitions, or contested litigation requiring court appearances over an extended period — are typically handled alongside the retainer on separate agreed terms. We flag this transparently at the outset so there are no surprises. Matters that exceed the monthly hours allocation are billed at a preferential retainer rate agreed in advance.

How quickly do you respond to retainer queries?

Response times are set in the retainer agreement. For the Outsourced GC tier, we commit to a response within 24 hours for all matters — and same-day for urgent matters. For the Essential tier, the standard is 48 hours. In practice, we aim to respond faster than the contractual commitment. You will have direct access to your lawyer by phone, email and WhatsApp — not a ticketing system.

Can you attend our meetings and negotiations?

Yes — for the Outsourced GC and Enterprise tiers, attendance at meetings, negotiations and board sessions is included within the monthly hours. This is one of the features that most closely replicates having an in-house GC. Your lawyer can attend in person (in Athens and the broader Greece region) or by video call for international matters.

Do you work with companies outside Greece?

Yes. A significant portion of our retainer clients are either foreign companies with Greek operations, or Greek companies with international exposure. We advise in English, Greek and Italian, and handle cross-border matters directly through our dual qualification (Greece and England & Wales) and our network for other jurisdictions. The service operates effectively on a fully remote basis for clients who are not based in Athens.

What is the minimum commitment?

The minimum engagement is 3 months. This reflects the time needed for your lawyer to genuinely get to know your business and provide advice in context — rather than treating each matter in isolation as if it were a new instruction. After the initial 3-month period, the retainer continues on a monthly rolling basis with 30 days' notice to cancel or vary.

Ready to have a General Counsel?
Let's talk about your legal needs.

An initial scoping call to understand your business and propose the right retainer structure. No commitment required.