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Litigation · Cassation & Appeals

Appellate Litigation.

Cassation-level advocacy before the Areios Pagos and appeals through the Efeteio, where cases turn on procedural precision and legal reasoning rather than re-arguing the facts. Led by founding partner Stefanos Pantazis, a former member of the Hellenic judiciary who understands exactly how the Areios Pagos evaluates grounds for cassation.

What We Handle Discuss Your Appeal
A former member of the Hellenic judiciary
Founding partner Stefanos Pantazis brings direct insight into how judges — including at the Areios Pagos — actually reason through a case.
Founding partner since 2002
Stefanos founded the firm after returning to private practice from the bench, and has led its litigation practice ever since.
Experience across all Greek court levels
From courts of first instance through to the Areios Pagos — a full view of how a case evolves as it moves up the appellate ladder.
Discretion and analytical rigor from the bench
A judicial instinct for identifying which arguments will actually persuade a court, applied with the discretion the bench requires.
Considering an appeal or cassation?
Confidential initial consultation to assess your grounds and the realistic options available to you.
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What We Handle Overview Process Why Us FAQ Related

Scope of Service

What we handle
in appellate litigation.

We represent clients in appeals and cassation proceedings through the Greek court system, from an honest assessment of a case's grounds through final advocacy before the Areios Pagos. An appeal and cassation lawyer in Greece will check service and the running of time before considering the merits at all.

Cassation Appeals to the Areios Pagos
Full conduct of cassation proceedings before Greece's supreme court for cassation, from drafting the grounds through final hearing.
Appeals Through the Efeteio
Ordinary appeals before the Greek Court of Appeal, where the facts as well as the law remain open to review.
Grounds-for-Cassation Assessment
An honest, upfront assessment of whether a case is genuinely suited to cassation before committing to the proceedings.
Civil Appellate Litigation
Appeals and cassation in civil matters — property, inheritance and other personal disputes carried up through the appellate courts.
Commercial Appellate Litigation
Appeals and cassation in commercial and contractual disputes, carried through the Efeteio and, where warranted, to the Areios Pagos.
Appellate Strategy from First Instance Onward
Building a case with appeal potential in mind from the outset, so the trial record supports the arguments an appeal may later require.

Overview

The law, not the facts,
is what is on trial.

Cassation practice before the Areios Pagos is a fundamentally different discipline from litigating at first instance, and even from an ordinary appeal before the Efeteio. A trial court hears witnesses and weighs evidence. The Efeteio, on an ordinary appeal, can revisit the facts as well as the law. The Areios Pagos does neither — it does not re-examine what happened, does not reassess the evidence, and does not retry the case. Its role is narrower and more exacting: to review whether the law was correctly applied and whether the lower court's legal reasoning was sound. A cassation appeal succeeds or fails on how precisely its grounds are framed, not on how sympathetic the underlying facts are. On cassation an appeal and cassation lawyer in Greece argues errors of law only, which is a different exercise from re-running the trial.

Cassation before the Areios Pagos requires rights of audience at that level, which is a separate senior admission rather than an automatic entitlement. The firm holds it, so an appeal can be carried through to the Supreme Court of Greece by the same lawyer who argued it below.

That distinction is why a former judge's perspective matters so directly in this practice. Founding partner Stefanos Pantazis is a registered lawyer at the Athens Bar Association and a former member of the Hellenic judiciary, where he handled a broad range of civil and commercial cases at first instance before returning to private practice and founding the firm in 2002. That judicial background gives him direct insight into how appellate judges actually read a case file — not just what the law provides on its face, but how a court reasons its way from the provisions to a conclusion, and which formulations of a legal argument land and which do not. Appeal deadlines are short — send the judgment as soon as you have it.

"At the Areios Pagos, you are not retelling the story of what happened. You are showing, with precision, where the law was misapplied or the reasoning fell short. Understanding how a court actually thinks through that question is what a former judge brings to the table."

The Greek court system is layered for a reason, and not every dispute belongs at every level. A matter typically begins at first instance, may proceed to the Efeteio on an ordinary appeal where the facts can still be revisited, and — where the case turns on a genuine question of law or a defect in legal reasoning — may go forward to the Areios Pagos on cassation. We advise clients honestly on which stage actually serves their objectives, drawing on Stefanos's experience across all levels of the Greek court system, from first instance through cassation, rather than pursuing an appeal simply because one is technically available.

Scope of Review
Cassation reviews law, not facts
The Areios Pagos does not reassess evidence or retry a case — it reviews whether the law was correctly applied and the legal reasoning was sound.
Precision
Grounds for cassation must be framed precisely
A cassation appeal succeeds or fails on how precisely its legal grounds are drafted, not on how compelling the underlying facts are.
Judicial Insight
A former judge understands judicial reasoning from the inside
Stefanos Pantazis's judicial background gives him direct insight into how appellate courts actually reason through a case.
Strategy
Not every case belongs at the Areios Pagos
We advise honestly on whether first instance, the Efeteio or cassation is the right venue for your objectives.

How We Work

From judgment review
to final outcome.

STEP 01
Case & Judgment Assessment
We review the judgment under challenge and give a candid view of whether an appeal or cassation is genuinely warranted, and at which level.
STEP 02
Grounds Formulation
We identify and draft the precise legal grounds an appeal or cassation appeal requires — the step on which the entire proceeding turns.
STEP 03
Filing & Advocacy
Formal filing and full advocacy before the Efeteio or the Areios Pagos, including written submissions and oral argument.
STEP 04
Outcome & Next Steps
Advice on the result — whether remand to a lower court, a final judgment, or the options for any further proceedings available.

Why Us

A judge's eye,
applied to your appeal.

Judicial Background
A Former Member of the Hellenic Judiciary
Founding partner Stefanos Pantazis brings direct insight into how appellate courts reason, drawn from his own career on the bench.
Experience
Every Greek Court Level Since 2002
As founding partner, Stefanos has litigated across all levels of the Greek court system, from first instance through the Areios Pagos, since founding the firm in 2002.
Discretion
Analytical Rigor and Discretion from the Bench
A judicial instinct for what will actually persuade a court, applied with the discretion and care the bench requires.
Precision
A Precision-Focused Approach
Cassation practice is technical and unforgiving of imprecision — our approach is built around the exacting standard it demands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about appellate litigation.

What's the difference between an ordinary appeal (Efeteio) and cassation (Areios Pagos)?+

An ordinary appeal before the Efeteio can revisit both the facts and the law — new evidence can, within limits, still be considered and the case can in effect be reheard on its merits. Cassation before the Areios Pagos is narrower: it does not reassess the facts at all. It reviews only whether the law was correctly applied and whether the lower court's legal reasoning was sound. That difference shapes everything about how each type of proceeding is prepared and argued.

Can the Areios Pagos re-examine the facts of my case?+

No. The Areios Pagos does not retry a case, does not hear witnesses, and does not reassess the evidence that was before the lower courts. Its review is confined to questions of law — whether the applicable legal provisions were correctly interpreted and applied, and whether the judgment's legal reasoning holds up. This is precisely why the grounds for a cassation appeal have to be framed as legal arguments, not as a retelling of what happened.

How do I know if my case actually has valid grounds for cassation?+

Not every unfavourable judgment has valid grounds for cassation — disagreeing with the outcome is not, by itself, a legal ground. We review the judgment under challenge and assess honestly whether it discloses a genuine error of law or a defect in legal reasoning of the kind the Areios Pagos can actually consider. Founding partner Stefanos Pantazis's background as a former member of the Hellenic judiciary is particularly valuable at this stage, since it means the assessment draws on direct experience of how courts actually reason through a judgment, not just on the text of the law.

How long does a cassation appeal typically take in Greece?+

Timelines vary with the court's caseload and the complexity of the legal issues involved, and we give clients a realistic estimate specific to their matter rather than a generic figure. What we can say in general is that cassation proceedings move at the pace of the Areios Pagos itself, and that pace is a factor we weigh openly when advising on whether pursuing cassation serves a client's actual objectives.

What happens if the Areios Pagos rules in my favor — does that end the case?+

Not always. Where the Areios Pagos accepts a cassation appeal, it will typically quash the judgment under challenge and, in many cases, remand the matter back to a lower court to be reheard in light of its ruling on the law — rather than deciding the underlying dispute itself. In some circumstances the Areios Pagos can resolve the matter directly. We advise clients on which outcome is realistic for their case and what the next steps actually involve, so a favourable cassation ruling is understood as a stage in the process rather than assumed to be the final word.

Considering an appeal or cassation?
Let's assess your grounds.

Confidential initial consultation to assess the merits of an appeal or cassation, and the realistic options available to you.

Get in Touch +30 210 36 33 694