George Mountis

Practice Areas

George Mountis is the firm’s Co-Managing Partner and head of the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution department. He has a leading role in the handling of the major high-profile commercial and corporate litigation cases undertaken by the firm such as major shareholders disputes, multi-million commercial and corporate fraud, injunctions and insolvency proceedings. His experience in these areas is extensive and varied. He represents clients in all types of multi-jurisdictional cases, and his many years of courtroom experience render him one of the leading litigators in Cyprus.

George has a central role in the firm’s arbitration and mediation practice. Being a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators FCiArb, he has acquired significant experience in this area, both as a legal advisor and counsel, as well as an arbitrator. Furthermore, he is a CEDR Accredited Mediator and, as such, has helped many clients of the firm resolve individual, corporate and other types of claims and disputes amicably.

George further specialises in Competition Law. He is responsible for some of the firm’s most important, high-profile cases in this area. He holds a Diploma in Economics of Competition Law from King’s College London.

Professional Memberships

Cyprus Bar Association (2003)

Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators FCiArb

Publications

George has contributed a number of articles on legal developments in professional journals and has participated in conferences and seminars, including delivery of papers and lectures.

Experience

Litigation, Arbitration & Mediation

George has years of experience and practice in a wide range of high-profile contentious corporate and commercial disputes. He has a central role in handling multi-jurisdictional cases for the issuance of freezing injunctions, Norwich Pharmacal and Anton Piller orders, complex and high-value shareholder disputes, commercial and corporate fraud as well as banking litigation. George is also involved in various trust litigation cases.

George represents two of the shareholders in the biggest family shareholder dispute in Cyprus in the context of which various multi-faceted and novel legal issues on trusts, foundations, wills and succession, minority oppression, breach of fiduciary duties, fraud, arbitration and winding-up petitions on just and equitable grounds are being raised. George’s involvement in this dispute is of central importance as George is the lead counsel coordinating various legal firms in various jurisdictions dealing with parallel (albeit separate) proceedings with third parties.

George has successfully represented clients in issuing interim freezing orders or cancelling interim orders which have been issued against the clients, in issuing Anton Piller and Norwich Pharmacal Orders and in the issuance of orders for the appointment of a Receiver (including litigation receiver).

Among the many clients he has represented, George has also represented clients who, having obtained a judgment in a USD 31 million in Russia, initiated proceedings in Cyprus for the recognition and enforcement of the said judgment. George not only handled the main enforcement proceedings, but also secured a charging order on the shares of the defendant in other entities and successfully fought through applications to set aside the said charging order and other oppositions. Finally, George assisted the client with an application for the sale of the said shares via the appointment of a Receiver, at which point the parties reached an amicable settlement.

George is also frequently involved in litigation regarding issues of enforcement of securities. He has represented one of Russia’s biggest banks in relation to a multi-million-dollar action for the enforcement of a pledge of shares in a Cyprus company. He regularly gives advice in relation to these matters as an expert in foreign proceedings.

George has also been involved in many cases involving applications for the appointment of an examiner either on behalf of Creditors or on behalf of the Company. He has great experience in insolvency litigation and has acted both against or on behalf of Receivers and managers.

Banking & Secured Financing

George’s experience in banking and litigation goes back many years. He has represented various local and international banks such as (former) Laiki Marfin, Hellenic Bank, Société Générale Bank – Cyprus and USB Bank in various complex banking litigation cases. He is currently the main contact in Banking law advice for Société Générale-Cyprus, AstroBank and USB Bank. George also regularly advises big corporate clients on the restructuring of their loans and other banking facilities. Being an accredited mediator authorised by the Central Bank of Cyprus, George is regularly appointed by the Financial Ombudsman of the Republic of Cyprus to conduct mediations involving banking institutions and third parties.

Competition Law

Being an expert in the field, George heads the firm’s competition law team. Among other matters, George has acted for two companies from the Cyprus dairy industry in proceedings before the Cyprus Commission for the Protection of Competition relating to allegations of abuse of dominant position. George and his team further acted for Société Générale Bank- Cyprus in anti-trust proceedings before the Commission in relation to practices in the retail banking market, as well as Daimler AG, one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers.

George regularly undertakes the filing of notifications of concentrations of undertakings and advises local and international clients on regulatory matters relevant to their industry.

Education