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Eleni is a partner in the litigation and arbitration team and focuses on international arbitration and art law disputes.
She specialises in international commercial disputes both in litigation and arbitration. Eleni is co-head of the international arbitration team and also specialises in art law disputes. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.Eleni is a member of the Middle East group and has worked with clients and on cases with connections particularly with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia for many years.
Eleni acts for high net worth individuals and their companies often advising on shareholder and joint venture disputes and contractual disputes in a variety of fields including banking, oil and technology. She has a specialist practice advising on art related disputes advising collectors, galleries, museums, auction houses on all art-related matters.
Eleni is also well versed in mediation and is now a CEDR accredited mediator. She is also admitted to the panel of arbitrators and mediators for the Greek Arbitration and Mediation Centre (EODID). She has a proven track record of achieving a successful settlement of disputes via this method.
Eleni has been ranked as a leading individual in The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for many years for art and cultural property law and for international arbitration.
Eleni lives in London and is a dual national (Cyprus and UK). She speaks fluent Greek, English and Italian often acting for clients from those jurisdictions and from CIS who hold companies in Cyprus.
Recent recognition
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Clients
Track record
NRC
Acting for NRC (a Cypriot company) in relation to fraud proceedings issued in London and in Cyprus against a former business associate (AAD) and companies controlled by him. In London Eleni and her team obtained a default judgment in the sum of £5 million. Their attempts to enforce this Judgment by obtaining a charging order over a property in West London legally owned by a BVI company, ended in a 3 day trial in the High Court in which the BVI Company vigorously defended the claim for the final charging order. Eleni and her team won at that trial and the Judge found that the Property is beneficially owned by AAD and that therefore NRC could proceed to enforce its default judgment.
Dexia Crediop SpA and Provincia
Dexia Crediop SpA and Provincia di Brescia and Deutsche Bank AG London and Provincia di Brescia: Acting for an Italian local authority in two misselling of swaps claims against two banks and related Italian proceedings
LCIA arbitration
LCIA Arbitration - acting for a company in fraud proceedings over the alleged alienation of a Russia based asset; proceedings brought in the LCIA and in parallel proceedings taking place in Russia, Cyprus and in the BVI and involving resisting freezing order applications in all the jurisdictions
Joint venture dispute
Acting for a high net worth London based banker/financier in a joint venture dispute involving an investment in an oil storage vessel held through a Mauritius Company. This is a claim for fraud involving London, Mauritius and the Seychelles
Art disputes
Acting for a number of art collectors in disputes with art galleries and auction houses
LCIA Arbitration
LCIA Arbitration - acting for a high net worth Russian individual in a joint venture dispute involving, apart from substantial LCIA proceedings, freezing orders applications and claims in Cyprus, BVI and Russia
Dispute with former associate
Marc Newson International Limited v Stuart Parr and Parr Studios Inc: Acting for a well known industrial designer in a dispute with a former associate.
Wainford Holdings Limited v RBS
Wainford Holdings Limited v RBS: Acting for a property developer in a swap misselling dispute with Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Insight
External publications
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'The Art Market Adjusts: Managing contractual obligations in uncertain times - US and UK,' Withers article - April 17, 2020, co-author
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'Proposed EU regulations on the import of non EU-cultural goods', Withers article - 19 February 2019, co-author
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'UK: Tough legislation to beintroduced for dealers in elephant ivory', Withers article - 14 August 2018, co-author
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'AI survey briefing report', special AIJA report, May 2017
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'Respect for the artist', Arts Professional - February 2017
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'The age of arbitration - A bright future or bygone era?', London, February 2017
Admissions
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England and Wales, 2005
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British Virgin Islands, 2013
Education
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Durham University, BA (Hons) Social Sciences and MA Politics
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College of Law (London)
Languages
- English
- Greek
- Italian
Memberships
- Greek Arbitration and Mediation Centre (EODID), 2025
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Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb),
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Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA),
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British Italian Law Association (BILA),
- Hellenic Law Association of London,
- Art Law Association (ALA)
Key dates
- Year joined: 2003
- Year became partner: 2017