Maria Stefanaki
Counsel
Maria is a counsel with the firm since 2009
Her practice focuses on consulting clients on administrative – in general public – as well as company law issues. In the field of administrative and company law, Maria advises and represents clients in cases related to violation of rights of the citizens by the State, in procedures of acquiring various administrative licenses, as well as in company formation and ongoing company governance, assisting clients in issues arising in the conduct of their day-to-day business.
She also has considerable experience in the formation of Associations and Civil Companies, with the participation of foreign legal entities, such as international developmental organizations (ex. ActionAid) and microfinance institutions (ex. Adie International).
Her experience includes preparing Constitutions for the formation of the new Companies, applications for administrative permits, reviewing various contracts, assisting on a wide range of day-to-day operations of a company or group, especially regarding administrative, as well as company law issues.
Recent highlights of her work include:
- Advise clients on cases of expropriation of land and representation before courts for violation of constitutional rights of the clients (such as the right to property, in connection to expropriation cases, without prior compensation of the client).
- Advise clients on social security cases and representation before courts for violation of rights of the clients (ex. revocation by Social Security Body of favourable administrative act, causing serious damage to the client).
- Advise clients on administrative licenses/ permits (ex food industries), focusing on environmental issues.
- Advise clients on compensation claims towards the State, for damage caused by actions or omissions of the State, related to violation of rights of the clients (ex. illegal engagement of land without compensation of the citizen, illegal proclamation by the State of a building as preservable, illegal revocation of administrative act).
- Advise on taxation of non for profit legal entities (see relevant Article below).
- Advise on the formation and preparation of the Constitution and of all other legal documents, registration etc., of the first Microfinance Institution in Greece, founded by French Association in 2014.
- Legal Counselor since 1999 of the international developmental organisation Actionaid.
Languages
Besides her native Greek, Maria speaks English, German, French and Spanish.
Education
- Europa – Kolleg Hamburg, Universität Hamburg – European Studies, 1997,
- University of Cambridge – Master of Law (L.L.M. – European Public Law), 1996,
- National & Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Law – Law Degree (Ptychion), 1995
Publications
“The taxation of the income of the civil companies of non for profit status”, “Chronicles of Civil Law” (“Chronika Idiotikou Dikaiou”, XrΙD Α΄, page 179 etc / Reference to the said article by Professor A. Georgiadis in his relevant Αrticle «Civil company with legal personality and civil company of non for profit status: Content and possibility of coexistence (XrΙD ΙD Ζ/2007, page 199).
Bar Admissions
Member of the Athens Bar Association since 1999. Qualified to practice before the Court of Appeals.