CO-FOUNDER & PARTNER
Loucas Haviaras is a co-founder and Partner at Haviaras & Philippou, advising on cross-border banking and finance transactions, complex commercial litigation, and international tax structuring for corporate groups and high-net-worth individuals. His practice sits at the intersection of transactional and contentious work — he structures cross-border deals and, where disputes arise, litigates them with a strong track record to date.
On the transactional side, Loucas advises on cross-border financing and refinancing, corporate re-domiciliations, international mergers and acquisitions, and tax structuring for multinational groups and private clients. On the contentious side, he leads litigation and asset recovery matters spanning freezing orders, Anton Piller orders, and cross-border asset tracing, and has acted as an expert on Cyprus law in international arbitration proceedings.
Loucas is admitted and registered with both the Cyprus Bar Association and the Athens Bar Association.
Areas of Expertise
- Banking and Finance — cross-border financing, re-domiciliations, corporate restructuring
- Litigation and Commercial Dispute Resolution — freezing orders, search orders, asset tracing, banking litigation, international arbitration
- Corporate and Commercial — cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and disposals
- International Tax Structuring — cross-border tax planning, corporate structuring, high-net-worth advisory
Cross-Border Banking, Finance & Corporate Transactions
Loucas has advised financial institutions and corporate groups — including OJSC Nomos Bank, Banca Comercială Română, National Bank Trust, Meinl Bank, VR Bank, Avast Group, LRC Group, SB Group, ILDC, and Burger King SA — on cross-border banking and finance transactions, corporate re-domiciliations, tax structuring, high-value acquisitions and disposals, and international mergers. His advisory work regularly extends to structuring for high-net-worth individuals across multiple jurisdictions.
Complex Cross-Border Litigation & Asset Recovery
Loucas has led litigation and asset recovery matters spanning freezing orders, Anton Piller orders, and cross-border asset tracing, with successful outcomes across disputes exceeding USD 500 million in aggregate value. His matters include:
- Banking disputes and asset recovery — acting in disputes between banks and former owners and related parties, including issuing and enforcing freezing orders and Anton Piller orders against more than 20 defendants, with cross-jurisdictional asset tracing, in matters ranging from USD 250 million to USD 502 million.
- Cross-border corporate and shareholder disputes — representing parties in disputes between Cyprus companies, foreign entities, and individuals, including a corporate dispute resulting in a final judgment of approximately USD 55 million, and a shareholder dispute concerning a Polish PLC’s Cyprus joint venture valued at approximately USD 14 million.
- European Union cross-border disputes — resolving disputes between companies across EU jurisdictions, reaching settlement in the region of EUR 35 million.
- Cross-border enforcement matters — acting in disputes involving individuals and related companies across jurisdictions, including issuing and enforcing freezing orders and an Anton Piller order concluded successfully in the region of USD 250 million, and a cross-border dispute involving a major real estate owner and its creditors valued at approximately EUR 500 million.
- International arbitration — acting as an expert on Cyprus law in arbitration proceedings before the International Commercial Arbitration Court, Moscow (ICAC), and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
Background & Credentials
Loucas co-founded Haviaras & Philippou in 2008 and was admitted to the Cyprus Bar Association in 2009, the same year he became a Partner. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Warwick and completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law, Moorgate, London. In 2010, he obtained an Advanced LL.M. in International Tax Law from the International Tax Center in Leiden, Netherlands.
He was elected to the Nicosia Bar Association in 2023 and serves on the Tax Committee of the Cyprus Bar Association.
Book Publications
Contributor, Materials on International & EU Tax Law (2011–2021), International Tax Center / IBFD, Netherlands.
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