Securing an order for the liquidation of a Cypriot debtor company. The case involved a loan of $65 million that was granted by a third party and later assigned to the client.
People
Contact Details
- T: +357 22 447777
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P.O. Box 21150
1502 Nicosia, Cyprus17 Stasinou Avenue
1060 Nicosia
Cyprus
Languages Spoken
English, Greek, French
Christos Galanos
Partner
Christos Galanos was admitted to the Cyprus Bar in 2012 and is a Partner in the firm’s Nicosia office, where he leads the second litigation team. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, fraud and asset tracing, medical negligence and gaming and gambling law.
He has extensive experience in obtaining freezing orders and other forms of interim relief, both domestically and in support of foreign proceedings or international arbitration. A seasoned trial advocate, he frequently acts in complex, high‑value disputes with significant cross‑border elements.
His work has been consistently recognised by The Legal 500, which ranks him as a Next Generation Partner for Dispute Resolution (2022–present), following earlier recognition as a Rising Star. Client testimonials describe him as “demonstrat[ing] exceptional litigation skills”, “thorough, conscientious and highly respectful in court”, “extremely competent”, “precise yet creative”, and “a delight to work with”, noting that his solutions are “elegant and effective”.
In 2016 Christos was a speaker at the C5 conference held in London on International Dispute Resolution involving Russian and CIS Parties. In the same year, he was nominated by the Democratic Rally party as a candidate in the Cyprus parliamentary elections, reflecting his broader engagement with public affairs.
Practice Area Specialization
Credentials
Education
LLB, University College London (UCL), UK (2006-2009)
M.Phil. University of Oxford (St. Antony’s College), UK (2009-2011)
Professional Memberships
Cyprus Bar Association
Famagusta Bar Association
Accolades
Christos has been recommended by The Legal 500 as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ for Dispute Resolution in Cyprus in The Legal 500 EMEA 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions.
Specialization
Commercial litigation
Fraud and White-Collar Crime
Arbitration
Freezing orders (Mareva orders)
Diclosure orders (Norwich Pharmacal orders)
Gaming and Gambling Law
Career progression
Partner, Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC (since 2021)
Senior Associate, Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC (2018-2021)
Associate, Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC (2012-2018)
Experience
Providing legal advice for an international consultancy firm investigating matters pertaining to the Cyprus banking crisis. Advice was provided inter alia on issues relating to banking law, data privacy, Cyprus constitutional rights, legal privilege and criminal procedure.
Represented the defendant in a case brought by his former business partner, seeking substantial damages on the allegation of fraudulent misappropriation of a successful business. The matter involved proceedings in several jurisdictions. We successfully defended an application for a freezing order and filed a criminal complaint for perjury against a witness.
Was part of the litigation team from our offices that applied to freeze USD 1.75 billion of assets in support of ongoing proceedings before the Irish Courts. The Irish proceedings concern a raider attack on an ammonia production company in Russia. Following our firm application, the respondents undertook before the Cyprus Court not to reduce their gross assets below the above amount.
Obtained a mandatory injunction ordering the secretary of a debtor company to transfer its pledged shares in the client’s name. The case concerned a loan of $120 million. The previous shareholder then filed a certiorari application to the Supreme Court which was successfully defended and the mandatory injunction that had been issued by the first instance court was ordered to remain in force.
Providing legal advice on the Cyprus law implications of and requirements for a group restructuring of loans entered into by various legal entities with Cypriot banks. Legal opinions were provided inter alia on the formal requirements for concluding the restructuring agreements, on whether set-offs are recognized under Cyprus law, on conditional agreements under Cyprus law and on the validity of agreements for partial repayment under Cyprus law. The value of the loans in question was approximately €93 million.
