We are delighted to announce that our colleague, Ms. Maria-Fanouria Papantonaki, Associate at the Athens Office, has successfully advanced to the Final Round of the prestigious European Young Lawyers Contest (ERA Contest), organised annually by the Academy of European Law (ERA), based in Trier, Germany.

The ERA Contest is a leading European competition bringing together young lawyers from across the EU to work in multinational teams on complex cross-border legal challenges, with a strong focus on European and International Civil Procedure. Each country is represented by a selected candidate, making participation itself a great distinction.

Representing Greece and the Athens Bar Association, Ms. Papantonaki and her teammates from Germany, France and Belgium qualified at the semi-final held in Brussels (July 2025) in a case concerning International Procedural Law.

She will now proceed to the Final Round (6–8 October 2025), which includes:

Stage One: Negotiation competition at ERA’s headquarters in Trier, Germany.

Stage Two: Moot court for the top two teams before the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.

The competition will also be open for online viewing for anyone interested in following the work of Europe’s next generation of lawyers.

This remarkable achievement highlights both the talent of our colleague and the international footprint of Michael Kyprianou Law Firm. With a strong presence across multiple jurisdictions, our firm is recognised for its ability to handle complex cross-border legal matters – and this distinction is yet another example of that strength.

We are proud of Ms. Papantonaki’s success, wish her the very best of luck in the final, and remain confident that her participation will further strengthen the reputation of Greek lawyers and our firm within the European and international legal community.

You may find more information at: https://yelc.era.int/ .