Elite
As counsel to Esso and Shell in the 70s, Who’s Who Legal nominee John Dryllerakis was practising competition law in Greece before the country even had a competition law. At 77 the former authority head is still going strong and leads the practice at Dryllerakis & Associates alongside fellow partners Emmanuel Dryllerakis, his son, and Cleomenis Yannikas.
Though there are few mergers in Greece these days, “it is important that in the few deals that take place we were involved,” Emmanuel Dryllerakis says. The firm was local counsel in the Aegean Airlines/Olympic Air merger, which was approved by the European Commission at the second attempt last October. The deal is the first ever to receive unconditional approval after being blocked previously.
Azeri state energy company SOCAR is a client. The company was the successful bidder for DESFA, the former state gas distribution company, with Dryllerakis advising on merger and regulatory control. On the behavioural side the firm is representing Mythos Brewery in its abuse of dominance complaint against Athenian Brewery. It issued the complaint in 2006 but the case was delayed on procedural grounds and the hearings are currently taking place.