Cyprus attorney stays a step ahead of changing landscape
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Attorney Spotlight
Cyprus attorney stays a step ahead of changing landscape
By Brian Cox
When attorney Andreas Mylonas decided to start his own law firm in 2013, he was only 28 years old and the Republic of Cyprus was in the midst of an historic economic crisis.
It was a scary time to launch a new venture in Cyprus.
Half the people Andreas knew told him he was crazy to do it. The other half didn’t say anything, but he could see in their eyes they thought he was zany, too.
“I decided not to take the easy path,” says Andreas, of beginning his solo practice. “It was not an easy task. It was extremely difficult, but it was something I always knew I would do because I didn’t have anything else in my mind from when I was young. It was the only thing I wanted to do.”
Andreas says he didn’t have anything to lose at the time. He was bold and confident and had the audacity of youth.
Eleven years later, AMG Mylonas & Associates, LLC consists of 10 professionals and is a dynamic, award-winning, and entrepreneurial law firm that handles a wide spectrum of business and corporate matters, including M&A work and corporate structures.
“Our law practice is one of the new generations of Cyprus law firms,” says Andreas. “We are built on delivering meticulous personal attention and unflagging dedication to individuals and corporations.”
The firm advises local and international clients on national and cross-border corporate tax matters. As a full-service law firm, AMG Mylonas & Associates provides legal services covering all legal areas, including Commercial, Corporate, Business and Tax Law, both in legal consultancy and litigation, International Tax Planning, Renewable Energy, Maritime Law, Private Equity Deals, Corporate Structuring and M&As, Negotiations, Real Estate, and Trusts & Asset Protection. In addition, the firm acts for investment companies and clients in the shipping, energy, and real estate sectors.
Andreas Mylonas is the founder and managing partner of AMG Mylonas & Associates LLC in Limassol, Cyprus. He started the firm in 2013.
“We think different,” says Andreas, who emphasizes dynamic and creative thinking. “When you choose Mylonas Law, you are not just hiring a law firm. We are your progressive law partner. A partner that is as personally invested in your end goal as you are. And that makes a world of difference. This is our model. We’re trying every day to be innovative.”
The firm has received numerous awards, including “Renewable Energy Sector Law firm of the Year 2017 in Cyprus;” “Corporate Law Firm of the Year in Cyprus;” “Best Boutique Business Law Firm of the Year in Cyprus;” and has been recommended by LEGAL 500 as a “Leading Firm” in Cyprus in the corporate, commercial, tax, and shipping sectors.
The law firm’s clients mainly come from abroad, especially from Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Greece, and Cyprus; they are entities and individuals interested in moving to or doing business in and via Cyprus. Foreign companies benefit from the fact that doing business in Cyprus is also a convenient way to enter the vast market of the European Union.
Among the firm’s clients are one of the top three Fortune 500 companies and the largest shipping fund headquartered in Cyprus.
Andreas attributes his firm’s success to a combination of an unflagging dedication to an overarching vision; an unswerving commitment to establishing a client’s trust; and a keen sensibility for identifying not only talented associates who fit well within the firm, but appropriate clients as well.
“If you choose your clients wisely, you will end up determining your own path,” says Andreas. “It is not an easy task, especially when you’re young and you don’t have a record or enough resources, but you must stick to your goal.”
Perhaps the greatest secret to the firm’s success, however, is Andreas’ emphasis on the importance of listening.
“What we are is great listeners,” he says. “If you don’t listen to your client, if you don’t understand their need, if you don’t go deeper, you will not be able to give them added value.”
Like a chess player looking to elevate his game, Andreas is purposeful about surrounding himself with people from whom he can learn.
“When I was young, I had friends that I admired. When I was in university, I tried to be friends with students and teachers who were better than me,” he says. “All my life, I tried to get better by learning from great people I had in my life.”
Born and raised in Limassol, a business and shipping hub on the southern coast of Cyprus, Andreas knew from an early age that he wanted to become a lawyer. His father was a car dealer and his mother tended the home. After high school, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving two years in the Cypriot National Guard, where he honed his leadership skills and attained the rank of 2nd lieutenant.
Andreas holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in Digitalization and Tax Law from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) in Austria. In addition, he obtained an MBA from the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM) and an LLB from DUTH University in Greece. Andreas further received a PgDip from Athens University of Economics and a certificate in Negotiation from Harvard Law School.
With his extensive expertise, Andreas has been invited to serve as a guest lecturer in Financial Law and International Taxation. He has made valuable contributions on topics such as "Trust & Tax Planning Structures for Individuals and Companies."
In recognition of his professional acumen, Andreas was appointed as a member of the Board of Council of the University of Cyprus by the president of Cyprus and the Council of Ministers. Andreas also holds positions as a member of the board of directors of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialist Federation (OEB) and as an elected member of the executive committee of the most powerful independent organization in Cyprus, comprising of 65 of the main professional associations as well as thousands of companies from the manufacturing, services, commercial, construction and agricultural sectors.
As Andreas considers his firm’s development in the next 10 years, he expects to manage its growth with a conservative eye.
“Our priority is not to be big,” he says. “We prefer to be great. We don’t want to lose the personal attention we give our clients. This is very important, so we have to be very careful in growth.”
Primerus enables AMG Mylonas & Associates, LLC to have the presence of a larger firm while maintaining its intense commitment to personal attention.
Andreas Mylonas moderates a panel at the 7th Annual Capital Link Cyprus Shipping Forum.
“Primerus gives us an organic way to serve and support our international clients,” says Andreas. “Through Primerus, we are able to serve our clients in almost every country of the world.”
Looking into the near future, Andreas stresses the need for continuous innovation and adaptation as keys to the firm’s continued success.
“Our competitors are maybe not the next law firm, but artificial intelligence and legal tech or some kid in China or Silicon Valley,” he says. “Innovation is a mentality, it’s a philosophy, it’s a culture that you have. You always have to have in your mind, you have to change before you have to.”