Biography

Maria Koustai is an Advocate and senior associate of the firm, specialising in corporate and commercial law and trust and estate planning.

From the beginning of her employment at the firm, Maria has advised and assisted high net worth individuals, corporate clients and family offices on a number of different matters relating to trusts and succession, establishing and managing both local, and international trusts. She has regularly advised on, and reviewed or drafted deeds of settlement for all types of trusts and has also advised extensively on a wide range of trust issues.

Maria works within the full spectrum of corporate law, ranging from advice on the options, strategies and requirements prior to incorporation, the completion of the process of incorporation, the annual maintenance, operation, and compliance of companies operating in Cyprus, regularly drafting, and reviewing all types of corporate agreements and instruments, such as subscription, options, joint ventures, shareholders agreements, as well as board and shareholders resolutions.

She has further undertaken and actively participated in numerous corporate projects and transactions, thereby accumulating substantial experience and extensive knowledge across a wide spectrum of corporate law matters, such as inbound and outbound re-domiciliations, company and business acquisitions, joint ventures, local and cross-border reorganisations and restructurings, drafting and issuing due diligence reports or capacity opinions, drafting of share purchase agreements, business transfer agreements and escrow agreements, and other cross-border transactions.

In addition, Maria appears regularly before all levels of the Cyprus Courts in the context of corporate and civil law cases and is also a CEDR Accredited Mediator.

Currently, Maria holds the position of the representative of the Kyrenia Bar Association in the Cyprus Bar Association Council and is a member of the Advisory Board of the European Lawyers Foundation (ELF).

Education:

• University of Bristol (LL.B., Hons., Law);
• Inns of Court School of Law, Lincoln’s Inn, London (Barrister at Law)

Member:

• Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
• Cyprus Bar Association
• Representative of the Kyrenia Bar Association to the Cyprus Bar Association Council
• Member of the Advisory Board of the European Lawyers Foundation
• Accredited Mediator
• Member of the Committee for Companies, Capital Market and Stock Exchange of the Cyprus Bar Association
• Member of the Trusts Committee of the Cyprus Bar Association