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Dr Orestis Omran

Partner
Co-Head of Greece Country Group
We work mostly with partner Orestis Omran who is an absolute star (...) He is distinguished for his intelligence, commitment, business intuition and responsiveness.
The Legal 500 2022
About

Dr. Orestis Omran is a Partner in the Brussels Office of DLA Piper and the Head of the firm’s Greece Country Group. He leads the firm’s practice in both Greece and Cyprus. He focuses on international corporate and finance transactions in the energy, banking and infrastructure sectors. 

Qualified in England and Wales, New York, Greece and Brussels (E-list), Orestis is the very definition of an international attorney. He has closed complex transactions and structured multi-million projects in many jurisdictions, having also represented clients in formal and informal state aid investigations before the European Commission, national regulatory authorities and subsequent proceedings before the EU Courts. He has been consistently praised by Chambers (as a corporate, banking and finance law expert), Legal 500 (as an expert in the capital markets category and a next generation partner in the energy sector), by IFLR 1000 (as a rising star partner in the banking and finance and financial regulatory sections) and by Law360 as a 40 under 40 rising star in the global capital markets section.

In addition, Orestis advises governments and energy companies on both contentious and non-contentious matters. He has extensive experience across the energy sector including on RES and Hydrogen projects, PPAs, oil and gas and interconnection cables and pipelines. 

Orestis is also considered one of the top international lawyers in Greece where he benefits from a very strong network of contacts in the Government and industry. He has led significant asset and stock acquisitions, privatizations, IPOs, structured and project finance transactions and has also been acting for the Greek Government in some of the most high-profile matters before the European Commission and other international institutions. 

He is regularly invited to participate as a speaker in business and legal conferences in Europe and the United States and is often published in all the above areas of law. He has served as a guest lecturer in many universities in Europe and the Americas on issues of comparative campaign finance law, sovereign debt restructuring and constitutional law.

 
Professional QualificationsAttorney-at-law admitted with the Supreme Court of New YorkDikegóros admitted with the Dikegorikos Syllogos AthenonSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Acting for Deutsche Bank as arranger and investor in the securitization of a EUR 2,2 billion receivables portfolio of the Public Power Corporation.
  • Advised Airbus in the EUR 350 million sale of firefighting helicopters to the Greek State.
  • Advising the Bank of Cyprus on its fintech program’s development and implementation across the EU.
  • Acting for the Qualco Group in its joint venture with the Public Power Corporation to create the largest servicer in Southeastern Europe.
  • Acting for many international private equity buyers for multimillion acquisitions of hospitality assets in Greece.
  • Acting for Metlen in acquisitions and regulatory compliance matters in Greece, the UK, Austria, Hungary, Spain, and Australia.
  • Acted for GEK Terna as project sponsor and constructor in the Eurosia interconnection project between Israel, Cyprus and Greece.
  • Acting for the Greek Government on all aspects of its decarbonization program including on the structuring of the RRF funding and on the satisfaction of the multiple state aid clearance requirements needed for the program to be deployed.
  • Acted for Intrum in the purchase of the CAIRO I and II portfolios from DoValue.
  • Advised Eurobank and Piraues Bank in a EUR 400 million financing of a gas plant sponsored by Motor Oil and Terna.
  • Acting for Motor Oil on all regulatory and financing aspects of its battery storage program in South Eastern Europe.
  • Advised Dimand in the EUR 500 million acquisition of Alpha Bank’s real estate portfolio.
  • Advised Finacity as arranger and administrator in a EUR 600 million securitization of performing energy receivables.
  • Advising QQuant on the servicing and securitization of 1 billion NPL portfolio of Pancreta Bank.
  • Advising major international investors on all aspects of the acquisition of solar, wind and hydrogen projects in Greece.
  • Advising the Hellenic Republic, the Hellenic Post and the Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations on all state aid matters (cases SA.57538,S A.57982, S.A. 56616) related to the restructuring of the Hellenic Post.
  • Advising GEK Terna and Terna Energy in acquisitions across Europe.
  • Advised the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network in the 2 billion sale of a 49% stake to Macquarie.
  • Advised Attica Bank in the securitization of NPL portfolios.
Education
  • Ph.D. Comparative Constitutional Law, VDU and MRU (joint degree) 2022
  • University of California, Visiting Scholar, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) 2015
  • University of Chicago Law School, LL.M. (Fulbright Scholar) 2011

Awards

  • "Orestis Omran has a remarkable ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes, offering clients insightful strategies for regulatory compliance" (The Legal 500 2025)

  • "We work with Orestis Omran. The service level he provides is incomparably high. His legal expertise provides business solutions and helps to mitigate risk" (The Legal 500 2025)
  • "Orestis Omran has the ability to support us in many different areas of business as well as being excellent sparring partner within the European territory. His bright and forward-thinking has delivered us success" (The Legal 500 2025)
  • Chambers notes that: “Greek-qualified Orestis Omran is based in Brussels and receives numerous plaudits for his expertise in corporate and commercial law. He has experience advising on transactions, joint ventures and distribution agreements. One client describes him as "an expert in Greek law", adding that "he provides us with outstanding representation and clear advice on our business interests in Greece".
  • Legal 500 notes that Orestis Omran is "distinguished for his intelligence, commitment, business intuition and responsiveness" – boasting extensive EU-oriented experience (in the energy sector). Competition and state aid expert Orestis Omran is noted for"his extensive knowledge of the Greek market, where he acts for large companies and public entities”.
  • A client notes that We work mostly with partner Orestis Omran who is an absolute star. He has vast experience in EU energy regulatory matters and leads transactions between energy companies and/or governments in southeastern Europe. He has a deep knowledge of the energy markets and understands the business probably better than any other energy lawyer in Brussels” (Legal 500 2021)
  • Another client notes that “I have heard people in the industry referring to him as the Michael Jordan of law and I cannot agree more with that”. (Legal 500 2021)

Publications

  • Co-author Litigation Law and Practice in Greece, Chambers 2019
  • Co-author Antitrust Litigation Law and Practice in Greece, Chambers 2019
  • Directors' Liability in the Twilight Zone, Country Report for Greece, INSOL 2017

Seminars

  • How are EU regulation policies affecting growth prospects for the TMT industry and what is required to help stimulate more investment”, TMT Finance Conference, Munich, Germany, October 2016 
  • Sovereign Debt Restructuring in Greece and Argentina: A comparative assessment”, series of guest lectures at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 2016
  • The new Greek Development Law”, Annual Conference of the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece, Thessaloniki, Greece, June 2016
  • Drafting arbitration clauses in energy contracts: A prerequisite to successful arbitration”, Seminar organized by the Association for International Arbitration, the Vienna International Arbitration Centre and the Austrian Arbitration Association, Brussels, Belgium, May 2016
  • Public International Law Aspects of Oil and Gas Exploration and Development in South Eastern Mediterranean”, Event entitled “Energy Planning for Crete: Prospects of Development”, Athens, Greece, April 2016
  • Campaign Finance Reform in Greece: Lessons to learn from the US and the UK”, Annual Conference of the Group of the Greek Constitutionalists, Crete, Greece, April 2016
  • Cybersecurity: EU legislation and highlights of key obligations”, EUTC Summit, Brussels, Belgium, March 2016
  • Criminal Aspects of Campaign Finance Regulation”, Oxford Criminal Law Discussion Group, Oxford Law Faculty, Oxford, UK, February 2015

Prior Experience

  • Associate and then Counsel in the Brussels Office of international law firm, 2012-2017
  • Attorney European Commission, Legal Service, 2011-2012

Lecturer

  • Guest Lecturer in Law Schools in Europe and the Americas

Memberships And Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Brussels Bar (E-list)

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