First Greek Women in International Arbitration Group

ATHENS—Six prominent international arbitration practitioners have joined forces to launch the Greek Women in International Arbitration Group (GreekWIAG). The group aims to connect Greek women from around the globe in the field and provide opportunities for networking, training, and mentoring. Its aim is to be a forum and supportive network for experienced, new, and aspiring practitioners alike.

Katia Yannaca-Small, Marily Paralika, Athina Fouchard Papaefstratiou, Christina Hioureas, Stella Leptourgou and Dr. Anna Mantakou founded GreekWIAG. It held its first virtual meeting in the summer of 2023.  It launched officially during the second edition of the Athens Arbitration Days, held on October 17-20, 2023, with a luncheon attended by 28 members of the Group.

More than 65 Greek women practitioners, academics, and in-house staff in the private, public sector, and arbitral institutions, active across three continents, have responded to the call.

GreekWIAG will offer networking and training opportunities through thematic events, lectures and social gatherings. In the first thematic event, in December 2023, Evanthia Kasiora and Polly Efstartiadi, both associates with White and Case, Paris, discussed the Achmea decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union and its ripple effect, as expressed in the decision by the Greek Conseil d’Etat that an arbitral tribunal in a commercial arbitration has no jurisdiction to deal with matters of EU law. In the second such event, which will take place on March 27, 2024, Evgenia Stavropoulou, an attorney with Kim & Chang in South Korea, will present “Arbitration and Trusts” in which will discuss the recent decision Gabrielle Volpi v. Delanson Services Ltd et. al. of the Bahamas Supreme Court.  Additional events are planned in the spring.

The GreekWIAG’s founding board:

• Katia Yannaca-Small, Senior International Arbitration Advisor, Arnold & Porter (Washington D.C.), and Lecturer, USC Gould School of Law (Los Angeles)
• Marily Paralika, Partner and Head, International Arbitration Department, Fieldfisher (Paris)
• Athina Fouchard Papaefstratiou, Independent Arbitrator (Paris)
• Christina Hioureas, Partner and Co-chair, International Litigation and Arbitration Department, Foley Hoag (New York)
• Stella Leptourgou, Counsel, ICC International Court of Arbitration (Paris)
• Anna Mantakou, Independent Arbitrator, Mantakou- Dougka Law Firm (Athens).