“Matrimonial property regimes under Greek law and common practice, Greece” by Haroula Constandinidou, International Family Law Journal, 2017, Issue 3

According to the Greek law there are two systems regulating the property relations of the spouses: The system of property independence (system of separation of property art. 1397, 1400-1402 of the Greek Civil Code) and the system of community property (art. 1403-1416 CC).

«Funding of the Hague Child Abduction Convention cases, Greece» by Haroula Constandinidou, International Family Law Journal, 2017, Issue 1

The services provided by and through the central authority of each state in relation to applications submitted under the Hague Child Abduction Convention are free of charge (Article 26, Hague Child Abduction Convention). However, a contracting state may make a reservation under Article 42 regarding any costs incurred for legal counsel or advisers or for court proceedings, except insofar as those costs can be covered by its system of legal aid and advice. When Greece ratified the Hague Child Abduction Convention it made the above reservation as regards the costs (Article 1, Law 2102/1992 pertaining to ratification of the International Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction). However, until mid-2013, all the requests regarding children under 16 years of age who had been wrongfully removed to Greece, were delivered by the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights and were forwarded immediately to the Central Office of the State Legal Council which appointed one of the State lawyers to represent the requesting parent, free of charge, before the Greek courts. Since mid-2013, there is no such possibility. Each parent can only make use of legal aid, which is available in Greece under Law 3226/2004, provided the following prerequisites are met: According to the above law, legal aid is granted to all citizens of the European Union as well as to citizens of third countries who: 1)Have a legal permanent or habitual domicile in the European Union (only for citizens of third countries). 2) Have an annual family income which does not exceed two thirds of the lowest annual personal income provided by the National General Collective Working Agreement. The application must be supported by several certificates from state authorities evidencing the financial situation of the applicant and has to be submitted at least fifteen days before the trial for the award of legal aid. If successful, the applicant is granted legal aid covering all levels of jurisdiction including enforcement of any resulting order.

«New Law allowing same sex cohabitation agreements» by Haroula Constandinidou and Ioanna-Natalia Stavropoulou, Greek Law Digest, Nomiki Bibliothiki – published 2016, 2nd edition

International Relocation Guide 2016: «International Relocation of children law in Greece» by Haroula Constandinidou & Konstantinos Stavropoulos, Practical Law Global, Thomson Reuters – published 2016, 1st edition

“Precipitating the award of justice in Greece” by Haroula Constandinidou, International Family Law Journal, December 2015, Issue 4

New regulations are introduced in the Greek Code of Civil Procedure aiming to the precipitation of the award of justice without sacrificing the need of rendering a correct and fair court decision (by virtue of the recent Law 4334/23.7.2015 which will enter into force in Greece on 1 January 2016.

“On the road to same-sex cohabitation agreements” by Haroula Constandinidou, International Family Law Journal, December 2015 edition, Issue 3

New legislation regulating cohabitation agreements in Greece, including same-sex couples.

Appearances can be very deceptive. If you were to see Haroula Constandinidou in casual clothes outside her offices you would be forgiven for assuming that this bright-eyed, long-haired attorney at law with the sparkling smile was still a student.

That’s not all that’s surprising about her, either. This extremely pretty, petite woman – who looks far too serenely sweet to pack a punch in a court-room – is a powerhouse of knowledge and know-how in the family law field. Clients are enthusiastic, not only about her ability to deal successfully with their cases on a legal level, but also her caring, close attention to their problems.

“I enjoy legal work. I like the procedure of putting my thoughts in order, of carefully planning the tactics and strategy to achieve a goal, and also the personal contact with clients.”

While working for a group of companies in the corporate field, she began taking on some family law cases, and found she was drawn to this area. “I had some difficult cases in the beginning, she recalls, involving foreign women. The solidarity that exists among foreign women in Greece impressed and surprised me. They share their experiences and try to organise things, so as to help one another. In Greece, we tend to operate more individually.
“Family law reflects, first of all, the social life of country and culture – the position and rights of women and children have a strong social aspect. Also, the psychological part interests me. The issues are not dry, legal ones. You have to be understanding, compassionate and caring, yet cool and detached, in order to get things done efficiently. If you identify with the person who has a problem, then you can’t operate objectively.”

The long hours and pressures of her job can be stressful at times, confesses Haroula, but this just serves to keep her alert and is easily outweighed by its positive aspects. “My work is very interesting”, she declares, “as it is a combination of psychology and applied sociology, where legal tools can be very effectively utilised. I don’t feel chained to my job, or convicted to work, because it’s so rewarding.”

“Divorce dans le monde – Grèce” by Haroula Constandinidou and Konstantinos Stavropoulos, French legal journal “Actualite’ Juridique Famille”, November 2015 edition, Dalloz

“Fair is foul – A questionnaire on international family law – GREECE” by Haroula Constandinidou and Konstantinos Stavropoulos, during the Taormina – September 2015 IAML Conference