Your firm has been deeply involved in the recently published Handbook of Cyprus Laws. What is its main purpose and who will make up its main readership?
The Handbook of Cyprus Laws is intended as a vade mecum that legal practitioners can carry with them and refer to at any time. It provides the full text of all the laws that are encountered in everyday legal practice, together with a commentary and analysis of the relevant case law compiled by a specialist in the particular field. Its main readership will be legal practitioners, but it will also be useful to others who deal with legal matters.
The fact that it is the second edition in four years suggests that there have been more than a few amendments to the country's legislation in this period. Is this the reason for the update?
For many years "painting the Forth Bridge" was a metaphor for a never-ending task, because by the time it was finished it would be time to start again. A few years ago, with the development of new paints, that metaphor became outdated and people started looking for a replacement. Perhaps "keeping a legal work up to date" would be a suitable candidate! The law is constantly developing, and, of course, there is a constant flow of new case law. But that is only part of the story. The new edition is in a more convenient format, allowing the inclusion of more content without additional bulk.
Within its 1,770 pages, the book contains the main pieces of legislation in force in Cyprus today. How much did you leave out and why?
We focused on the 33 basic laws covering the areas the practising lawyer encounters day in, day out. To name but a few, they include contract law, criminal law, family law, company law and property law. The areas that had to be left out were highly specialised ones such as competition, banking, intellectual property and securities law, that the general legal practitioner rarely encounters.
How did you go about gathering all the information? Or was the real work done for the 1st edition?
A great deal of work was indeed done for the first edition, but the second edition has required a complete update and revision of every chapter, to take account not only of amendments to the laws, such as the International Trusts Law, but also of important cases in the courts that shed light on the interpretation of the laws.
Every author is a specialist in his or her particular field, and is fully abreast of the latest developments, and our firm has an advanced knowledge management system to support them. However, there was still a vast amount of effort involved in updating the chapters and checking them as publication progressed. This usually had to be fitted into (or at the end of) a busy working day and I am grateful to all my colleagues for their dedication to the task.
The book is in Greek. Are there plans for any foreign-language translations?
The book is aimed at lawyers practising in Cyprus and is in Greek because that is the language currently used in the laws and in the court system. At present there are no plans to publish it in other languages. Our Neocleous's Introduction to Cyprus Law covers the needs of English readers. Perhaps one day there will be a place for a Turkish-language version, but that depends on a lot of things.
Which future legislation do you hope will be in force in Cyprus by the time the next edition of the book is published?
Professionally, I hope that our government will promote legislation to increase Cyprus's competitiveness as an international financial centre, for example by providing a framework to attract international investment funds. Personally, while the publication of a Turkish language version of the book may have to wait a little longer, I hope that we are closer to an end to the division of Cyprus.
To view a copy of the interview please click the link below and for details of "The Handbook of Cyprus Laws" please click here.
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