At the Bar - Unparalleled concentration of shipping-related activity

THE Flying Pig is certainly a strange name for a Piraeus restaurant-bar. But there it is, squeezed between banks and shops on Filonos Street, in the heart of the Piraeus business area which boasts an unparalleled concentration of shipping-related activity.

I drag Costas Roussos, of Roussos & Hatzidimitriou law firm, to this dubious place on an adventurous impulse, using the excuse that it lies just a few steps from his office, and mindful that I might regret having declined his offer to visit the prestigious Piraeus Marine Club instead.

Politeness in going along with my risky choice without argument must have cost Costas, a perfectionist, a rare measure of compromise. Compromise on his principles while practising law, however, is out of question.

Costas has managed to build a successful career as a Piraeus shipping lawyer after considerable and diverse training on both sides of the Atlantic. Equipped with a degree from the law department of Athens University, he pursued post-graduate studies at University College London, obtaining a Diploma in Law first and a Masters degree later.

Apart from studies, his five-year stay in the City was packed with work experience, including stints at Pegasus Ocean Services, Troodos Shipping & Trading, E R Lindley & Sons, Livanos Shipbrokers, and Norton Rose. After a brief period with Stavros Livanos' company in Piraeus, he then moved on to New York to join the law firm of Poles, Tublin, Patestides & Stratakis.

"I am grateful to all those who have helped me to learn, train properly, and acquire knowledge and experience," says Costas, who knows the value of the advice he received in the early years of his career.

The Flying Pig proves not a bad choice after all. The dining room is less formal than the customers, with thick, solid mahogany tables, without tablecloths, but with fresh flowers on each of them. Most importantly, it offers a quiet corner where we can talk with the least possible disturbance from the chatter of shipping people who keep arriving in groups from the nearby offices to have their lunch break.

Costas started his own law firm in 1974, "alone in the beginning, but today we are ten partners and associates representing a nice blend of ages ranging between 24 and 60," he says, adding, with the ready smile that is never very far away, "I am the oldest in the office."

A large grilled steak and a colourful spaghetti dish are accompanied by a bottle of Antonopoulos, a premium dry red wine produced in the mountainous parts of Peloponnese, the place of origin of Costas' parents. He himself was born in Athens, and no, he has no shipping roots whatsoever, despite sharing his surname with a prominent shipping family.

"The qualities you need to be a good lawyer are to like people and to be able to listen, because many of us tend to talk rather than listen," he says in response to my question about what makes a good lawyer. He enjoys his job, and his philosophy is that a law office must survive its founder.

"Continuity is my desire and target. I'd like my clients, their children, and their grandchildren to be assured that this office has a deep knowledge and experience and a strong ambition to serve the shipping community," he says.

Referring to recent local developments in the industry, he acknowledges that the establishment of maritime courts in Piraeus has contributed to judges having gained valuable experience and specialisation. "They are now better equipped to deal with shipping disputes than in the past." And on the decades-old question about what is needed to get local arbitration off the ground, he says, "Piraeus has the expertise and can offer an economic and speedy choice of resolving maritime disputes. Only most people don't know it."

Costas recalls the old days when Filonos Street at night was transformed into a red light district and entertainment hub to serve a clientele predominantly of seamen who came ashore after long days at sea. This has long ceased after the authorities decided that such a sinful activity wasn't compatible with the business character of the area.

In contrast, the daytime life of Filonos Street remains unchanged. Only its residents are changing. More and more traditional shipowners are handing over the reins of family businesses to their university-educated offspring.

Costas has great confidence in the virtues of the emerging young shipping generation. "They are a better breed than their fathers, open-minded, and better equipped to adapt to the needs of globalisation." Today, an awesome arsenal of specialist skills in all shipping aspects is available in Piraeus.

"Not only will the Greeks stay competitive, they will thrive in the years to come," concludes Costas.