Prosecutors

Organisation

As judicial authorities, public prosecutor's offices (εισαγγελίες) belong to the judicial branch of government and participate in the administration of justice. Public prosecutors (εισαγγελείς) enjoy operational and personal independence.

Εach court, except district criminal courts (πταισματοδικεία), has a public prosecutor’s office operating as an independent judicial authority, whose duties consist essentially in preparing criminal proceedings. A public prosecutor’s main duty is to start legal proceedings, supervise investigations and lodge appeals.

In Greece, public prosecutors do not specialise in any field.

The Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights is responsible for the general conditions of service for public prosecutors.

There is no special website for public prosecutors. Information on their conditions of service is kept at the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.

Role and principle duties

Public prosecutors are responsible for:

(a) carrying out preliminary investigations;

(b) initiating legal proceedings;

(d) supervising law enforcement authorities for crime prevention and prosecution;

(e) submitting proposals to judicial councils and courts;

(f) lodging appeals;

(g) enforcing criminal judgments and helping to enforce enforcement orders;

(h) supervising prisons;

and all other matters established by law.

Public prosecutors are reviewed by Supreme Court judges and senior public prosecutors, as defined by law.

Judges

Organisation

Justice is administered by courts composed of ordinary judges (τακτικοί δικαστές) enjoying operational and personal independence.

In exercising their duties, judges (δικαστές) are subject only to the Constitution and laws and are not required to comply with any provision violating the Constitution.

Ordinary judges are reviewed by senior judges and by the Public Prosecutor and Deputy Public Prosecutors (Αντεισαγγελείς) of the Supreme Court (Άρειος Πάγος), as defined by law.

The Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights is responsible for the conditions of service for judges.

There is no special website for judges. Information on their conditions of service is kept at the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.

Organisation of the legal profession: Lawyers

Barristers/Advocates

In Greece, lawyers (δικηγόροι) are unpaid civil servants and are not required to specialise in any field.

The Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights is responsible for the conditions of service for the profession.

There are 63 bar associations (δικηγορικοί σύλλογοι) in Greece – one at the seat of each court of first instance (πρωτοδικείο).

The Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights supervises all bar associations in the country.

Legal databases

Information is available on the website of the Athens Bar Association, but access is restricted to the members of each Association.

Solicitors/Legal Advisers

In Greece, lawyers also serve as legal advisers (νομικοί σύμβουλοι)

Legal databases

Information is available on the website of the Athens Bar Association, but access is restricted to the members of each Association.

Notaries

Notaries (συμβολαιογράφοι) are unpaid civil servants whose main duty is to prepare and store written legal recommendations and evidentiary acts and statements by interested parties when such documents are required by law or when the parties wish to make such documents official.

In Greece, notaries are not specialised in any field.

By Presidential Decree, there is at least one notarial post at the seat of each district civil court (ειρηνοδικείο).

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the conditions of service for notaries.

There are nine notary associations (συμβολαιογραφικοί σύλλογοι) in Greece, operating at the seats of the courts of appeal (εφετεία).

The notary associations are supervised by the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.

Information on notaries may be found on the website of the Hellenic Notary Association (Συντονιστική Επιτροπή Συμβολαιογραφικών Συλλόγων Ελλάδας) and on the European Directory of Notaries website of the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE).

Other legal professions

Bailiffs

Bailiffs (δικαστικοί επιμελητές) are unpaid civil servants

Bailiffs are responsible for:

(a) serving judicial and extrajudicial documents;

(b) enforcing enforcement orders as mentioned in Article 904(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure, i.e. (a) final judgments and judgments passed by and declared to be provisionally enforceable by a Greek court, (b) arbitration awards, (c) records of Greek courts containing a settlement or setting court costs, (d) notarised documents, (e) payment orders issues by Greek judges 'and eviction orders', (f) foreign acts declared to be enforceable and (g) orders and acts legally recognised as being enforceable; and

The Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights is responsible for the conditions of service for bailiffs.

There are eight bailiff associations (σύλλογοι δικαστικών επιμελητών) in Greece.