About Harris Sharpe
Harris Sharpe
Hello everyone,
This page is about me, my academic achievements and professional development practising law in Cyprus. I have tried to make this page as interesting as possible for a comprehensive scan-able version of my CV please go to the end of this page where you may download my CV.
Early Years
By way of background I was born in London. My family moved to Limassol, Cyprus which is the place I currently call home. In 1988 my family again moved to Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were I lived for 8 years.I completed my elementary school in a private Greek school of 30 students (if you are one of them please contact me). My studies brought me back to Cyprus were I studied for junior high school and the lyceum.
Higher Education
Upon completing the lyceum I decided to study law. My first year of legal studies was undertaken in a college in Nicosia, Cyprus. I had completed the first year and was to follow on with my studies in a university of the U.K. That university was Leeds Metropolitan University. Once my acceptance was in; preparations were made in order to move, to Leeds, Yorkshire, U.K.
Whiles in Leeds I studied and successfully completed my undergraduate degree in Law.
Professional Education
Upon receiving my LLB Law (Hons) I returned to Cyprus to start a career as a lawyer. My first stop was the law offices, or chambers as they are called, of Patrikios Pavlou & Co. Their I trained to become a lawyer and to learn the ropes of the district courts. On a daily basis I would go to the office pick-up several cases and go to the Limassol district courts to present them. The matters were not specific rather the daily menu comprised of whatever I could get my hands on. Usually if all the appearances were completed I would go, along with other trainees, and watch different cases being carried on at that day in court.
By the end of my training I had spent more time in the courts than in the office, nevertheless valuable lessons were learnt, amongst these:
- how to present a case and achieve the pre setted goals;
- how evidence is admitted in court;
- the rational of judges and the decision making process;
- how to make long-lasting friends and acquaintances;
Following a twelve month training. every lawyer in Cyprus is required to undertake and sit the Cyprus Bar Association’s “Bar Vocational Exams”. The exams comprise of 12 modules out of which 4 were electives which the candidates had to chose from. As electives I had chosen Company Law and the Immovable Property Law, Wills and Succession modules.
Corporate/Commercial Lawyer
Having completed my Bar Vocational Exams, I had been referred to the then small but upcoming Cyprus Law Firm Aristodemou Loizides Yiolitis & Co.
A new, flexible, dynamic, boutique law firm practising in Corporate, Commercial, Tax and Trust law. The appropriation of knowledge started even before my first day at work, the subject and question at hand was “When are Cyprus Companies required to use their official seal”. I remember being offered the place on Friday and asked to come in on Monday, with an answer to the above question. Although it seems simple now . . . at the time I did not know that Cyprus Companies had official seals, let alone appreciating and presenting it’s use and effects.
Nevertheless, I had gotten it wrong that Monday, seals of Cyprus’ notary public have nothing to do with the official seal of Cyprus Companies or so I discovered that first Monday.
The first few months were about reading, studying, getting to know what a Cyprus company was, it’s constitutional documents, the organs that it is made of, what role each of these organs plays and what rules, if any govern them.
Hours were spent in books and in the documents provided as studying material by my colleagues and partners, essays were written and rewritten, arguments occurred and re-occurred (only for the sole purpose of understanding the complex legal concepts) . . . in general the learning curve was cruel and demanding.
Having achieved the basic concepts of corporate, commercial law an opportunity appeared were I would be required to undertake a role that although suited to my background . . . I was not prepared to undertake.
[to be continued]
