Sonia Ajini

Experience

Dr. Sonia Ajini is the founder and managing director of the maritime law firm Sonia Ajini & CO LLC, established in 2021. She also founded and manages AJILEX LTD, a consultancy practice specializing in legal advisory and maritime consultancy since 2018. Sonia has extensive experience handling diverse legal matters including commercial, contract, corporate, banking, maritime, and financial law. Her expertise also covers debt collection and recovery, mergers and acquisitions, arbitration dispute resolution, complex corporate restructuring, Cyprus company law, employment law, and AML compliance.

She has served as an associate lecturer in shipping law at the University of Central Lancashire in Cyprus since 2016. Additionally, she has acted as a legal advisor to various companies, was a non-executive director for Global Ports Investments Plc, and worked as a claims executive at Elias Marine Consultants Ltd from 2006 to 2008. Sonia is also a Special Agent of the Liberian Maritime Registry for Cyprus and has been involved in consular legal advisory roles.

Specialty

Sonia Ajini specializes primarily in maritime law but also practices commercial law, contract law, company law, and dispute resolution. Her work encompasses legal services related to shipping, commercial transactions, and arbitration within these sectors. She delivers lectures on shipping law and provides legal opinions on maritime, corporate, and financial matters.

Education

Dr. Sonia Ajini obtained her Master of Laws degree from the University of Matej Bel, Slovakia, in 2003. She earned her Doctor of Law degree in International Law in 2005 from the same university. In 2014, she acquired an LLM in Maritime Law from London Metropolitan University. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Maritime Law and completed the “Understanding Shipping” course from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.

• Finalist Award at the Kivotos Golden Lady Award (2019) in the category of corporate entrepreneur, held in Cyprus2
• Voted among 100 Top Women in Shipping (2019 and 2020) recognizing her influence in the maritime industry2
• Founder and Managing Director of Sonia Ajini & CO LLC, a boutique law firm in Limassol specializing in maritime, corporate, finance, commercial, and contract law14
• Founder and Managing Director of AJILEX LTD, a Cyprus-based consultancy practice providing legal and maritime advisory services since 201813
• Associate Lecturer in Shipping Law at the University of Central Lancashire – Cyprus since 2016, contributing to maritime legal education13
• Special Agent of the Liberian Maritime Registry for Cyprus, representing the registry’s interests locally1
• Board Member and Company Secretary roles in various Cyprus companies and organizations, including the Cyprus Arbitration and Mediation Centre and Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association Cyprus (WISTA Cyprus) where she was a founding member and vice-president12
• Legal Advisor to the Czech Embassy in Cyprus and involved with consular matters for the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Cyprus2
• Received a letter of appreciation from the former Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for pro bono assistance to Slovaks in Cyprus2
• Spoken at multiple conferences on commercial, maritime, and arbitration issues and interviewed by Slovak Broadcasting Association on Cyprus laws and regulations2