The global shipping practice at Norton Rose Fulbright collaborates with insurance companies, ship owners, and banks, offering comprehensive services to the cruise and ferry, industrial shipping, and offshore energy sectors. Led by banking lawyer and export credit financing expert Christine Ezcutari, the team specialises in high-value finance and leasing deals, complex restructurings, ship sales, acquisitions, and charter transactions. It also handles regulatory, antitrust, corporate, and dispute matters as part of their broader services. Other key figures in the team include Paolo Pinna, a specialist in shipping and export finance with extensive experience in complex domestic and cross-border banking and finance transactions, and Ayaka Millet, who brings expertise in French law and international financing transactions, including export financing, infrastructure, and acquisition finance.

 

The shipping finance practice at Stephenson Harwood represents major French banks in significant vessel financings, restructurings, and transactions within the French market, as well as international transactions involving domestic banks, leveraging their global network of offices in key maritime jurisdictions such as China, London, Dubai, Singapore, and Seoul. Leading the team is Alain Gautron, a recognised expert in the field, known for his regular counsel to banks and financial institutions, covering French tax lease financings, export credits, securitisation, multi-lateral facilities, and banking support. The team also includes recently promoted partner (May 2023) Ezio Dal Maso, who heads the superyacht practice, specialising in non-contentious work related to financing, ownership structuring, and ship registration. Additionally, Hortense Atthenont-Duret, a managing associate, brings her expertise in asset finance, export finance, and transportation to the practice.

Leveraging its extensive global network, the shipping finance team at HFW provides expert counsel to major financial institutions as well as shipowners and maritime enterprises. The team specialises in a wide array of high-value, cross-border matters, with a particular focus on financing through tax lease structures. Jean-Marc Zampa, with over two decades of specialised expertise in large, complex financial transactions, leads the Paris team. He routinely advises both shipowners and banks on various transactional matters, enhancing the team’s comprehensive service, which encompasses international syndicated loans, acquisition finance, asset finance, and export and tax-advantaged financings.

The shipping finance practice at Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP combines the strength of its global network with the experience of its domestic team to advise on a broad range of both on and offshore vessel financings, debt, tax structured and capital market financings, representing leading international banks in the market. Qualified in both French and English law, Alexander Premont heads the practice, specialising in acquisition and leveraged financings as well as asset and insurance financings. Tam Tran’s experience in complex, multi-jurisdictional asset financings further bolsters the team.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP‘s Paris office is counsel of choice to prominent shipping firms, financial investors, manufacturers, and asset managers, providing comprehensive guidance across the gamut of matters. The group makes the choice not to represent banking institutions in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Corporate finance specialist Brice Pommiès leads the team, overseeing a wide array of issues, from bank debt, sale and leasebacks, and high yield financings, to restructurings and other corporate affairs.