Alain Gautron > Stephenson Harwood > Paris, France > Lawyer Profile

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.

Stephenson Harwood has solid credentials in the field of asset finance, particularly shipping where the highly experienced Alain Gautron advises lenders and borrowers on the market’s largest transactions. Through Yann Beckers, the firm also offers solid general banking and finance expertise that covers acquisition finance and complex fund financing deals on behalf of leading private equity funds. Other names to note are structured finance expert Jeremy Grant, who advises on emerging market financing, and new hire Florent Rigaud, who joined in June 2023 from Reed Smith and is a project finance specialist.