About
Provided by Watson Farley & Williams
WFW has been entrenched in the Greek market since the opening of its Piraeus office in March 1984 and was the first international law firm to open in Greece with a team of English qualified solicitors.
Since then, we have led the way in establishing shipping and shipping finance work in Greece, which has encouraged many other English and international law firms to follow our lead and open up in Piraeus/Athens.
After more than 30 years in Greece, WFW remains a pioneering firm in the market and the pre-eminent shipping firm in the country with a team of lawyers advising both financiers and borrowers on English and Greek law on the most high-profile commercial shipping and finance matters. As far as we are aware, we have the largest and most experienced team in Greece which specialises in non-contentious shipping and ship finance matters.
Our partners are often interviewed by key industry and national press and speak, or act as moderators, at key industry events (for example George Paleokrassas regularly acts as a moderator at one of the panels at the Marine Money conference in Athens held in October each year).
Chambers Review
Watson Farley & Williams is an acclaimed shipping finance practice specialising in high-value and cross-border transactions. The team assists bank syndicates and individual lenders with the financing of new vessel acquisitions and sale and leaseback transactions, also acting for creditors on the restructuring and refinancing of existing shipping loans. The firm also handles sustainable financing work, acting for banks and other financial institutions on sustainability-linked facilities and relevant regulatory issues. Watson Farley & Williams further assists notable maritime clients with public offerings and bond issuances.
Work Highlights
- A WFW team assisted Piraeus Bank with a USD38 million sustainability-linked loan facility granted to subsidiaries of Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp for debt refinancing.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Watson Farley & Williams stands out for their absolute commitment coupled with their knowledge on the subject and their willingness to engage in a constructive approach to resolving all issues as they emerge."
"With their extensive network of offices all over the world they are able to handle well all cross-border matters relating to ship finance."
"Watson Farley & Williams has a highly experienced team that is able to provide custom-made solutions to satisfy clients' interests."
"Watson Farley & Williams stands out for their absolute commitment coupled with their knowledge on the subject and their willingness to engage in a constructive approach to resolving all issues as they emerge."
"With their extensive network of offices all over the world they are able to handle well all cross-border matters relating to ship finance."
"Watson Farley & Williams has a highly experienced team that is able to provide custom-made solutions to satisfy clients' interests."
Notable Practitioners
George Paleokrassas acts for major shipping groups and lenders on debt restructurings and refinancings, loans, sale and leaseback transactions and acquisitions.
"George Paleokrassas is a very commercial partner with deep knowledge of all aspects of ship financing documentation."
Alexandros Damianidis is well placed to advise on commercial shipping matters including vessel acquisition financing, debt refinancing and the provision of corporate loans to shipping companies.
"Alexandros Damianidis has deep knowledge of shipping transactions and is calm under pressure."
Vassiliki Georgopoulos is recognised for her experience in shipping finance. She handles bond issuances, sale and leaseback transactions and loan agreements.
"Vassiliki Georgopoulos is sophisticated, knowledgeable and very client-friendly."
Alexia Hatzimichalis regularly handles shipbuilding contracts and sustainable financing agreements, offering additional experience in sale and leaseback transactions.
"Alexia Hatzimichalis is able to gauge the idiosyncrasies of clients and lenders in a negotiation so as to provide the best outcome for all parties involved."
Ranked Lawyers at
Watson Farley & Williams
Greece
Members
Provided by Watson Farley & Williams
Clients
Provided by Watson Farley & Williams
ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
BNP Paribas S.A.
Citibank Agency and Trust Services
Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank
Credit Suisse AG
DNB Bank ASA
DVB Bank SE
HSBC Bank plc
HSH Nordbank
ING Bank NV
Industries
Provided by Watson Farley & Williams
Banks
Commercial & Professional Services
Energy
Government
Insurance
Private Clients / Individuals
Real Estate
Real Estate Finance
Transportation
Travel & Leisure
Utilities