Stephenson Harwood

Balancing 'in-depth legal knowledge with practical, commercially focused advice', Stephenson Harwood is a popular choice among lenders, in particular, to draft loan documentation to Greek and international shipowners governed under English law. In this context, the team also benefits from access to lawyers in other key maritime offices, including London, Singapore and Hong Kong, ensuring that is able to provide a one-stop-shop service on cross-border deals. Nigel Bowen-Morris has vast experience at advising banks providing secured loans to Greek shipping companies and is noted for his 'commercially-driven and client-focused' advice. Appreciated for his 'ability to blend sound legal judgement with business acumen', Greek and UK law-qualified partner Chris Vartzis co-heads the team alongside Bowen-Morris, and as part of his wide-ranging practice has developed particular expertise advising borrowers and lenders on matters with a nexus to Turkey. At associate level, the 'approachable and reliable' Stynos Antoniades and 'hardworking and thorough' Christina Voulgaraki excel at advising on acquisition finance facilities of new-building and second-hand vessels and also regularly advise on sale and leaseback transactions. \n \n