Mid/Senior Associate - Shipping Finance

Practice Group / Department:

Banking Team Leadership - Athens

 

Job Description

Norton Rose Fulbright is a global law firm with a deep commitment to our clients, their businesses and industries and our people. We are a trusted advisor to global and local organizations the world over, offering a broad range of legal services across key industries, including financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; technology; transport; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets.

With 7,000 people across 50 offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East, we work as one team to solve issues wherever they arise, no matter how complex they are.

For more information, see nortonrosefulbright.com.

The Team

 

Our global Shipping practice provides the full range of legal services required by sophisticated shipping businesses. The team advises banks, financial institutions, lessors, private equity investors, shipowners and operators on international shipping finance, corporate shipping transactions and the acquisition, disposal, construction and operation of vessels. The role will sit within a collaborative team handling matters across our international network, with particular exposure to the Greek and wider European shipping markets.

  

The Role

 

You will take a leading role on sophisticated bilateral and syndicated financings, refinancings and restructurings, portfolio transactions, sale and leasebacks, vessel acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures and shipbuilding arrangements. You will act as a senior point of contact for clients, drive transaction strategy and delivery, supervise teams and contribute actively to the growth of the practice.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

• Lead complex shipping finance and broader non-contentious maritime transactions from instruction through closing. 
• Take primary responsibility for structuring, drafting and negotiating facility agreements, security packages and transaction documents. 
• Provide strategic and commercially focused advice to banks, funds, lessors, shipowners, operators and other market participants. 
• Coordinate international teams, local counsel and specialist disciplines to deliver integrated cross-border advice. 
• Supervise, coach and develop associates and trainees, ensuring quality, efficiency and effective matter management. 
• Support partner-led client relationships and identify opportunities for cross-selling and new business. 
• Contribute to thought leadership, pitches, client training and the strategic development of the Shipping practice. 

    

Key Skills and Experience

 

• Qualified lawyer with approximately 5 or more years of relevant post-qualification experience; equivalent senior-level experience will be considered. 
• Substantial experience leading shipping finance, asset finance, banking or closely related transactions. 
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and project-management skills, including on multi-jurisdictional matters. 
• Strong client-handling capability, commercial judgement and confidence operating with a high degree of autonomy. 
• Demonstrated experience supervising teams, developing junior lawyers and maintaining consistently high standards. 
• An established interest in shipping market developments and a willingness to contribute to business development.
• Excellent written and spoken English; Greek language capability would be advantageous for an Athens-based role.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. 
Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people’s health and overall wellbeing. Find more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any tailored adjustments or accommodations, please let us know here.