George Paleokrassas
Senior Partner New York
GEORGE IS senior PARTNER of the firm.
George advises on a broad range of work spanning the maritime sector, acting for major shipping lenders and shipowners on the structuring and restructuring of loan and leasing transactions, the acquisition, sale and transfer of shipping loan portfolios, on transactions involving distressed assets as well as for owners, operators and investors on shipbuilding projects, long-term charter arrangements, joint ventures and other general corporate matters involving shipowning groups.
He is universally recognised as one of the leading lawyers in the maritime sector both in Greece and internationally, including by legal directories Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, Legal 500 EMEA and IFLR 1000. In 2019, Chambers styled him quite simply as an “excellent lawyer” and Legal 500 as “highly esteemed.” Clients have described him as “utterly outstanding.”
- Advising United Overseas Group Ltd on the acquisition of United Arab Chemical Carriers Limited, which was the first merger to be effected under the Companies Law of the Dubai International Financial Centre. The deal won the Middle East ‘M&A Deal of the Year 2021’ by IFLR.
- Advising Danaos Corporation, an owner of container ships, on a comprehensive restructuring and US$2.2bn refinancing, with some of its lenders including Citibank, Credit Suisse, HSH Nordbank and RBS.
- Advising a syndicate of international banks led by HSH Nordbank, in its capacity as agent and security trustee, in relation to a term loan facility of US$460m made available to Capital Product Partners.
- Advising DNB Bank as facility agent and security agent for a syndicate of banks comprising itself, ABN AMRO Bank, BNP Paribas, Danish Ship Finance and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, for a US$310m loan facility to Star Bulk Carriers Corp.
- Advising EDT Offshore over seven years on the construction of two offshore platform support newbuildings at a Spanish shipyard through a Spanish tax lease scheme, the termination of the shipbuilding contacts and London arbitration proceedings against the shipyard, the restructuring of the Spanish tax lease and the owners’ syndicated loan financing involving the transfer and completion of the new buildings at a different Spanish shipyard and delivery of the two newbuildings.
Education
- 1992 · Solicitor, College of Law, Guildford
- 1991 · LL. B., University College London (UCL)
memberships & associations
- Law Society of England & Wales
- PressFormer WFW Chairman Nigel Thomas retires after over 35 years at firm
- PressWFW sector focussed strategy on track with double digit growth
- AwardWFW advised on ten Marine Money “Deal of the Year” winning deals
- AwardWFW Senior Partner George Paleokrassas named in Lloyd’s List Top 10 Maritime Lawyers 2023
- PressWFW enhances US maritime offering with key corporate partner hire