Asset finance (including aviation and shipping finance)

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Madeline Leong
Hall of fameWatson Farley & Williams
Madeline Leong joined Watson Farley & Williams in 2004 as a consultant and became a partner in 2005 in the firm's international Finance Group. Madeline has over 25 years’ experience practising law on an international basis. Her practice focuses on asset finance, project finance, leasing structures, ECA financings, structured finance, debt restructuring and work-outs. She has acted for most of the leading banks, leasing companies, other financial institutions and major sponsors, contractors, transportation, logistics and shipping companies/operators, and has particular experience in the transportation, natural resources and energy sectors. Recognised by Asia Pacific Legal 500 as possessing “mastery of the subject” of asset finance, a “star” who is “responsive, precise and knowledgeable” in banking and finance and an “intelligent, practical advisor" in the area of debt restructuring and insolvency.Madeline is head of the WFW Hong Kong office and has worked in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. She has considerable experience in Hong Kong, PRC and Korean transactions. She qualified as a solicitor of Western Australia (1989), in Hong Kong (1992) and in England and Wales (1992). Madeline is a regular speaker at maritime and finance international conferences and speaks fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Richard Stock
Hall of fameMayer Brown
Richard Stock is a partner in Mayer Brown's Hong Kong office. He is a co-leader of Mayer Brown's Banking & Finance practice, and a leader of the firm's Asset Finance team. He focuses his practice on the aviation industry, with over twenty-five years experience assisting airlines, lessors and financial institutions to document aircraft and aviation-related transactions.Richard has extensive experience in advising on aircraft finance and leasing matters for both commercial and business aircraft as well as documenting the acquisition and disposal of aircraft. He has negotiated OEM documentation for the purchase of new aircraft with a total value exceeding USD 27 billion. Richard also advises airlines and lessors on the acquisition and disposal of portfolios of used aircraft.Richard has a particular interest in airline operational matters, having advised airlines on long-term engine maintenance agreements and inventory technical management agreements with total revenues exceeding USD 7 billion.In recent years, an increasing proportion of Richard's practice has included advising investors on large, strategically important projects, including the establishment of new airlines, the re-purposing of existing airlines and the establishment of aircraft leasing platforms.Chambers Asia Pacific (2018) noted that "He is famous in Asia as one of the most experienced aircraft finance practitioners." And "He has strong commercial awareness and gets right to the point on issues."Richard is ranked Band 1 by Chambers (2011-2018) and Tier 1 by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2015-2018).
Leading individuals: Aviation Finance
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Paul Greenwell
Clifford Chance
Paul Greenwell specialises in asset and structured finance, in particular, in relation to the PRC and Japanese markets, and has extensive experience acting for financiers (debt and equity) and lessors in all aspects of aircraft finance and leasing including limited recourse and structured financing, commercial debt financing (including syndicated lending), securitisation of receivables, export credit financing, portfolio transactions (including multi-aircraft purchases and lease novations), corporate acquisitions and disposals, sale and leasebacks, tax leases, finance leases, operating leases, leasing joint ventures and airline defaults, insolvencies and restructurings and aircraft repossession.
Leading individuals: Shipping Finance
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Christoforos Bisbikos
Watson Farley & Williams
Christoforos focusses on all types of cross-border asset and project financings (in particular ship lease and debt, including ECA, financings), loan restructurings, work-outs and enforcement. His clients include leading international banks in the shipping sector, Chinese financial leasing companies and top league shipping groups. Christoforos has a wealth of experience advising on finance deals involving Asia and the West and has led in high profile, award-winning and landscape changing ship finance transactions. He is recommended as a leading lawyer in Hong Kong for shipping finance by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Legal 500 most recently described him as “excellent”. He is registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant (England & Wales) with the HK law society.
Maggie Cheung
Mayer Brown
Maggie Cheung is a partner of Mayer Brown. She advises banks and other financial institutions on various ship finance and leasing transactions; preparing cross-border bilateral and syndicated loan documentation and advising on finance structures. She also advises on other shipping industry matters, including registrations, charterparties and insurances. She acts for shipowners in various vessels construction and sale and purchase transactions. Maggie also advises on offshore charitable trust structuring. Maggie speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Conor Warde
CMS
Conor Warde is a partner in the Hong Kong office of Mayer Brown. He has a diverse practice advising clients on transactional, corporate, regulatory and policy matters with particular experience in ship finance and maritime transactional matters. He represents companies, commercial lenders and investors in international financings, M&A and other corporate transactions across multiple industries and involving a broad range of corporate finance and investment issues, including senior and subordinated debt financings, asset-based lending transactions, and private equity investments.Conor also has significant experience in representing owners and operators of vessels and other maritime and offshore interests, primarily with regard to private equity and ship and other asset financing transactions; ship sale and purchase and shipbuilding contracts; international and US-specific regulatory compliance; offshore drilling contracts and regulatory matters; international sanctions regimes; and pollution incident response and criminal prosecutions.
Next Generation Partners: Aviation Finance
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Next Generation Partners: Shipping Finance
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Rising stars: Shipping Finance
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.

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