Led by an increased volume of business, office expansion will see growth of the shipping litigation and ship finance teams
Posted on: 1 June 2022
International legal and professional services firm Ince is growing its Piraeus office with the addition of three shipping litigators, three ship finance experts, and an additional mariner to the admiralty team.
The expansion follows the appointment of partners Konstantinos (Dinos) Mexias and Aris Moschopoulos in 2021, which, coupled with the calibre of Ince’s clients in the region, has created the need to bolster the team and attract more talent to the firm.
Associates Ioanna Gavriiloglou and Henry Stockley, and Trainee Christos Palimeris will join the shipping litigation team. Ioanna brings six years of experience in litigation matters involving arbitration and High Court proceedings. Henry, who is qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales, has eight years of experience in the shipping industry and handles commercial disputes, including matters arising from charterparty and trade disputes, casualties, shipbuilding, ship sale and purchase, and war risks.
Anthi Kekatou joins the ship finance team as a Managing Associate and has experience in advising international banks and finance institutions on a range of matters. Anthi has advised on both bilateral and syndicated finance agreements with cross border elements in relation to both second hand and newbuilding vessels, bond finance, loans to joint ventures, and various export credit backed finance agreements.
Joining Anthi is Associate Io Georgia Papadimitriou, who brings four years of ship finance experience acting for banks, borrowers, and private equity firms in relation to ship finance documentation, negotiation of loan agreements and associated financial security agreements, security documentation, and loan restructurings. She will also assist Dinos in his Marshall Islands and Liberia practice. Domniki Symeonoglou also joins the ship finance team as a Paralegal.
Michel Farach joins the firm as a Marine Manager, making Ince the only firm to have two permanently based mariners in the region. Michel is a senior-level ship operations officer with four years of sea experience in oil and gas ships, and who also earned an LLB and an overlapping LLM with distinction while working at sea.
Commenting on the announcement, Jamila Khan (pictured), Partner and Head of Office Piraeus at Ince, said: “This is a very exciting time for our Piraeus office. We are doing fantastic work with our clients and, as a result, experiencing substantial business growth. This has given us the opportunity to welcome exceptional new talent into the team at all levels, which will allow us to continue to provide the best service to our maritime clients.”
Julian Clark, Global Senior Partner at Ince, added: “The expansion of the Piraeus office is fantastic news for the team in Greece but also for the wider firm. Attracting, retaining, and developing great talent remains a key priority for us, and we are delighted that so many brilliant practitioners have joined our growing maritime practice to continue our path to success in Piraeus and beyond.”
