Christine Ezcutari

Practice Areas

Christine Ezcutari is global co-head of transport and head of the Paris banking team. She is qualified as a Solicitor and as an Avocat at the Paris Bar. With her dual qualification, Christine is extremely well positioned to assist French and/or international banks on a variety of French law and international finance transactions, including complex syndicated debt financings. She also provides both international banks and operators, with advice on commercial matters and is experienced in the coordination of multi-jurisdictional financing.

Christine has particular experience of structured financings, either in the form of complex multi-jurisdictional financing, tax structures or export credit financing where she has acquired particular in-depth knowledge. She regularly acts on behalf of large European financial institutions, lessors, banks, ship owners and rail operators, and on many ship and/or export credit financings, for issues relating to bills of exchange and letters of credit. Christine also advises on general commercial matters, for example charters, sales and lease backs.

Christine has represented a number of banks in transactions involving: Bpifrance/COFACE; SINOSURE; JBIC; Finnvera/FEC; the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (KSURE); the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM); Eksportfinans; ONDD; HERMES; Atradius; SERV; and SACE. She also has experience of dealing with companies in the Middle East.

Christine is recommended in Chambers Europe 2019 as "one of the leading shipping finance lawyers on the French market" and is described as having "further strength in cross-border mandates concerning the UK, the US and Italy." Chambers Global 2019 describes her as being "well-versed in domestic and cross-border asset and project financing transactions".

Christine is recognised as one of the world's leading women in business law by the Expert Guides 2019 and she has also been awarded the title of most influential woman in structured finance law by AI, 2018. IFLR1000 2019's guide to the World's Leading Financial Firm describes her as a highly regarded, leading lawyer. She has also been recognised as transportation lawyer of the year by the US legal guide, Best Lawyers in its 2014/2015 edition for France.

Christine is a member of the Association Française de Droit Maritime and for many years was the author of the Official Guide to Ship Registry section for France. She was also a board member involved the set-up of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association, France (WISTA).

Christine was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l'ordre national du Mérite) for her career as a shipping and rail financing lawyer by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in November, 2015. She was appointed by ministerial decree to the French Merchant Shipping High Council (CSMM) as a qualified member in August, 2016.