Several lawyers across Europe have recently distinguished themselves through innovative approaches in finance, technology, and restructuring, shaping emerging markets and new legal frameworks.
Chris McGarry, a partner at Mayer Brown, has played a key role in expanding asset securitisation opportunities, opening new capital avenues for businesses and lenders. Among his notable achievements is advising on the world’s first global securitisation of oil and metals inventories for commodity trader Trafigura in 2017. This deal offered an alternative to traditional repurchase agreements, enhancing liquidity in trading operations. In 2018, McGarry contributed to a G20 proposal for central banks to accept sustainability-linked securities as collateral, a policy later adopted by the European Central Bank. More recently, he assisted Standard Chartered in developing a $3 billion collateralised loan obligation platform focused on clean energy infrastructure, launched in 2025 in partnership with Apollo, a private equity firm. He also advised fintech firm Stream on two securitisations totaling £475 million, supporting innovative workplace payout solutions.
In Greece, Christina Papanikolopoulou, managing partner at Papanikolopoulou & Partners Law, has leveraged over 25 years of experience in capital markets to establish her own finance-focused practice in 2024. She recently advised Piraeus Bank on transferring control of a portfolio of residential and commercial properties using a total return swap—a structure common elsewhere in Europe but novel to Greece. Papanikolopoulou also supported two Greek banks in the dual UK-Greek listing of metals and energy group MetLen, London’s largest primary listing of 2025. Her earlier contributions include pioneering Greece’s securitisation market in the early 2000s, involvement in the 2012 sovereign debt restructurings, and assisting local banks with portfolios of non-performing loans.
Joana Pinto, partner at Ecija, has developed a practice centered on artificial intelligence governance, technology contracting, and executive advisory services, drawing on 17 years as head of legal at Accenture Portugal. Pinto’s recent work includes advising Axians Portugal, part of Vinci Energies, on a contract to develop an AI research and drafting tool for the Portuguese judiciary. This project involved creating a governance framework to ensure compliance with the EU’s AI Act at every stage. She has also guided pharmaceutical company Viatris Portugal in aligning its operations with the new demands introduced by the EU legislation on AI.
Thomas Quoroll, partner at Linklaters and co-founder of the firm’s Applied Intelligence practice, combines legal expertise with data science to provide technology-enhanced solutions. Prior to launching Applied Intelligence in 2026, Quoroll specialized in structured finance and asset-backed deals. He recently advised drinks distributor Fero on a $550 million asset-backed securitisation of wine and spirits stocks, considered a pioneering transaction in 2025, and assisted private equity group Cerberus in acquiring a €1 billion portfolio of non-performing loans from Intrum in 2024. With a longstanding interest in technology, Quoroll chairs Linklaters’ AI programme and previously acquired an MBA and coding skills to support data analysis in complex financial transactions.
Andrew Wilkinson, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and senior European restructuring partner, has over three decades of experience in financial restructuring. In 2025, he helped Nasdaq-listed Fossil Group, a US retailer of watches and accessories facing distress, avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy by shifting its restructuring proceedings to England—a novel approach preserving the company’s Nasdaq listing and setting a potential precedent for other US firms. Wilkinson has also advised on major restructurings including the $10 billion Chapter 11 process of global car parts supplier First Brands Group and played significant roles in sovereign debt restructurings for Ukraine’s $23 billion debt and Zambia’s debt agreements in 2024. Before joining Weil in 2014, he was European head of restructuring at Goldman Sachs.
Together, these lawyers exemplify how expertise in finance, technology, and restructuring law is evolving to address complex global challenges, leveraging innovation to support clients across diverse sectors and jurisdictions.