Eleni Zodiates

A particular focus of Eleni's practice is advising opportunistic investors and other capital providers on capital solutions, direct lending, and special situations transactions, including financings involving stressed or distressed situations and disputes.

She has extensive real estate finance experience, advising senior and mezzanine lenders, investors, sponsors, and borrowers on acquisition and development financings in the UK and across numerous European jurisdictions, including pan-European transactions.

Her broader financing experience encompasses corporate lending and revolving credit facilities, fund finance, asset-based lending, and other structured and bespoke financings.

Eleni has been named a "Real Estate Finance Rising Star of the Year" finalist by the Real Estate Capital Europe Awards 2023 — the only lawyer among the finalists — for her work on an $800 million global refinancing of a hotel group. She was also nominated for "Rising Star" at Law.com International's 2024 British Legal Awards and was one of six finalists for IFLR's 2024 Europe "Women Dealmakers Hall of Fame" award. In addition, Eleni was recognized as a "Dealmaker of the Year" in the Global Legal Post's Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2024 for her exceptional contribution to the UK legal profession and the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Eleni's team, the finance and restructuring practice, has been recognized in Chambers Global 2026, Chambers UK 2026, Legal 500 UK 2026, and Global Restructuring Review's GRR 30 2025.

Representative Experience

Corporate Finance Experience

• An international flooring producer on its super-senior revolving credit facility including amendments, restatements, and accessions.
• An international drug development company on the negotiation of a term loan from a specialist US bank (aborted just before closing).
• A US investment bank, German investment bank, and other banks on a coffee machine manufacturer’s offering of €550 million of senior secured notes and a super-senior revolving credit facility.

Real Estate Finance Experience

• A private investment firm on an $800 million global refinancing of a design-led hostel chain involving 13 jurisdictions worldwide. The deal was reported in The Times, Property Week, PropertyEU, Hospitality Investor, Green Street News, FMIndustry.com, LegalDesire.com, Solicitors Journal, and Real Estate Capital Europe.
• A hostel chain on an amendment and restatement of their senior European facilities.
• A global institutional asset manager on its direct loan (structured as a platform facility with a bad-acts guarantee) to an investment and development company operating multiple assets in the UK.
• A special situations firm on its bid to acquire an assisted-living portfolio.
• A real estate investor on its senior and mezzanine financings in respect of residential development assets in Uxbridge, Brentford, and other UK locations.
• A hedge fund on a bond to acquire a Portuguese real estate asset.
• A property development company on the restructuring of its senior and mezzanine financing (including a potential take-out of the senior lender that aborted) in relation to a large mixed-use development site in South London.
• A special situation fund as a joint venture investor on a ground rent transaction (the sale and leaseback of over 50 UK properties) in the care home sector.
• A pension fund on its first UK investment, a £400 million joint venture, with the developer constructing a 15-storey office block in Shoreditch, London.
• A UK real estate investment management firm on the development of a large shopping centre in Yorkshire, a secured term loan for the acquisition of properties in Milan, and several other property acquisitions in the UK and Europe.
• An investment fund as direct lender on a platform facility to a student/graduate housing group.
• A direct lender on the financing of a care home group in Jersey.
• A Singaporean bank as lender on the acquisition financing of a property in central London.
• A Hong Kong bank as lender in connection with a credit facility for the development of a mixed-use residential and commercial property in Westminster, London.
• A US bank as lender providing funds to a listed property investment company for the development of a supermarket and storage facilities in Kent.

Special Situations Experience

• A real estate investor on the finance aspects of its dispute with a joint venture partner and its transactional settlement.
• A private equity firm on its bid to provide structurally senior mezzanine financing to a Portuguese housing developer, refinancing the bond structure.
• A listed real estate investment group on its acquisition of a defaulting loan from a nonbank lender and an agreement to acquire the underlying development property.
• A property development company on the finance and security aspects of its dispute with an affordable housing association.
• A family office on its restructuring and disposal of assets triggered by certain sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• A special situations fund as a direct lender on the origination and refinance of its bespoke, sponsor-to-sponsor, bilateral mezzanine loan to a global real estate investment and asset management firm including a partial repayment via the issuance of convertible loan notes.
• An investment bank on the acquisition of nonperforming loan portfolios and various shipping loans.

Asset Finance & Acquisitions Experience

• A private investment firm on the acquisition and related leverage financing of a fertility clinic on Harley Street.
• An international flooring producer on the financing aspects of the acquisition of a Florida-based flooring distributer.
• An international flooring producer on the financing aspects of the acquisition of a Turkish producer of ceramic tiles.
• A listed company on its asset-based local facilities across various jurisdictions including borrowing-base financing, invoice discounting, factoring, and letter-of-credit facilities.
• An agricultural and industrial inputs business based in sub-Saharan Africa, on a complex refinancing of the group’s senior and bilateral facilities including adding a €150 million borrowing-base facility in various OHADA jurisdictions.
• An Africa-focused private investment firm on its carve-out acquisition and financing of an Africa-based fertilizer group. The deal received a Commodity Acquisition Finance Deal of the Year award from TXF.
• A Canadian oil and gas company on the financing of its acquisition of a 50% ownership interest in a Brazilian oil and gas company, with a valuation of $1.4 billion.
• A US private equity sponsor on its €3.17 billion carve-out acquisition of a global construction chemicals business from a German public company.
• A UK-based whisky company on its borrowing-base financing with a Spanish bank.

Fund Finance Experience

• A large European venture capital firm on its €100 million senior and mezzanine refinance.

Personal Interests

In her free time, Eleni enjoys walking her spaniel Obie around the parks of Hackney and Islington, buying uncomfortable but aesthetically pleasing expensive chairs, interior design, fashion, and film & cinema.