Stella is a dual-qualified lawyer who specialises in international dispute resolution, with particular reference to maritime, aviation, construction and commercial disputes that contain a cross-border element. She is particularly experienced in dealing with claims over unpaid hire, underperformance such as speed and consumption claims, stevedore damage, the quality of supplied bunkers and in disputes arising under bills of lading. She has experience in conducting arbitrations under the LMAA, ICC and LCIA rules and regularly assists in matters before the English High Court.
In addition to the above, Stella has experience advising construction companies and contractors on project disputes. She has also advised on aviation disputes relating to the purchase and sale of aircrafts.
Stella is a native Greek speaker and is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Italian.
Expertise
- Shipping and maritime
- Marine insurance
- Charter party disputes including NYPE, SHELLTIME and GENCON
- International arbitration
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
- Aviation disputes
- Construction disputes
- Commercial disputes
Experience
Shipping
- Acted for a Turkish shipyard in a complex multimillion-dollar dispute with a company serving offshore industries, in an LCIA arbitration, over the building of a special-purpose barge.
- Assisted in the negotiation of a multimillion-dollar settlement between numerous claimants and a Ukrainian state entity with multiple vessels detained in India.
- Assisted in several multimillion-dollar offshore oil and gas-related disputes and arbitrations on behalf of a Mexican company.
- Acted for the shipowners in a dispute with cargo receivers and charterers, over a claim of cargo contamination, in separate LMAA arbitrations and injunction proceedings to obtain security for the claims in Croatia.
- Acted for the shipowners to secure a multimillion-dollar claim against charterers for unpaid hire and bunkers, by intercepting freight down the charter party chain.
- Assisted charterers with securing, via ship arrest, and successfully settling a substantial claim for overpaid hire and hold cleaning expenses with the shipowners.
- Acted for numerous shipowners and charterers in charter party disputes over unpaid hire, underperformance (speed and consumption claims), stevedore damage, the quality of bunkers supplied and others.
- Assisted in the sale and purchase negotiations of a super yacht between the head of a state and a Turkish millionaire, through to the successful conclusion of the transaction.
- Assisting shipowners with defending cargo claims under bills of lading, following pilferage at West African ports.
- Assisting charterers with recovering port charges at approx. USD1 million from the shipowners, following the vessel’s detention at a Chinese port by reason of crew members’ infection with Covid-19.
Aviation
- Acted for the sellers of two Boeing 767-3CBER aircraft over a dispute with the buyer, a Chinese state company, about the refund of a USD 8 million security deposit under a letter of intent, helping the sellers to successfully retain the deposit without litigation.
- Assisted the sellers of a Boeing 737-524 aircraft with successfully responding to a claim by the buyer, a Nigerian state company, pre-action, in relation to a USD 500,000 security deposit paid by the buyer under a letter of intent. The sellers retained the deposit without litigation.
- Advising an aviation company on possible claims under a share purchase agreement in relation to the sale and purchase of a company.
Construction
- Advising a subcontractor on a contractual claim against its counterparty, in relation to a project in Qatar for the construction of a railway.
- Advised a Greek construction company in the energy sector, whom with other members of a winning consortium, won the tender to build a Euro 290 floating LNG terminal for the import of LNG to Cyprus including a floating storage and regasification unit, a jetty for mooring the FSRU, a pipeline and related infrastructure.
- Assisted a Greek construction company with a claim against its Dutch counterparty, in relation to a project in the Netherlands involving piping and other equipment’s fabrication, erection and installation.
Commercial
- Assisted a client, an individual businessman, with entering into and recovering USD 1.4 million under a settlement agreement and a personal guarantee from the client’s former business partner, a well-known Italian businessman.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised in The Legal 500 2023 for Shipping
Recognised in The Legal 500 2020 for Shipping
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
Member of the Piraeus Bar Association
Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
Career
Stella qualified as a solicitor in 2014. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2018, she worked at the following firms:
- Thomas Cooper
- Dimitrios Peppas and Partners