Bio

Eleni Zodiates is a partner in the Special Situations, Credit & Trading Practice Group. Eleni is a generalist finance lawyer with experience in a wide range of sophisticated, international financings, including corporate finance (RCFs, including super senior alongside HY bonds), special situations and direct lending (involving stressed/distressed elements and disputes), real estate finance (acquisition and development), asset-backed financings including emerging markets (i.e. Africa) and acquisition finance. She is a 2023 “Dealmaker of the Year” finalist for the Women & Diversity in Law Awards. Eleni acts for private equity funds, hedge funds, real estate investment firms, developers, family offices and corporate borrowers, typically acting borrower-side or for direct lenders. In addition to providing first rate legal advice and executing deals efficiently, she is part of a team that arranges and delivers billions of dollars in deals to its clients yearly. The team frequently introduces off-market opportunities to and on behalf of their clients and assists them put together debt and/or equity capital stacks for investments. This ancillary service is really where Eleni and her team can add value to the Firm’s clients. Prior to joining Brown Rudnick, Eleni completed a secondment as sole in-house counsel at a private equity fund investing in asset-backed special opportunities and worked at other large international U.S.-based law firms, including Vinson & Elkins and Jones Day. Eleni co-leads the Firm’s Women's Initiative in London with Partner Jessica Lee. Eleni is a mentor with the Stephen James Partnership Diversity Programme where she offers mentorship to young Black talent. She is also a mentor with the University of Law.