Brian P. Devine
Head of Transport, United States
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Partner Brian Devine's practice focuses on the representation of financial institutions and borrowers, with a particular emphasis on maritime related assets.
Brian, who is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, counsels clients in the United States and internationally in areas such as: finance and security arrangements; insolvency matters; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; debt and equity offerings; sale and purchase; international commercial transactions and disputes; and corporate governance and structure.
Brian's representative experience in ship finance and corporate matters includes representing international (such as Republic of the Marshall Islands and Liberian) and domestic financial institutions and vessel owners in the acquisition, finance, registration, enforcement, joint venture, offering and other transactional documents as well as the formation, restructuring and mergers of offshore and domestic entities. He has also handled matters involving international taxation and commercial litigation; general commercial litigation and bankruptcy; and administrative law.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, University of Houston Law Center, 1997
BS, Political Science, University of Scranton, 1995
BA, History, University of Scranton, 1995
- Marshall Islands
- New Jersey State Bar
- New York State Bar
- Counsel to Global Ship Lease, a US-listed containership charter owner, in relation to its stock-for-stock merger with Poseidon Containers and K&T Marine LLC resulting in a charter owner with a fleet value of US$1.3 billion and a combined fleet of 38 containerships.
- Counsel to private fund borrower in relation to the US$93,700,000 re-financing of twelve product tankers.
- Counsel to bank on the financing of oil tanker with accordion option of up to US$100,000,000 to finance additional vessels.
- Representing creditor financial institutions in US$1.5 billion restructuring of publically traded shipping company.
- Representing secured creditors in Chapter 11 of Toisa Limited, a diversified shipping company owner of tankers, bulkers and offshore support vessels.
- Counsel to bank on the financing of a cruise ship to be built by the Ulstein Group (based in Norway) for US-listed Lindblad Expeditions.
- Counsel to banks on the US$280 million refinancing of Eagle Bulk Shipping's fleet of vessels.
- Counsel to a syndicate of banks on a New York law Korean ECA-backed US$760 million facility to finance a fleet of eighteen newly constructed vessels.
- Counsel to a syndicate of banks in connection with a US$230,950,000 credit facility to refinance the company's existing credit facility and Norwegian bonds.
- Counsel to bank with respect to New York and Marshall Islands law Spanish ECA-backed two vessel construction and financing.
- Advising banks in relation to restructuring of various shipping companies.
- Counsel to US fund in New York and Marshall Islands law matters in relation to the formation of multiple joint venture-owning entities for the acquisition and financing of a newly built and second hand vessels.
- Counsel to bank on New York law US$35 million loan transaction to finance vessels.
- Counsel to US fund on $100+ million series of vessel financings.
- Represented the unsecured creditors committee in a U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy of a shipping company.
- Lloyd's List, Top Ten Maritime Lawyers 2022, listed by Lloyd's List, Top 10 Maritime Lawyers
- Chambers Global, Liberia: Shipping, Chambers and Partners, 2014 – 2023 (conferred by Chambers and Partners)
- Chambers Global, USA: Shipping (Foreign Expert), Chambers and Partners, 2014 – 2021, 2024 (conferred by Chambers and Partners)
- Chambers Global, Marshall Islands: General Business Law, Chambers and Partners, 2021 (conferred by Chambers and Partners)
- Chambers Asia-Pacific, General Business Law in Marshall Islands, Chambers and Partners, 2019 – 2021 (conferred by Chambers and Partners)
- Chambers USA, Nationwide, Transportation: Shipping: Finance, Chambers and Partners, 2013, 2017 – 2024 (conferred by Chambers and Partners)
- Legal 500 US, Hall of Fame, Transport: Shipping - Finance, The Legal 500, 2022 – 2024 (conferred by Legalease Ltd.)
- Legal 500 US, Leading Lawyer, Transport: Shipping - Finance, The Legal 500, 2022 (conferred by Legalease Ltd.)
- Legal 500 US, Recommended Lawyer, Transport: Shipping - Finance, The Legal 500, 2018 – 2024 (conferred by Legalease Ltd.)
- Legal 500 US, Recommended Lawyer, Asset Financing & Leasing, The Legal 500, 2014 – 2017 (conferred by Legalease Ltd.)
- The Best Lawyers in America, Admiralty and Maritime Law, Best Lawyers, 2020 – 2025 (conferred by Best Lawyers)
- Expert Guides, Shipping, Legal Media Group, 2017 – 2020 (conferred by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.)
- Expert Guides, Best of the Best USA, Legal Media Group, 2019 – 2021 (conferred by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.)
- Irish Legal 100, Irish Voice, 2015 – 2022 (conferred by Irish Legal 100)
- Who's Who Legal, Transport - Shipping, Law Business Research Ltd., 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 (conferred by Law Business Research Ltd.)
Learn more about the descriptions of the selection methodologies for rankings and recognitions. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
- Author, "Rejected! Power To Reject Charterparties In US Bankruptcy," Law360, Oct. 14, 2015
- Author, "REJECTED! The power to reject charterparties in US Bankruptcy proceedings," nortonrosefulbright.com - Shipping newsletter - Legalseas, June 2013
- Member, Maritime Law Association of the United States
- New York Maritime (NYMAR)
- Director (2010 - present)
- Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce
- Chairman (2018 - present)
- President (2016 - 2018)
- Executive VP (2015 - 2016)
- Director (2008 - 2015)
- Annual Joint Shipping Conference with Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce
- Co-Chair (2010 - present)
- Vice President