Profile
Graeme McLellan is a structured and infrastructure finance lawyer with a particular focus on the digital, renewable energy and transportation sectors. He regularly advises major sophisticated international clients on business-critical matters. His experience includes secured lending, bond financing, tax leasing, Islamic financing, and business/portfolio acquisitions and disposals. He enjoys cutting through complex and difficult issues, applying experience of structured, cross-border transactions to develop innovative strategies.
Ranked in the leading legal directories, Graeme is described as "an extremely capable operator who is quick to suggest innovative solutions," "very commercial in his approach… highly creative," and "brilliant." He frequently advises new market entrants on their initial market studies, product development and structuring, bids for opportunities, and implementation of winning bids.
Graeme’s digital infrastructure experience encompasses all stages of project development and operation, including synthetic tax leases for new data centre development, holdco financings including for land acquisition and power installation/upgrade, development financings, and portfolio refinancings.
His renewable energy experience ranges from the financing of large-scale battery storage, investments in offshore windfarms, secured debt financing of service operation vessels for offshore windfarms, and tax leases of generating equipment.
Transportation experience includes advising on the structuring and implementation of transport infrastructure financing, the structuring and establishment of multi-jurisdictional equipment financing and leasing platforms, including for fleets of rolling stock, as well as the financing and leasing of new and existing asset portfolios.
Concentrations
- Digital infrastructure finance
- Renewable energy finance
- Transport asset and infrastructure finance
Capabilities
Experience
- Advising an international bank on their entry into the European rolling stock leasing sector, including pan-European jurisdictional due diligence and the acquisition of fleets of passenger and freight rolling stock operating throughout Europe.°
- Advising the lessors on the procurement, financing, leasing and operation of a £1.2 billion order of new rolling stock.°
- Advising new entrants into the rolling stock leasing market, including on the development of an innovative financing structure which enabled a previously uneconomic project to proceed.°
- Advising on the development and implementation of a rail infrastructure enhancement financing structure which was the first project of its kind.°
- Advising various rolling stock lessors on operator insolvencies and default terminations of franchises, including the termination and migration of leases to government nominees as the “operators of last resort”.°
- Advising on the structuring and implementation of the procurement, financing and leasing of a new lifeline vehicle ferry providing enhanced services for remote island communities.°
- Advising new entrants on their entry into the commercial aircraft leasing sector, including on the secured debt financing of aircraft being acquired which are subject to continuing lease agreements.°
- Advising major aircraft lessors on their portfolio trading, including the acquisition and disposal of aircraft subject to continuing lease agreements.°
- Advising aircraft lessors on new leases and subleases with both existing and new customers.°
- Advising major international banks on the financing of large and ultra-large business jets for both corporates and high-net-worth individuals using a wide range of structures.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. McLellan prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom, Asset Finance Law, 2023-2024
- Ranked, Chambers UK, 2019, 2022-2026
- Transport: Rail
- Asset Finance: Rail Finance
- Ranked, The Legal 500, 2019, 2022
- Asset finance and leasing
- Rail
- Listed, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2023-2026
- "Leading Partner," Rail, 2023-2025
- "Leading Partner," Transport Finance and Leasing, 2023-2026
- Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Loans, 2026
Credentials
- LPC, College of Law
- LL.B. (Hons), University of Edinburgh
- England and Wales
- Hong Kong