Penelope L. Christophorou is counsel at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, based in its New York office. Ms. Christophorou’s practice focuses on commercial financing, including secured transactions and bankruptcy law, derivative products and structured finance. She represents leading financial institutions, corporate borrowers, private investment funds and sovereign clients on these matters.

Ms. Christophorou is a frequent speaker at leading conferences on matters involving commercial finance.

Ms. Christophorou has been elected to the American Law Institute, a leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law.

Ms. Christophorou is Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association Business Law Section. From 2009 to 2012, Ms. Christophorou was the chairperson of the Uniform Commercial Code Committee of the ABA’s Business Law Section. She previously was chairperson of its Investment Securities Subcommittee.

From 2018 to 2019 Ms. Christophorou was President of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers, a professional association of lawyers, jurists and academics in commercial finance law.

Ms. Christophorou served as chairperson from 2000 to 2003 of the Uniform State Laws Committee of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Ms. Christophorou is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Citizens Union, a non-profit organization that works to enhance good governance in New York City and New York State.

Ms. Christophorou previously served as a director on the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy from 2007 to 2017.

Ms. Christophorou received a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. From 1994 through 1995, Ms. Christophorou served as law clerk to the Honorable Joanna Seybert in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

Ms. Christophorou is a member of the Bar in New York.