The Legal 500

France > Aviation finance

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  1. Aviation finance
  2. Leading individuals

Leading individuals

Described as ‘a steady ship in troubled waters’, Norton Rose LLP’s 12-lawyer practice is trusted by all the major French banks active in the field, namely BNP Paribas and Natixis. The team is also assisting CACIB with a French tax lease financing of a Boeing 777 aircraft for KLM. George Paterson and Marc Hamilton head the practice.

Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP’s expertise spans ECA-backed facilities, financing and operating leases, restructuring and aircraft repossession. The team recently assisted BPCE with repossessing a Falcon Jet. Richard Jadot assists lenders, such as Natixis and CACIB, and airlines including Air France.

Mayer Brown’s five-lawyer team advises CACIB and other lenders, and airlines such as Air Austral, and has notable expertise in business jet financing. Matthieu de Varax has ‘a very good reputation’.

Simmons & Simmons LLP’s five-lawyer practice has experience in ECA-backed aircraft financing, and recently advised BNP Paribas and KFW in that regard. The firm also handles corporate jet financings. Jeremy Arscott heads the practice.

Stephenson Harwood represents a number of fast-growing Asian and Middle Eastern airline companies including Lion Air and Jazeera Airways. The practice, led by Edward Campbell, also assists banks and leasing companies with commercial plane and private jet financings.

Watson, Farley & Williams LLP’s practice has grown significantly in size and recognition since the ‘pragmatic and reactive’ Charles Viggers joined the firm in 2011. The seven-lawyer team provides ‘sound advice’ to major French German and Asian banks, including BNP Paribas and CACIB, as well as lessors and airlines. The practice advised on the JOLCO refinancing of an A380 aircraft for Air France. Eric Villateau is also recommended.

White & Case LLP’s eight-lawyer team has good experience advising export credit agencies, which it recently assisted with several Airbus aircraft financings. Victoria Westcott, Thomas McDonald and Louise Mor are the key contacts.

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Legal Developments in France for Aviation finance

  • MOROCCO TO BECOME THE LEADING FINANCIAL PLACE IN AFRICA

    The Kingdom of Morocco is supporting the ambition of becoming the leading financial place for Africa. In this context, a wave of draft laws is to be passed and implemented within the following months, amongst which, the Law No. 53.08, setting up a new financial authority, and the Law No. 54.08, reforming public offering rules, are of paramount importance to Moroccan and foreign issuers, and financial institutions.
    - Lefèvre Pelletier & associés

Legal Developments in France

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • The new French regulation applying to national insurance contributions for managers and shareholders

    French insurance contributions on executive and shareholder remuneration (pay + dividends) have been substantially increased by the National Insurance Funding for 2013 Act, No. 2012-1404, of 17th December 2012. Until 31st December 2012, all dividends were subject to national insurance contributions on unearned income but henceforth, under Article L136-3 of the National Insurance Code, amended by Act No. 2012-1404, certain dividends   are considered as pay received by executives and shareholders and are therefore subject to the national insurance contributions on pay. The Act also abolished the ceiling on health insurance contributions payable by the self-employed and all this means that businesses must rethink the way that they have been structured until now.
  • CHINA - PERSONAL TAXATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY : CHINESE AND FOREIGN NATIONALS ON AN EQUAL FOOTING

    The People's Republic of China has initiated an overhaul of its social security system, reformed the personal taxation regime and has extended the scope of these laws to foreigners residing in China.
  • MOROCCO TO BECOME THE LEADING FINANCIAL PLACE IN AFRICA

    The Kingdom of Morocco is supporting the ambition of becoming the leading financial place for Africa. In this context, a wave of draft laws is to be passed and implemented within the following months, amongst which, the Law No. 53.08, setting up a new financial authority, and the Law No. 54.08, reforming public offering rules, are of paramount importance to Moroccan and foreign issuers, and financial institutions.
  • ACQUISITIONS IN CHINA : ASSET OR SHARE DEAL?

    The opportunities offered to foreign investors by the Chinese mergers and acquisitions market are increasing every year: in 2010, transactions involving foreign companies came to 60.1 billion euros, an increase of 21.2% compared with 2009. Seen from the West, where markets are declining, all sectors of the Chinese economy seem to be undergoing promising development and the statistics indicate that the Middle Empire will be a lasting springboard for growth.
  • Prime de Partage des Profits

    Le dispositif L’article 1er de la loi de financement rectificative de la Sécurité sociale pour 2011 oblige les sociétés commerciales de 50 salariés et plus, dont les dividendes par part sociale ou par action sont en augmentation par rapport à la moyenne des deux années précédentes, à verser une prime à l’ensemble de leurs salariés
  • BULGARIA MARKET OVERVIEW

    Types of investors The private equity (PE) funds that are active in Bulgaria are not raised or registered in the country. Some Bulgarian PE funds were raised recently, but there are no statistics as to the sources of their funding, their number, the funds that were accumulated, etc.
  • RECENT DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING COMMITMENTS

    THE PROCEDURE IS CLARIFIED, BUT MAY COMMITMENTS APPLY WITHOUT LIMIT?
  • Landmark decision by French Competition Authority in conditioned LPG case

    cartel case closed after discovery that leniency application was largely based on forgeries and rejection of collective dominant position objection.
  • 2012 supplementary budget

    The second supplementary budget published in the Official Gazette September 19, 2011 provides for two key measures that affect the deferral of tax losses and taxation of capital gains realized on the sale of equity securities .
  • Actualité législative fiscale

    Au delà des mesures applicables à l’ensemble des contribuables (telles que la limitation du report des déficits ou la réforme du mode de calcul des plus values sur cessions de participations),le plan de réduction des déficits annoncé le 24 août dernier par le gouvernement comprend des mesures qui intéressent spécifiquement les acteurs du secteur financier.

Press Releases worldwide

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