Raviv Surpin > Vedder Price > Los Angeles, United States > Lawyer Profile

Vedder Price
1925 Century Park East Suite 1900
Los Angeles
California 90067
CALIFORNIA
United States

Work Department

Global Transportation Finance

Position

Shareholder

Career

Having focused on commercial aircraft finance for nearly 20 years, Mr. Surpin has amassed significant experience representing and counseling operating lessors, borrowers,  finance companies, manufacturers and investors in all manner of aircraft finance transactions. He is well skilled in negotiating and bringing stakeholders together in portfolio securitizations and warehouse financings involving substantial commercial aircraft portfolios, cross-border operating lease transactions, and numerous multi-jurisdictional aircraft portfolio acquisition and disposition transactions, restructuring and commercial lending.

Prior to joining Vedder Price, Mr. Surpin practiced law in London and Los Angeles before serving as Vice President and Corporate Counsel to International Lease Finance Corporation / AerCap (ILFC/AerCap), the world’s largest global aircraft operating lessor. At ILFC/AerCap, Mr. Surpin advised senior management in financing and securitization matters and was instrumental in the extraction of aircraft from difficult jurisdictions. With this distinctive background, Mr. Surpin provides legal counsel and representation to aircraft lessors and lessees that is both real-world pragmatic and efficient. 

Mr. Surpin works with clients on various day-to-day matters, such as leasing structures, aircraft and engine maintenance agreements, consignment agreements, modification and conversion agreements, and servicing and management agreements, as well as general corporate law matters. Mr. Surpin has extensive transactional experience in Australia, India and Brazil.

Languages

English, Portuguese, Hebrew and Spanish

Education

  • University of York, York Law School, LL.M., 1994
  • University of Oxford, B.A., 1993

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance

(Leading lawyers)

Raviv SurpinVedder Price

Fielding ‘an outstanding group with great competences‘, Vedder Price‘s global transportation finance team handles a broad range of aircraft finance work. Its coverage includes sizeable M&A transactions, aircraft-related asset-backed securities matters, portfolio debt financings, structured multi-aircraft financings, and sale and leaseback transactions. The group also advises on individual aircraft and parts sales, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul agreements. Focused on structured financings in the aviation transportation sector, Geoffrey Kass leads the team from Chicago, where Adam R. Beringer is a highly regarded commercial aircraft finance specialist. Also in Chicago, Michael E. Draz‘s broad experience includes representing investors in establishing strategic joint ventures and new leasing platforms for aviation assets; and Mark J. Ditto advises on significant commercial aircraft and large-value equipment transactions. In New York, Jeffrey Veber has an enviable track record in high-stakes aviation financings, while Cameron A. Gee is ‘a go-to partner‘. Also integral to the practice are Los Angeles-based aircraft finance deal specialist Raviv Surpin, along with Chicago’s James Kilner and the ‘very strongJustine L. Chilvers in New York – both were elevated to shareholder status in April 2022.