Holland & Knight LLP ‘has one of the most reputable, dedicated aviation practices with a deep bench covering trading, leasing, finance, insurance, regulatory and restructuring’, led by Phillip L. Durham out of Chicago and New York. The team boasts a diverse client base, serving international banks, aviation corporations, and investment funds with any and all matters relating to the sector. Durham has strong credentials in leasing and acquisition work and directly advises some of the industry’s largest investors such as Nordic Aviation, AerCap, and BBAM Aircraft Management. Nathan Leavitt works out of the San Francisco office and is considered an authority in the Latin American aviation market, with a wealth of experience with bankruptcy proceedings, insurance matters, and aircraft leasing. In New York, Richard Furey is a dual-qualified attorney with considerable asset finance expertise and is heavily involved in a lot of the team’s portfolio financing work whilst John Pritchard is a widely respected figure in aviation, who acts for a variety of stakeholders in complex securitization transactions. Rounding out the New York office, Danielle Santucci focuses on complex leasing transactions and is particularly well-known in the Latin American market. Asset finance specialist Audrey Sung bolsters the firm West Coast presence alongside Brian Daigle who excels at arranging lending transactions for airlines and funds. In Dallas, Cynthia Liu excels at commercial aircraft finance and is able to advise clients on compliance with international trade regulations.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Holland & Knight has one of the most reputable, dedicated aviation practices with a deep bench covering trading, leasing, finance, insurance, regulatory, and restructuring. We have used their teams in the US and in London to assist on aircraft trading, insurance settlement, and restructuring matters and have been extremely pleased with the resources they have made available to us and the quality of their advice.’
‘Phil Durham in New York is the leader of the practice and has been working with us on several aircraft trading assignments. The work product is consistently excellent.’
Key clients
- Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited
- BBAM Aircraft Management LP
Work highlights
Represented nearly twenty lessors in GOL’s US$4 billion Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Phillip L. Durham
Other key lawyers
Audrey Sung; Cynthia Lung; John Pritchard; Brian Daigle;Richard Furey; Nathan Leavitt; Danielle Santucci