BNP Paribas, Bank of America, and Atlas Air are all clients of the ‘incredibly hard-working, diligent, and detail-orientated’ team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP for aviation finance cases. New York’s Mark Lessard leads the team, which exhibits a particularly strong track record in portfolio financing, cross-border leasings, and engine acquisition. Lessard leads an international team, developing a strong understanding of international aviation markets, which aids his work in m&a, chapter 11 bankruptcies, and aviation financing. Recently, alongside Pat Reisinger he worked on the negotiation of a major debt financing facility for Azorra Aviation Holdings, later assisting them with their first capital markets transaction. Reisinger also brings skill in work involving bonds and cargo aircraft leasing. The New York office is further strengthened by Melissa Jones-Prus who is active in the private equity space, leading major structured financing cases for the team. In Los Angeles, Richard Evans leverages his ability to practice in both California and England whilst advising on key multi-jurisdictional deals involving aviation regulation, portfolio financing, and asset-backed securitizations.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
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Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Cohesive working groups of competent attorneys who like working together, provide excellent service and are able to sort through and focus on issues important to the client.’
‘Melissa Jones-Prus and her team are highly capable and knowledgeable in all aspects of aviation finance. Melissa has a strong grasp of the industry, experience working with key players in the space, which lends credibility to her practice and also facilitates document negotiation Melissa approaches her practice with a collaborative spirit, which I greatly appreciate and we see her as a partner in building our aviation strategy. ’
‘Overall industry knowledge and ability to service clients through the deep roster of experienced attorneys. ’
‘Melissa is one of the most commercial lawyers we have ever worked with. Constantly able to tell us what we need and do not need in a given transaction, gives us great transparency into her process, and turns documents quickly. Couldn't ask for more. ’
‘The Pillsbury team is incredibly hard-working, diligent and detail-oriented. The ability to scale up on a big project has been crucial for us in executing a large portfolio acquisition. We are working with the Pillsbury team across 3 time zones so it feels like we have 24-7 access. This is a unique feature of their group that I have not come across before. ’
‘Melissa Prus-Jones as our lead partner has managed three complex transactions for us this year and has been vital. Her ability to coordinate multiple threads of each deal and recall key facts and commercial discussions is incredible. We are lucky to have her working with us.'
Key clients
- Azorra Aviation
- Bank of America
- Blade Engine Securitization
- Crestone Air Partners
- Atlas Air, Inc.
- Blue Owl Capital (previously Atalaya Capital Management)
- Jackson Square Aviation
- BNP Paribas
- GA Telesis
- Natixis
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.
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Melissa Jones-Prus
Pat Reisinger
Practice head
Mark Lessard
Other key lawyers
Pat Reisinger; Richard Evans; Melissa Jones-Prus