Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance's Asset Finance team still flying high

Firm advises on 10 aircraft finance "Deal of the Year" transactions

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance today announced that its global Asset Finance team has advised on 10 aircraft finance-related "Deal of the Year" transactions – twice the number of any other law firm.  The awards were bestowed recently by AirFinance Journal, a leading financial magazine serving the commercial aviation industry.

Following are the 10 deals Clifford Chance lawyers advised on:

• Asia Deal of the Year (for the lenders, including Citibank, Al Hilal Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and United Bank Limited)
• Joint Asia-Pacific Deal of the Year (for GE Capital Aviation Services)
• Joint Asia-Pacific Deal of the Year (for the Arrangers, including Citi, Crédit Agricole CIB, KfW-Ipex Bank, and SMBC)
• Europe Deal of the Year (for Awas)
• Latin America Deal of the Year (for  Japanese equity providers)
• Commercial Loan Deal of the Year (for International Lease Finance Corporation)
• Sale/Leaseback Deal of the Year (for Jackson Square Aviation)
• Regional Jet Deal of the Year (for the lenders, including BNDES and SBCE)
• Export Credit Deal of the Year (for Citi)
• North America Deal of the Year (for a mezzanine lender)

In addition to its representations on the aforementioned deals, Clifford Chance earlier this year won three separate aircraft finance-related awards from Jane's Transport Finance and has been ranked Tier 1 in Asset Finance for an eighth consecutive year by Chambers Global 2012, one of the leading independent guides to the legal profession.

"It's an honor to advise clients all over the world on the largest, most innovative and complex transactions in the air finance market ," said Zarrar Sehgal, head of the Clifford Chance's global Transport & Logistics Group.  "Our practice has established a world-leading position by combining technical excellence with collaboration across borders and with clients.  It's been a total team effort."

William Glaister, who heads up the firm's global aviation practice, added: "We are enormously gratified that clients all over the world continue to place their trust in us to advise them on their aviation-related financing."

Clifford Chance is one of the world’s leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The firm has unrivaled scale and depth of legal resources across the four key markets of the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, and focuses on the core areas of: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution. Clifford Chance has 34 offices in 24 countries with 3,200 legal advisers.  The firm also operates a cooperation agreement with Al-Jadaan & Partners Law Firm in Saudi Arabia.