Holland & Knight continues to strengthen its leading Aircraft Finance Team in Miami with the addition of Partner William R. Coleman, who has transferred from the firm's Portland, Oregon, office. Mr. Coleman works on a wide variety of general finance, asset and structured transactions under both conventional and Islamic principles.
Mr. Coleman's arrival in Miami follows that of Donald G. Gray, an internationally recognized lawyer in aviation law, as well as the recent and growing focus of the international leasing community in Miami as a regional Americas hub, most recently with the opening of AerCap's regional headquarters in 2022.
"With the recent addition of Donald, we're excited to further promote the growth of the Aircraft Finance Team in South Florida with William's move to the Miami office," said Phillip Durham, leader of Holland & Knight's Asset Finance Group. "The combined international background and experience Donald and William bring to the team is instrumental in our ongoing efforts to align our practice group with key industry clients who are increasingly focused on Miami as they service the Americas."
"William's active role in the Latin America Practice Group, which includes a year of residence in our Bogotá office, brings a great amount of value to our firm and our clients," Mr. Durham added.
"I'm excited to continue growing with Holland & Knight as I move to the Miami office," said Mr. Coleman. "We're literally next door to many of our clients, and that's exactly where you want to be when supporting on transactions and developing those relationships. This is a very active region for our industry and is going to be a growth focus for many of our clients. It's great to be here in the thick of things."
Mr. Coleman's recent experience includes advising on various airline and lessor aircraft portfolio financings using a broad range of (often blended) products, including Japanese Operating Leases with Call Options (JOLCOs) to Export Credit Agency (ECA)-supported deals alongside non-payment insurance support and sustainability linked loans; advising lessors with respect to airline Chapter 11 bankruptcies and complex lease restructurings; and representing lessors in connection with multiple aircraft portfolio sales and acquisitions.
Before joining Holland & Knight in 2017, Mr. Coleman served as counsel at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he spent more than 15 years working in various international offices, including London, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Germany, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
While Mr. Coleman is not admitted to practice law in the U.S., he maintains bar admissions in England and Wales, and is authorized to practice as a Foreign Law Consultant in Florida.
Holland & Knight is an international leader in aviation finance, advising clients in the purchase and sale of aircraft, engines and parts worldwide. Completing more than 250 aviation transactions annually, during the past five years the firm has worked with clients in more than 70 countries on the acquisition, financing, leasing and structuring of aircraft and helicopter transactions. Holland & Knight's clients include nine of the world's 10 largest aircraft leasing companies, major U.S. and international airlines, investment funds, investment banks, corporate jet owners, government guarantors, high-net-worth individuals and other key players in the wider aviation industry ecosystem.
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