Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has continued to expand its aviation finance practice with the hire of partner Asheesh Das. Ash specialises in asset and project financing in the transportation and energy sectors, and joins HFW’s London office from Elix Aviation Capital, where he was Head of Legal. He previously spent 25 years in private practice at firms including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Norton Rose Fulbright and Clifford Chance, and was a partner at Stephenson Harwood for almost eight years in London and Singapore.
HFW continues to significantly strengthen its global aviation finance offering with a series of senior hires, having also brought in a seven-lawyer team from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in Hong Kong and Singapore, led by partners David Brotherton and Justin Sun; Sydney partner Leigh Borrello and Dubai partner Shyamal Jeewoolall from Norton Rose Fulbright; and Singapore partner Ling Lui from Hogan Lovells.
The firm’s market-leading aerospace practice now comprises 23 partners and more than 90 lawyers in total across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
HFW was recently named Aviation Firm of the Year at The Legal 500 Awards, the Asian Legal Business SE Asia Law Awards, and the China Business Law Awards, and won two finance deal awards at the Airline Economics Aviation 100 European Awards.
Giles Kavanagh, Global Head of Aerospace, HFW:
“We’ve been looking to add another aviation finance partner in London for some time, so I’m thrilled to welcome Ash to the team. Ash is well known to us as a first-rate aircraft finance and leasing practitioner, and has an outstanding reputation with clients and peers alike. His arrival gives us a real critical mass of aviation finance expertise in London to complement our leading practices in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, and is another important step towards our long-term goal of being the number one advisor to the aerospace industry globally.”
Ash has more than 25 years’ experience advising airlines, lessors and financial institutions on acquisition, financing, management, maintenance and leasing of moveable assets. His practice covers tax, structured and operating leases, portfolio refinancing and ECA financing of aircraft, rolling stock and industrial equipment such as turbines. Ash has also advised sponsors, commercial lenders and government institutions on landmark infrastructure projects in the energy, power and land transportation industries.
Asheesh Das, Partner, HFW:
“I’m very excited to be joining one of the market’s top aerospace practices. Working in-house was a great experience. As a commercial lawyer, getting the client perspective first-hand has been of great benefit to me, but I was keen to return to private practice. I was impressed by the strength and geographic breadth of HFW’s aerospace practice, which is second-to-none, and I’m really looking forward to helping the team further develop its finance capability in Europe and globally.”
The hire continues a period of sustained international expansion for HFW. The firm has now added 14 partners in the past six months, including a record internal promotions round, the hire of Singapore shipping partner Chris Metcalf and the launch of a new Monaco office with the hire of a market-leading team led by partners Ian Cranston, Andrew Charlier and Marco Crusafio.
HFW has completed 11 international office openings, mergers and associations since 2016, including a fully-integrated US merger and other moves in Brazil,China,Indonesia and the Middle East.
Source: www.hfw.com
