South Florida’s Location, Wealth Boom Escalates Region’s Aviation Industry Potential

Aviation attorneys William Coleman and Donald Gray were interviewed by the Daily Business Review about their decisions to join Holland & Knight's Miami office to focus on the growing South Florida market. Mr. Coleman transferred from the firm's Portland, Oregon, office, and Mr. Gray came to Holland & Knight from a Canadian firm. The moves exemplify the firm's increasing focus on South Florida, where aviation finance, cargo and private jet travel are thriving.

"In the last few months, William and I have been very pleasantly surprised by the number of clients who say they live in a Zoom, [Microsoft] Teams mobile world, but having us next door, we can have face-to-face chats," said Mr. Gray. "It's meaningful to us, and obviously, socializing with clients is a lot of fun, but also good for business development."

Mr. Coleman said South Florida is also strategic because being on the East Coast makes it easier to travel to Latin America and Europe.

"I can really be anywhere. I can be here. I can be in the West Coast. I can be in Asia, and I can still practice what I do very easily. The jurisdiction wasn't a key driver, but the geography, for me, was," said Mr. Coleman.

READ: South Florida's Location, Wealth Boom Escalates Region's Aviation Industry Potential (Subscription required)