Overview

Laura Lewis is a New York-based attorney who focuses her practice on aircraft finance and leasing.

Ms. Lewis advises leasing companies and financial institutions, as well as airlines, on the purchase, sale, lease, novation, interchanges, secured and unsecured financing (including predelivery payment financing) and securitization of commercial and business aircraft, engines and parts.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Lewis worked at a law firm in New York and at a major international law firm in Helsinki, Finland. She has also lived and studied in the Netherlands and Norway.

Representative Experience

  • Represented an aircraft leasing company in connection with a $225 million credit facility borrowed by one of its joint ventures secured by seven aircraft on lease to airlines in Brazil, Malaysia and Germany
  • Represented a bank in financing of purchase and lease of two Boeing 737-700 aircraft by an aircraft leasing company leased to an Indian airline
  • Represented an aircraft leasing company in restructuring and financing of 14 Boeing 737-800 aircraft leased to a major Asian airline
  • Represented a major U.S. airline on its approximately $2 billion of bank debt, spread across 19 transactions, to fund its takeover of a commercial airline
  • Represented a bank in financing of purchase and lease of two aircraft by an aircraft leasing company leased to a major U.S. airline and an airline in Africa
  • Represented a bank in financing of purchase of five Boeing 747-700 aircraft by a U.S. airline

  • Represented an aircraft leasing company in lease of five aircraft to a major U.S. airline
  • Represented the servicer in sale and leaseback of eight aircraft leased to airlines in Indonesia and Malaysia
  • Represented an aircraft leasing company in sale and leaseback of eight aircraft leased to a major U.S. airline
  • Represented the seller and the servicer in sale and leaseback of 20 spare engines
  • Represented the servicer in the purchase, financing and leasing of 14 spare engines leased to airlines in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, India and Thailand

  • Represented the servicer in an aircraft asset-backed securities (ABS) transaction in a portfolio consisting of 29 narrow-body aircraft with respect to the sale, purchase and novation of the aircraft and leases

Credentials

Education
  • New York University School of Law, LL.M.
  • University of Lapland, LL.B., LL.M
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • New York
Memberships
  • American Bar Association, Forum on Air & Space Law, 2020-Present
  • New York City Bar Association, 2020-Present
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, New York Banking and Finance Law Ones to Watch, 2024; New York Transportation Law Ones to Watch, 2024  
  • Global Airline Restructuring Deal of the Year, Airfinance Journal, 2022
  • Holland & Knight Rising Star, Class of 2023
  • Rising Star, Aviation - United States, Legal Media Group's Expert Guides, 2022
  • The Legal 500 USA, Rising Star, Transport: Aviation and Air Travel - Finance, 2021-2023
  • Asia-Pacific Deal of the Year, Airfinance Journal, 2021
  • Airline Restructuring Deal of the Year, Airfinance Journal, 2021
  • Asia-Pacific Restructuring Deal of the Year, Aviation 100 Deals of the Year Awards, Airline Economics, 2021
  • Rising Star in Aviation, Rising Star USA, Euromoney Legal Media Group Rising Stars Americas Awards, 2020, 2021
  • Rising Star, Airfinance Journal, 2020
Spoken Languages
  • English

Speaking Engagements

News