Partners Sidanth Rajagopal, James Bradley and Manuela Krach join Morgan Lewis & Bockius along with a team of five

Partners Sidanth Rajagopal, James Bradley and Manuela Krach join Morgan Lewis & Bockius along with a team of five

It brings the firm's aviation practice to 35 lawyers globally

One of the top 10 US law firms Morgan Lewis & Bockius has added an eight-member aviation finance team in London, Dubai, and Singapore from K&L Gates.

Partners Sidanth Rajagopal, James Bradley and Manuela Krach have joined the firm along with counsels Sourabh Bhattacharya and Terry Chang and three associates.

The team focuses on complex cross-border financing, leasing, and restructuring issues in the aviation industry and represents industry players, including financial institutions, lessors, restructuring specialists and airlines.

The team's arrival at Morgan Lewis brings the firm's aviation practice to 35 lawyers globally. Its clients include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and air cargo carrier Atlas Air.

Bruce Silvers, the partner, and leader of the global aviation finance practice at Morgan Lewis remarked, "We co-counsel today with this team on several transactional and litigation matters. There are exciting opportunities for our US aviation finance and UK aviation litigation practices to collaborate with our new colleagues, who are well-known throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the Asia-Pacific region.

"We advise over 100 financial institutions in connection with aircraft investments. Having a coordinated, transactional aircraft leasing and restructuring practice within the US, London, the UAE, and Singapore further establishes our resources for clients in the aviation industry," he added.

Rajagopal stated, "Morgan Lewis has a deep and strong bench across the EMEA region and the US in a range of core practice areas that complement the work we do from investment management, litigation and corporate to other areas. This is in addition to the existing work the team does in India, which presents significant opportunities to collaborate. We look forward to working with colleagues to hit the ground running."

At K&L Gates, London-based Rajagopal was the practice group coordinator of the global banking and asset finance group. He counseled clients in the areas of financing, leasing, purchasing, restructuring and repossessions for both commercial and business aircraft. He holds a strong reputation for advising on cross-border deals with a nexus to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He is apt at assisting not only conventional but also Shari'ah-compliant financings.

Bradley, set to be a resident in Singapore, advises on financing, leasing, and restructuring across a variety of jurisdictions in relation to aircraft, engines, and corporate jets. He has vast transaction experience in the transportation and finance sectors in Asia, where he has been based for over two decades.

Meanwhile, Krach, who will operate from the London office of Morgan Lewis, advises clients on complex cross-border and multi-jurisdictional aviation transactions involving airlines, lessors, financiers, and manufacturers. She is an expert advisor on operating as well as finance lease agreements from the lessee and the lessor side, negotiating all aspects of a transaction.