Global law firm Holland & Knight has appointed aviation finance and leasing attorney Debra Erni as a partner in the London branch’s Asset Finance Practice Group. Erni joins the company from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where she served as managing partner of the firm’s London office between January 2017 and December 2022.
“Debra’s impressive experience in the aviation finance industry as well as the value she places on a collaborative culture will make her a great addition to the firm,” highlighted Philip Durham, leader of Holland & Knight’s Asset Finance Group. He added that Erni’s “complementary practice will create numerous opportunities to expand the type of work [the company] are currently handling for [their] existing clients”.
Erni will bring significant experience of aviation leasing, financing and trading work to her new role, with regular engagement in lessor platform mergers and acquisitions, disputes strategy, restructuring and asset repossessions. She is currently one of the highest-ranked female attorneys in Chambers UK – Asset Finance: Aviation Finance, a role she has held for a number of years. Additionally, her fluent Japanese skills complement her familiarity with Japanese corporate structures, tax regulation and cultural practices.
Erni also holds ‘leading individual’ status in the Transport Finance and Leasing Section of The Legal 500 UK, a guide in which Holland & Knight’s Asset Finance Group has also boasted a Tier One ranking (in its American section) for several years.