Paul Briggs

I offer our clients over 35 years' experience in aviation & aerospace, covering almost every aspect of the sector.

Since the start of my career in 1987, I have worked as a lawyer and commercial director negotiating thousands of aviation commercial deals. After 17 years as Joint Head of the International Aviation & Aerospace Sector Group at Bird & Bird LLP, I am now a Consultant, enthusiastically supporting the new sector leadership. Matthias Winter leads the civil/commercial side of the team and Mark Leach and Jonathon Ellis jointly lead the Defence business.

I help with client relationships and major business development campaigns and I do client legal work where I am still the house expert (regional and sub-regional and aircraft maintenance and technical issues) or where my industry experience helps.

I still enjoy working in the aviation & aerospace sector and each year I get a new "hobby" to keep me fascinated, current and relevant (I hope).

Eight years ago, I had a focus on how the industry is being transformed by technology and the digital world, OEM services and the after-market. Assisting clients to embrace disruption.

I worked on the MAX grounding crisis for a period and was heavily involved on investor and airline side during the COVID crisis.

I have always been interested in the 'metal', and I still love the excitement of structuring a new deal.

I am leading the firm's efforts in the sector in sustainability. This covers everything from SAF and policy to eVTOL and new business models and sustainably linked leases and loans, though these projects are not moving as fast as I had hoped.

Having worked in GPA, BAE and Airbus I remain well connected across the global industry and I frequently moderate panels or make presentations at Airline Economics, AfJ/Ishka, MTO Network and Royal Aeronautical Society.

I still love doing aircraft deals but now largely focus more on strategic issues with much of the detailed lawyering done by more junior lawyers.

I am well known for a friendly, no-nonsense, direct approach to business and my enthusiastic passion for the sector.

As I am no longer a partner, I am free to act as a non-executive director or strategic adviser to clients and projects that interest me.

• Airbus: A400M and many commercial aerospace deals
• DVB: leasing and asset management deals over many years
• easyJet: commercial and leasing matters
• Nordic Aviation Capital: commercial and leasing matters
• Virgin Atlantic Airways: advising on the purchase of a fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft and operating leases with three global lessors
• Emirates: advising on the sale-and-leaseback on the 100th Airbus A380-842 aircraft delivered into its fleet. This involved financing arranged by Investec
• Smartwings: Boeing 737MAX grounding
• Marshall Aerospace: disputes and commercial deals over many years
• Montrose: Twin Otter financings around the world