Clyde & Co has absorbed aviation-focused City boutique REN Legal to boost its transactional and commercial litigation offering in its global aviation practice.

REN Legal’s12-strong team has joined Clyde in the firm’s London headquarters and is led by Norman Fraser, whose practice focuses on aviation finance, leasing and trading matters.

Legal 500 describes the boutique as being valued by clients including banks, lessors, insurance companies and private equity funds for its ‘strong aircraft and engine operating leasing industry knowledge.’

Clyde’s global head of aviation finance, Mark Bisset, described REN Legal as “renowned across the aviation market”, adding that “as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, and commercial aviation recovers we expect capital-raising and finance activity to increase in turn. Bringing this team on board will enable us to support clients as they take these next steps.”

Fraser is joined by partner Richard Mumford, who specialises in handling international aviation disputes, including finance and leasing disputes, aircraft repossession, complex debt recovery and fraud, along with a team of ten other legal professionals and support staff. The team advises clients on asset finance and leasing, as well as corporate transactions, investment funds, joint ventures, dispute resolution and asset recovery.

Fraser commented that joining Clyde’s aviation practice “enables us to extend our support to clients with the backing of the significant resources and global network on offer at the firm.”

Clyde & Co’s aviation team covers the full range of aviation issues including major loss, emergency response and liability, as well as non-contentious work including regulation, finance and employment. The firm is also active in the space and satellite insurance market and has established itself as an authority on the regulation of drones.

Clyde & Co CEO Matthew Kelsall described the move as part of the firm’s strategy to strengthen its position in one of its core markets, others of which include education, energy and natural resources, insurance and reinsurance, marine and trade and commodities.

The arrival of the REN Legal’s team follows the hire of partner Stuart Miller in Hong Kong earlier this year. Miller is an aviation finance specialist with nearly 20 years' international experience in cross-border aircraft finance, leasing and trading.

The firm has also been busily expanding in North America this year, announcing in May that it was opening three new offices across the across the southwest of the US following the arrival of a team of insurance lawyers from Foran Glennon Palandech Ponzi & Rudloff. This was followed a few weeks later by the news that it was set to open an office in Vancouver, its third in Canada after Toronto and Montreal, through a merger with local insurance and professional disputes-focused firm SHK Law Corporation.