UK firm Fladgate has hired a two-lawyer team from Clyde & Co to launch an aviation finance practice, extending its existing offering to commercial airlines, aircraft financiers and private owners.
The duo are Nick Harding and Kirstin MacDougall, who both join as partners. Harding was previously a partner at Clyde & Co, while MacDougall was a legal director.
Harding spent around a decade at Dentons, where he trained and qualified, before joining Clyde & Co’s aviation finance team in 2015. He was subsequently promoted to partner in May 2022. His career has centred on asset finance, including commercial and business aircraft and helicopters.
MacDougall joined Clyde & Co in 2022 and was promoted to legal director in 2023. Her earlier career included roles at Stephenson Harwood and Schjødt, in-house positions in investment management, and broader asset finance experience.
Ella Leonard, Fladgate’s head of finance, funds and regulatory, said: “Nick and Kirstin both bring deep and complementary experience advising airlines and other aviation clients on complex finance and leasing matters. Their technical expertise and practical understanding of the sector will further strengthen our ability to support clients on significant transactions.”
Harding advises international airlines on aircraft financing, leasing, sales and purchases. His work includes export credit-supported financings, tax-based leasing structures, finance and operating leases, pre-delivery payment financings and aircraft manufacturer-supported arrangements.
MacDougall advises airlines on aircraft finance, leasing and fleet transactions, as well as broader commercial aviation matters. These include agreements with original equipment manufacturers and technical arrangements, which extend her practice beyond aircraft financing to related operational requirements.
Both also advise financiers, operators and high-net-worth individuals on business aviation transactions, including secured lending, leasing, acquisitions and disposals, ownership structures and operational issues.
Harding’s specialisms include complex financing structures and aircraft repossessions; MacDougall’s include bespoke financing and transactions involving pre-owned aircraft.
Managing partner Grant Gordon called the new arrivals “an important addition” to the firm, adding that “their experience across aviation finance, leasing and related transactions will enhance our ability to support clients across the sector”, noting it had also shown impressive revenue growth.
The hires follow Fladgate’s recruitment of tax partner Richard Harbot from DLA Piper earlier this year, while its 2026 promotions round added four partners: real estate lawyer Sarah Fitzpatrick, IP lawyer Ben Milloy, disputes lawyer Harry Stewart and chief people officer Claire Cherrington.
Harding and MacDougall’s arrival marks the latest in a series of exits from Clyde & Co, with Robert Lawson KC returning to Quadrant Chambers earlier this year, while Kennedys re-hired Rob Ireland, another Clyde & Co aviation partner, while Alius Law hired specialist London aviation partner Robert Mumford.
There have also been promotions and new arrivals at the firm, with Cecily Scutt elevated to partner in Clyde & Co’s London aviation finance practice last month, having joined in 2021, while Nick Humphrey rejoined the firm in July as an aviation partner in Dubai, following Bushra Abu Tayeh’s earlier arrival and partner promotion in the UAE.
Nick Roberts also joined its London office in May, focusing on aviation disputes. A former British Army officer, he qualified as a barrister at Keating Chambers in 2008. He later worked at HFW, Vinson & Elkins and legacy Allen & Overy, and served as head of litigation at Qatar Airways before joining from Norton Rose Fulbright.
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