Oliver Tebbit, Watson Farley & Williams

LEADING LAWYER DIRECTORY – Oliver Tebbit, Watson Farley & Williams

Oliver Tebbit is a Dubai-based lawyer specialising in the aviation industry.

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Oliver’s advice

“While it might sound like self-serving advice coming from a lawyer, I would definitely urge the involvement of suitable aviation experts from an early stage. Aviation transactions feature a complex interaction between legal considerations, regulatory requirements, tax aspects, operational and maintenance arrangements, meaning that the potential pit-falls of failing to obtain the correct advice from an early stage can lead to significant issues and costs further down the line. Because of the expense involved in retaining brokers, tax consultants, lawyers and aircraft managers, expert appointments are sometimes made at a relatively late stage of a transaction (and sometimes, not at all), meaning that problems which may be very expensive to resolve, and which might have been anticipated and avoided by appropriate early-stage structuring, have arisen.

“It might be tempting to rely upon a single ‘consultant’ to assist with all aspects of a transaction, but the complexity of the aviation landscape means that the best results will be achieved by coordinating a small specialist team of experts who can work together to generate long-term savings for the aircraft owner.”

Background

“I qualified into an asset finance team doing mostly ship and yacht finance but got bitten by the aviation bug in 2003 when a shipping client decided to buy a Bombardier Challenger 601 (which was registered in the UAE). I enjoyed working in the business jet market and when, soon afterwards, an opportunity came along to join a pure aviation team with a specific focus on business jet finance, I jumped at it.

“Since then I have focused mainly on business jet work, closing billions of dollars of business jet financing transactions and many dozens of business jet-related sale and purchase, outfitting and management transactions in relation to all aircraft types”

Official biography

Oliver has led Watson Farley & Williams’ aviation finance practice in the Middle East since late 2016, prior to which he was leading the asset finance practice of another law firm based in Dubai, having relocated to the jurisdiction from London in 2011.

Oliver has almost 20 years’ experience of advising on the legal aspects of asset finance transactions with a background in shipping and yacht finance and has, for the last decade, focused almost exclusively on the aviation industry and aviation finance transactions. Oliver represents airlines and other participants in the commercial aviation sphere, advising on operating leases, tax leases, purchase contract negotiations and most other types of arrangement involving commercial aircraft and aircraft engines.  He has a notable strength in the private aviation market, working for business jet financiers, owners and operators and advising in connection with a range of loan and lease financing structures in relation to aircraft registered in all major jurisdictions for aircraft registration . Oliver also provides advice regarding wider business jet-related matters, including in relation to sale and purchase transactions, aircraft management and operating agreements, charter agreements and outfitting contracts. Oliver is able to

Oliver’s professional experience is underpinned with academic and professional qualifications including a postgraduate Masters of Law degree in banking and finance law from King’s College, London.

In July 2008 Oliver was recognised by the AirFinance Journal Legal Supplement as a “rising star” and has since been recognised as a leading aviation lawyer in numerous legal guides and directories, including the Chambers & Partners HNW Guide 2016, Private Aircraft section.

Oliver is a Freeman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.