Michael Keightley
Senior Associate London
MICHAEL IS A senior ASSOCIATE IN THE ASSETS AND STRUCTURED FINANCE GROUP BASED IN LONDON.
Michael specialises in asset finance and leasing with a focus on the aviation sector.
Michael’s has advised financial institutions, borrowers, leasing companies, funds and operators on a range of asset finance, leasing and sale and purchase transactions.
His experience includes commercial debt financings, operating and finance leasing, secondary aircraft trading (including both individual and portfolio sale and purchases), secondary debt trading, defaults and restructurings.
Michael joined Watson Farley & Williams in 2021 from a magic circle firm in London and has previously completed a secondment with Avolon in their Dublin office.
- Advising Apollo Global Management on the US$700m debtor-in-possession financing for Scandinavian Airlines as part of the airline’s Chapter 11 restructuring.
- Advising a major Australian bank on its secondary debt trading of a c. US$1.1bn portfolio of aviation loans to a financial investor.
- Advising various parties on the Chapter 11 restructuring of Nordic Aviation Capital group on its appointment to multiple administrative roles.
- Advising a French bank in relation to the refinancing of two Boeing 777 freighter aircraft managed by a Munich-based asset manager.
- Advised Buss Global Management Pte. Ltd on a US$275m container box portfolio ABS involving equity sale.
Education
- 2016 – 2017 ·BPP Law School, Legal Practice Course (Distinction)
- 2013 – 2016 · Law (LLB), Newcastle University
memberships and associations
- The Law Society of England and Wales
- AwardWFW Senior Associates Michael Keightley and Yue Ma named Airfinance Global ‘Rising Stars’
- PressWFW plays central role in drafting Aviation EU Taxonomy Best Practices Manual issued by AWG and IATA
- ArticleThe ABC of ESG for Aircraft Lessors
- ArticleNavigating Turbulence: a comparative analysis using GARI of Chapter 11, UK schemes and domestic procedures
- ArticleEU ETS, UK ETS and CH ETS: Undue fears for lessors over liens and aircraft detention rights
