News
Blakes welcomes top aviation lawyer
Dec. 13, 2010, Toronto - Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), one of Canada’s leading business law firms, today announced that Donald Gray will be joining its Aerospace Group on January 1, 2011 as a Partner.
December 13, 2010 By Carey Fredericks
“Donald will add incredible strength to our aerospace practice,” said Brock Gibson, the Firm’s Chair. “He has extensive experience and expertise in all aspects of aviation law and we are delighted that he has decided to join Blakes.”
Mr. Gray advises a number of aircraft lessors, financiers, manufacturers, and domestic and international airlines on aircraft finance and aviation commercial and regulatory law matters. He is recognized as a leading lawyer in aviation law and equipment finance law in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2011 and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2010. He is also listed in Law Business Research's Who's Who Legal: Canada 2010 in the area of aviation law. In the Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers – Best of the Best 2007, Mr. Gray was named as the top Aviation Expert in Canada and was the only Canadian named in the “World’s Top 25 Aviation Lawyers”. He is a contributing author to Airfinance Journal and Aircraft Liens and Detention Rights and provides the Canada chapter for the Airfinance Annual. He is also a frequent writer and speaker on the subject of aircraft finance, both nationally and abroad.
Mr. Gray was a Canadian delegate to the Unidroit/ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) which enacted the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Aircraft in 2001. In 1999, he was a member of the drafting group in Rome and in 2001 in Montréal, he was chair of the insolvency group that prepared the final insolvency provisions. He has also served on the Legal Advisory Panel of the Aviation Working Group (AWG), a group of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers and financiers, since the formation of the panel in 2000. He served as chair of the AWG Legal Panel from 2006 to 2008 and has served as vice-president and general counsel of an international charter airline, an Air Canada regional connector, and an international cargo carrier. Mr. Gray is an active aircraft owner and pilot. He holds Canadian, United States and South African aviation documents.
