Bird & Bird expands its Aviation team in Asia-Pacific with the appointment of Niel Liebenberg as partner

Niel joins Bird & Bird from his role as general counsel of China Aircraft Leasing Company Limited. He specialises in aircraft leasing and financing and has over 24 years of private practice as well as in-house legal experience. With his strong reputation as a senior figure in the Asian aviation market, and his in-depth knowledge of the industry, Niel’s appointment is a key part of Bird & Bird’s strategy for the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), as the firm continues to expand its Aviation team. He is also qualified as both a solicitor of England and Wales, and an advocate of the South African High Court

At Bird & Bird, Niel will focus on growing the team’s capabilities on projects across all facets of the aviation industry and will work closely with Bird & Bird colleagues across Asia, including in Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, and mainland China, to support key clients across the region

Lorraine Tay and Sandra Seah, co-heads of Bird & Bird’s office in Singapore, say: “Niel is a key player in the APAC aviation market, and we are thrilled to have him on board in Singapore. We are confident that with his specialised experience from within industry and as a private practitioner, Niel will boost the firm’s capabilities even more, as we continue to grow our Aviation team in the region. This will further cement our standing and position us nicely to take on larger projects and transactions for our clients. Welcome to the team Niel!”

Leo Fattorini, co-head of Bird & Bird’s international Aviation and Aerospace sector group, comments: “I am absolutely delighted that Niel has joined us. He’s a tremendous lawyer, well-liked and respected across the market with superb experience in all aspects of the industry. We enjoyed working together when Niel was a client at CALC, and I look forward to having the same experience as colleagues. As the Aviation industry continues to recover in Asia-Pacific, we are hugely excited by the new relationships Niel will bring to our group and look forward to introducing him as a member of our team to our fantastic existing clients across the region. Niel joins our expanding APAC team hot on the heels of excellent lawyers counsel Xiao Wang in Beijing and associates Adam Smart in Hong Kong and Khushboo Jain in Singapore.”

Niel says: “I’m delighted to be joining such a unique, international law firm. After working closely with Bird & Bird lawyers on several projects, I really appreciated their collaborative culture and professional approach. I look forward to working with my new colleagues and I am excited for what lies ahead as we grow Bird & Bird’s capabilities in the APAC aviation space together.”