We are pleased to announce that

JEFFREY WOOL

will join Holland & Knight as its director of international law and policy. He will be based in our Miami office, and will join the firm on January 1, 2021.

Mr. Wool has extensive experience in international business and financial transactions, public and private international law, and aviation law and policy.

Mr. Wool serves as the secretary general of the Aviation Working Group (AWG), a not-for-profit international industry group that works on the development of policies, regulations and rules designed to facilitate advanced international aviation financing and leasing. Since its inception in 1994, he has coordinated AWG's policy development and government consultations on a wide range of commercial and international law and regulatory issues. He will continue in this role for AWG on secondment from the firm, which will serve as AWG's international counsel.

On behalf of AWG, Mr. Wool has had a lead role in the development, negotiation and national ratification and implementation of the Cape Town Convention (CTC), and he chaired the group that prepared the initial draft of the Aircraft Protocol. He currently leads global projects relating to the interpretation of, and compliance with, the CTC. In addition, Mr. Wool is in charge of formulating principles relating to airline restructurings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. He handles AWG's projects relating to the assessment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors geared to the context of aviation financing and leasing. He also is responsible for directing the development of the global aircraft trading system (GATS).

Mr. Wool is also senior research fellow at Oxford University's Harris Manchester College and an affiliate member of the law faculty at the University of Oxford. He has previously been professor of global business law at the University of Washington and founding co-director of its global business law institute, teaching courses of transnational commercial law, comparative commercial law and international business compliance.

"Jeffrey's deep knowledge of international law and policy, especially with respect to aviation financing and leasing, is unrivaled. He has been widely recognized as the principal thought leader in this space for many years," said Phillip Durham, the leader of Holland & Knight's Asset Finance Group.

"We are excited about having Jeffrey in this important role at the firm and supporting AWG at this pivotal time for the aviation financing sector, as it deals with the range of issues related to the pandemic," added Steven Sonberg, the managing partner of Holland & Knight.

Mr. Wool earned his J.D. from Columbia University Law School and a B.A. degree from Florida State University.