An Initiative by: Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal) in collaboration with Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi

Date: February 22, 2022 | Time: 3.30pm to 7.30pm IST
Date: February 23, 2022 | Time: 4pm to 7.30pm IST

About the organizers

Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal) is a full service corporate and commercial law firm that has been thriving for over twenty years, with 39 partners and almost 200 lawyers across multiple practice areas. Our principal office is in New Delhi, with others at Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, and we have also very recently commenced operations of our New York office.

Our clientele includes some of India’s leading corporate groups, public sector undertakings, public sector and private banks, private individuals, and multinational corporations across the world, particularly from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, China, Indonesia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Our strength lies in our team of experienced, well-trained and qualified lawyers, who integrate their skills to provide comprehensive legal advice and strategy on complex commercial issues thatmeet your needs and expectations. The partners bring hands-on expertise and a client-first approach to each transaction from a strategic perspective, by understanding your objectives and identifying potential issues in areas of public policy or litigation.

We also have a China Desk that is the oldest practice group of its kind in the Indian legal market, whose team consists of experienced lawyers proficient in English and Chinese, and has been designated as the official partner by the largest chamber of commerce in China for providing legal services in India.

Mr. Martin Harman, CBE (Commander of the British Empire), is the Chair International Business of Link Legal, and is a former Senior Partner and Chairman of Pinsent Masons LLP, generally recognized as the world's leading international law firm specializing in global infrastructure and construction.

Globally, we have advised clients under our Aviation; Banking & Finance; Defence, Dispute Resolution; Employment; Exchange Control & Foreign Investment; General Corporate & Commercial; Healthcare, Life Sciences, & Agriculture; Intellectual Property Rights; M&A, Joint Ventures & Private Equity; Projects, Claims & Disputes Management; Projects, Infrastructure, & Energy; Real Estate & Hospitality; Restructuring & Insolvency; Securities Markets; Statutory Risk Management Programme; Technology, Media, & Telecommunications; and White Collar Crime practices, across diverse sectors such as water and wastewater, airports, metro rail & urban transport, roads, ports, oil, gas, energy, power, aviation, media, broadcasting, advertising, pharmaceutical, information technology, business process outsourcing, consumer goods, mining, software, entertainment, insurance, and banking.

Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal) has been advising various airlines and other influential companies across the aviation value chain in India and is recognized as a leading law firm advising in the Aviation segment. With a team of over 250 legal professionals, the Firm has the largest concentration of diverse clients from the aviation value chain.

Campus Law Centre, University Of Delhi is the time-tested legal institution par excellence. It is the national hub of legal studies. Since its inception in 1924, the department has been a leader producing many legal luminaries, Supreme Court and High Court judges, leading advocates, political leaders, policy makers and trend-setters in all walks of life. It is an egalitarian institute providing practically free legal education at a negligible cost. With the unparalleled expertise of faculty members, multicultural environment, the faculty attracts brilliant students from all over the country and abroad.

Established in 1922, the University of Delhi is a premier university of the country with a venerable legacy and international acclaim for highest academic standards, diverse educational programmes, distinguished faculty, illustrious alumni, varied co-curricular activities and modern infrastructure. Over the many years of its existence, the University has sustained the highest global standards and best practices in higher education. Its long-term commitment to nation building and unflinching adherence to universal human values are reflected in its motto: 'NishthaDhriti Satyam' ‘निष्ठाधृतिसत्यम्’ (Dedication, Steadfastness and Truth).

About the workshop

The International Workshop on Laws Governing Aviation in India is a first of its kind initiative where Link Legal, a leading Indian Law Firm and Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, a premier legal institute, have collaborated with a common objective of skilling the law students of next generation and providing them with a necessary platform to add greater value to the high growth Aviation industry in India.

Objectives –

• To provide students with an early foundation of the Aviation legal framework in India and abroad.
• To provide applied knowledge to students through the industry-academia connect.
• To encourage wider adoption of industry-centric course streams by universities and law colleges.

India is experiencing an unprecedented growth in the Aviation sector owing to a rising middle class, economic growth, rising dispensable income and despite the hiatus caused that is continuing to affect the Aviation sector, the sector has been showcasing strong indicators of growth and revival.

Given the backdrop of the changing market dynamics, the Workshop aims at familiarizing the students with laws governing the Indian Aviation sector and providing them with a bird’s eye view of what the study of Aviation law broadly entails. Considering an aircraft is a high value mobile asset there are multiple international Conventions that regulate and aim to facilitate and secure financing, operation, security, state rights and liabilities and repossession of the asset, et al. This unique position of an aircraft asset and knowledge of Aviation law must be leveraged by the students as it has the potential to translate into professional opportunities across the Aviation value chain within India and globally.

As India embarks on a growth journey in the Aviation sector, Link Legal in collaboration with Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi aims to prepare the stakeholders, particularly law students, for inclusive and effective participation and focused skill development.

Students/participants will be awarded a certificate of participation by Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi on completion of the two (2) day Workshop.

We also intend to offer an internship programme for six (6) students/participants over a period of six (6) months on the basis of the submissions made by them. Each student/participant will have an opportunity to submit an analysis on one of the topics addressed by the Workshop Speakers. Such submission should be made by March 4, 2022 and should not exceed a word count of 700. 

Esteemed speakers

Mr. Amber Dubey
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India;
Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU).

Mr. Amber Dubey is the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay (B. Tech), Mechanical Engineering and IIM Ahmedabad (PGDM, Strategy and Operations). 

He was one of the nine (9) professionals selected in September, 2019 by Government of India to join as Joint Secretary in the Union Government. Mr. Dubey was a Partner and head of Aerospace and Defense Sector at Global Consultancy Firm, KPMG (2002-2019). 

Mr. Dubey is the Co-Chairman (Aviation) at US India Business Council (USIBC), American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham), and a member of the Aviation Committees of FICCI and ASSOCHAM. He has worked closely with the Ministry of Civil Aviation in drafting the Vision 2040, National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016 and policy framework of Regional Connectivity Scheme. He also helped the Ministry of Civil Aviation in drafting 12th five-year plan of Aviation. Mr. Dubey has been honored for “valuable contribution to Indian Aviation”. In 2017, he was nominated by the President of India as member of the Academic Council of RGNAU and is currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of RGNAU. He has been instrumental in facilitating the growth of fast growing drone manufacturing industry in India and is committed to making India a drone hub by 2030 through multiple initiatives such as the liberalized drone rules, airspace map, the PLI scheme, the single window Digital Sky Platform and the drone certification scheme. 

Mr. Atul Sharma
Managing Partner, Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal)

Mr. Atul Sharma is the Managing Partner of Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal) and has over 40 years of experience in the field of law. He has done his Bachelors in Economics and Law from the University of Delhi. He was admitted to the Bar in 1978 and he advises clients across practice areas with a particular specialization in Aviation and Infrastructure sectors and represents clients in these sectors on all aspects of setting up of airlines, including acquisition of aircraft, aircraft financing, leasing, leasing of spaces at airports, securing permission from civil aviation authorities for airline operations and related approvals from the government agencies, engineering and commercial contracts, etc.

Mr. Sharma specializes in Aviation and Infrastructure sectors and represents clients in these sectors on all aspects of their commercial and day to day operations and is also highly recommended by various global legal directories in Aviation, Dispute Resolution, Projects & Energy, Antitrust & Competition, etc.

Mr. Anand Srivastava
Partner, Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal)

Mr. Anand Srivastava is an Equity partner at Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal) with over 20 years of experience. He is qualified to practice in India and New York, US. Anand completed his LL.M. from Columbia Law School where he was selected as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and awarded the Edwin Parker Certificate for International Law. He is also qualified as a trained mediator with the New York Peace Institute and has worked extensively at the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School where he conducted several workshops on conflict resolution and mediation for United Nations Institute for Training and Research and several other US private and public bodies.

Anand completed his LL.B. from University of Delhi, Campus Law Centre. He is also a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Anand is a trusted advisor to his clients and is highly recommended by various global legal directories in Aviation, Projects, Infrastructure & Energy, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, etc.

Ms. Vandana Aggarwal
Sr. Economic Advisor (Retd.), Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.

Ms. Vandana Aggarwal, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, on attaining the age of superannuation has recently retired from the services of Government of India in May 2021. She has done her B.A (Hons.) in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi and M.A in Economics and PhD in Financial Studies from the University of Delhi.

Apart from her rich experience in advising various Ministries and government bodies, she is also credited with the creation of the Indian aircraft leasing platform at Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) IFSC which is based on the Project Rupee Raftaar which was formulated under her leadership. She has also chaired the committee constituted by the IFSCA in 2021 to examine global best practices in financing and leasing of ships, identify opportunities and devise a roadmap to enable such activities from GIFT IFSC domestically.

Prof. (Dr.) V. Balakista Reddy
Professor of International Law and Registrar,
Head, Centre for Aerospace and Defence Laws (CADL), NALSAR University of Law, India.

Prof. (Dr.) V. Balakista Reddy, teaches LL.B. and LL.M. Courses at NALSAR, which amongst others include International Law, International Trade Law, International Air and Space Laws, International Intellectual Property Law, International Banking and Insurance Laws, Comparative Corporate and Competition Laws, International Environmental Law, and International Humanitarian and Refugee Laws. With more than 15 years of teaching experience, Prof. Reddy is an internationally recognized expert in Air and Space Law and has contributed valuably by 

his paper on “Aerospace Technologies and Problems of Third World Countries” and “The Application of Satellite Technologies in Civil Aviation: Emerging Legal Issues” which he presented at the UNISPACE-III conference in Vienna. He has also authored (1) Air Law and Policy in India, (2) Recent Trends in International Space Law and Policy, and (3) Emerging Trends in Air and Space Law, (4) Space Law and Contemporary Issues have won international acclaim. He is a visiting faculty to many Universities in India and abroad.

He is also engaged in various prestigious projects and assignments, which include the WTO and India: Issues and Challenges, Drafting of Model Space Legislation for India and Sensitization Programme on WTO/GATS and Globalization of Legal Profession: Opportunities and Challenges for Indian Legal Fraternity.

Prof. (Dr.) Steven Truxal
Professor of Air and Space Law, Director, International Institute of Air and Space Law,
Leiden University, The Netherlands.

Prof. (Dr.) Steven Truxal is a Director, International Institute of Air and Space Law, at Leiden University. Prof. Truxal has a track record of research excellence in Air Law. Prior to being associated with Leiden, he was Reader in Air Law and Associate Dean (International), the City Law School, the University of London. He has also served as visiting Professor of Law and Dean of Studies at the Centre for British Studies, Humboldt University in Berlin and McGill Institute of Air and Space Law.

He has also contributed to the field in the form of various research works and publication and his PhD dissertation was later published as Competition and Regulation in the Airline Industry: Puppets in Chaos. Prof. Truxal’s second monograph is titled Economic and Environmental Regulation of International Aviation: From Inter-National to Global Governance.

Prof. Jeffrey Wool
Secretary General, Aviation Working Group;
Partner,Holland & Knight; Sr. Advisor, Unidroit.

Prof. Jeffrey Wool is 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. He is a Partner at Holland & Knight (Miami) and director of the firm’s International Law and Policy. Prof. Wool is a senior research fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and an affiliate member of the law faculty, University of Oxford.

On behalf of AWG, Prof. Wool has been a central actor in the development, negotiation, and national ratification and implementation of the Cape Town Convention (CTC). He chaired the group that prepared the initial draft of the Aircraft Protocol, chairs the International Advisory Board for the CTC’s International Registry, and is the director of the Cambridge – UNIDROIT CTC academic project. He leads global projects promoting and assessing ratification of, and compliance with, CTC. He is responsible for AWG CTC compliance index (CTC compliance index). Prof. Wool also coordinates AWG’s on-going role in the Global Aircraft Trading System (GATS), a fully electronic platform for the transfer of aircraft subject to leases. He is coordinating AWG’s assessment of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) geared to the context of Aviation financing and leasing. Prof. Wool is the AWG point on its activities relating to COVID-19.

Mr. Richard Hakes
Partner, Reed Smith LLP;
Global Chair, Transporation Industry Group.

Mr. Richard Hakes is a Partner in Reed Smith's Asset Finance Team, based in their London office. He focuses his time on opportunities in the Shipping and Aviation sectors. His practice focuses principally on working with hedge funds and private equity funds and alternative investment platforms, as well as with special situations groups both in the US and in Europe. 

Richard has acted for major international banks, funds, arrangers, export credit agencies, lessors, ship owners, airlines, private equity investors, charterers, private individuals and builders and manufacturers across the full spectrum of Shipping and Aviation deals.

He has extensive experience in a wide range of structured and large-scale cross-border transactions, including in export credit agency related matters, commercial debt finance, Islamic finance, Japanese operating leases, tax lease structures, pre-delivery payment finance, operating leases, individual asset and portfolio sales and purchases, securitisations, capital markets products, joint ventures and restructurings.

Ms. Priya Mehra
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Akasa Air.

Ms. Priya Mehra is the General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Akasa Air. Priya has an extensive experience in private practice where she advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity transactions, government privatizations, capital markets and general corporate advice.

Till recently, she was the in-house General Counsel of IndiGo, where she was part of the Executive Committee apart from being a member of the Compliance Committee. Prior to joining Indigo, Priya worked with Gibson Dunn’s Singapore office where she helped build the India practice for close to 8 years. Before her stint at Gibson Dunn, she worked with Jones Day in Singapore a position she took after working for five years at AZB & Partners in India.

Priya is a post-graduate in Law from the University of Delhi and is dual-qualified to practice law in India, England & Wales. Priya was recognised as “Woman Lawyer of the Year – In-House” for 2021 by Asian Legal Business.

Collaborators

NALSAR University of Law Hyderabad

Universiteit Leiden

University of Delhi

ReedSmith

Aviation Working Group (AWG)

Link Legal (currently Dentons Link Legal)

Ministry of Civil Aviation

All India Law Student Federation

Akasa Air

Click here for the event brochure

Participation certificates will be provided to all the registered attendees.

Student/ participant to submit an analysis on one of the topics addressed by the Workshop Speakers by March 4th, 2022.

For any queries, contact us.

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