K&L Gates hires Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer’s Philip Perrotta and Sidanth Rajagopal

The London office of K&L Gates LLP has hired Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP’s Aviation Finance Head Philip Perrotta and Partner Sidanth Rajagopal as Partners in its finance practice..Rajagopal and Perrotta will be moving with their team of associates..Perrotta joined Kaye Scholer in 2014 from Clyde & Co, where he was heading the Aviation practice. Rajagopal too joined Kaye Scholer in 2014, before which he was working in the Dubai office of Clyde & Co as an Equity Partner, as part of the Commercial Aviation Finance team. This was preceded by a stint at Clasis Law, a law firm he joined in 2011..A graduate of ILS Pune, Rajagopal has also worked at Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, and Economic Laws Practice for almost a year each..Both Rajagopal and Perrotta act for aircraft lenders, lessors, operators, and aviation businesses across the globe, primarily on secured debt and leasing matters..“Notwithstanding our sustained success to date, we continue to develop and grow business in aviation, one of the most dynamic of industrial sectors globally,” said Rajagopal..He added,.“Always looking to both explore the myriad opportunities that exist in aviation and have a positive impact, we were excited by K&L Gates, its impressive platform, and its group of like-minded colleagues who, operating as a genuine team across the firm’s extensive network of offices, have been active in the space for a number of years. We know each other well and look forward to working as part of that team.” .Tony Griffiths, administrative partner of K&L Gates’ London office, stated,.“With air traffic forecast to grow at 4.5 percent annually over the next 20 years, we expect there to be significant demand for passenger and, indeed, other types of aircraft in a wide variety of aviation markets around the globe and, consequently, the legal advice and business know-how surrounding the acquisition and leasing of these assets and related matters resulting from that trend. .With the arrival of this group, we are delighted to add the experience and capabilities of one of the leading aviation finance teams, representing the ideal fit for our existing global practice.” .Law firms Arnold & Porter and Kaye Scholler announced their combination earlier this month.