Biography • Aviation

After graduating at Leiden University, Berend Crans studied aviation law in London. He became a member of the Dutch Bar in 1977 and partner at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in 1984.

Since the early 1990s, Berend Crans has represented aircraft and engine lessors, financiers and export credit agencies in a variety of operational lease transactions, cross-border lease financing transactions and related transactions, such as aircraft lease portfolios, acquisitions and securitisations.

From 2005 to 2010 Berend Crans headed the firm's finance group. He now heads the firm's aviation industry group. He is a member of the editorial board of Air & Space Law, former chair of the aviation law committee of the IBA and a frequent speaker at conferences on aircraft finance. He is co-editor of Aircraft Repossession and Enforcement (published by Kluwer Law International, 2009 to 2010) and co-author of the Netherlands chapter. He is also co-author of the Netherland chapter in Getting the Deal Through: Air Transport. Berend is a guest lecturer on aircraft finance at the International Institute of Air & Space Law (Leiden University) and on structured finance at the University of Amsterdam. His expertise in finance and aviation is further recognised by Chambers, Legal 500 and Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, which states that 'Berend Crans is the dean of aviation law in the Netherlands. He focuses on transactional work and is a leading all-round aviation lawyer. He is the best for finance.'

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek NV is a leading Dutch law firm with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Brussels, London, New York and Singapore.

Other Practice Areas

Berend Crans also features in the following practice areas:

• Banking
• Project Finance