Howard E. Turner is Counsel in the Corporate Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP and a member of the Firm’s Global Transport Practice.
Mr. Turner has over 30 years of personal experience representing airlines, aircraft lessors and financiers, parts manufacturers and engine overhaul facilities. He also has extensive corporate and M&A experience having represented a number of publicly and privately held manufacturing and healthcare clients and public boards in a variety of acquisition, sale and financing contexts.
Mr. Turner has served as principal outside counsel for a number of major airlines in the United States and Latin America as well as representing various U.S., European and Latin American airlines and aircraft lessors in connection with a wide variety of domestic and cross-border aircraft financing transactions. He is highly regarded for being both practical and an innovator in aviation law matters. Among other things, he has acted as lead counsel for major U.S. airlines in numerous airline mergers and alliances as well as virtually every type of aircraft acquisition and financing transaction.
Mr. Turner has served on the Aircraft Finance Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee of the ABA and lectured on aircraft finance and aviation law matters at various aviation law and industry meetings. In addition, he is the author of articles on aircraft leasing and financing and formerly served as a director of an aircraft leasing company. He has been recognized as one the world’s leading aviation lawyers being named to the Best of the Best listing among the Best 25 Aviation Finance Lawyers in the United States in a survey by Experts Guide and to The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2005-2012 and the International Who’s Who of Aviation Lawyers 2012 published by Law Business Research.
Mr. Turner earned his law degree at the University of Georgia where he was editor-in-chief of the Georgia Law Review and first honor graduate in his law school class.