Jonathan M. Epstein

Jonathan M. Epstein is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Holland & Knight. His aviation practice focuses on assisting clients in business aircraft transactions and the related structuring of business aircraft operations. He also represents commuter and charter air carriers on regulatory matters before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Mr. Epstein's commercial and regulatory experience includes:

• representing individuals and companies in the purchase and sale of business aircraft, and advising clients on how to structure aircraft transactions for tax planning purposes, loan documentation, and FAA regulatory compliance
• advising clients in structuring of private and corporate aircraft operations, including negotiating and drafting leases, charter management, joint ownership, time sharing, interchange, and pilot services agreements
• advising clients on fractional share purchases and resale
• representing clients before FAA in HAZMAT and Suspect Unapproved Parts investigations and civil penalty proceedings; and airport issues
• representing charter air carries on "operational control" issues before the FAA, and in restructuring charter management arrangements to comply with FAA requirements, including OPSPEC A008
• representing commercial aviation clients in proceedings before DOT including civil penalty proceedings and foreign air carrier exemption, citizenship reviews, code-sharing, and commuter air carrier authorization proceedings
• supporting air carriers and aerospace manufacturing companies involved in mergers and acquisitions with regulatory filings, aviation specific due diligence, and corporate structuring issues
• advising clients ranging from individual purchasers to large aerospace companies on U.S. Customs tariff and importation requirements, and on export issues ranging from licensing exports of aircraft under the International traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), to advising airlines on issues relating to U.S. embargoes
• advising unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers in meeting civil registration requirements and on radio spectrum/frequency issues, both domestically and abroad

Mr. Epstein's background also includes experience in international trade law, telecommunications law (primarily on satellite and spectrum allocation issues), liability and policy issues relating to commercial use of the Global Positioning System, and aviation related tort and contracts litigation.