Amy Karnikian is a seasoned aviation attorney and serves as counsel in the Aviation Group. Amy’s practice focuses on business and commercial aircraft, general aviation transactions, aviation regulatory compliance, and advising clients on emerging technologies such as unmanned aircraft systems (Drone/UAS) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

She advises high-net-worth individuals, Fortune 500 corporate flight departments, and airlines on operating structure matters such as leasing, timeshare and fractional ownership agreements, and the sale and purchase of aircraft. Amy also advises investors on the regulatory impact of investment in aviation-related businesses or those that own and/or operate aircraft.

Amy previously served as senior associate at a major law firm, where her practice focused on commercial aircraft sales, leasing, finance, restructuring, and a variety of other cross-border transactions. Her clientele included aircraft lessors, financial institutions, and airlines. During her tenure at that firm, she led the negotiations of high value sale-leaseback and financing transactions spanning various jurisdictions, aircraft maintenance contracts with OEMs and MROs, lease novations in connection with sale and purchase transactions, and various other corporate and transactional matters in the aviation space.

In addition to her work at that firm, Amy spent a year as a secondee at Amazon, where she supported the Global Amazon Air cargo business on a wide range of matters.

Amy earned her J.D. with a concentration in Corporate Law from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles and her B.A. in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to her legal career, she worked for a leading aircraft lessor, where her passion for aviation took root.