Rob is an internationally renowned aviation lawyer. He has focussed upon the world of, and law relating to, aviation throughout his legal career. This has consisted of practice at leading aviation sets at the London Bar from 1990 until 2017 - 5 Bell Yard and latterly Quadrant Chambers, followed by 9 years as a partner at the world’s foremost aviation law firm, Clyde & Co LLP, including 3 years as chair of its Aviation Global Practice Group, and then his return to Quadrant as from February 2026.
Rob has broad experience in the aviation sector with regard to: air carrier liability (including attritional and major loss); regulatory and licensing issues (including ownership & control); carrier-original equipment manufacturer, product liability, ground handling, finance & leasing (wet and dry), slots and general intra-industry commercial disputes; inquests; insurance coverage; and contractual, treaty & statutory interpretation. In addition to advocacy and advisory work, from time to time he also acts as an arbitrator and as a mediator (for which he holds CIArb accreditation).
Rob has acted and advised in many of the most notable aviation related disputes with an English or English law nexus that have arisen over the last three decades. Whilst at Clyde & Co he also acted in and managed aviation related disputes, including litigation, in many other jurisdictions around the world (both common and civil law). He has been named:
- Hall of Fame – Aviation, Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2026
- a ‘Global Elite Thought Leader’ by Lexology in both contentious aviation and aviation regulatory for 2025 & 2026 (and previously by Who’s Who Legal - Transport in the same categories for 2024 & 2023 and in contentious aviation for 2022)
- a ‘Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer’ for 2025
- Aviation Law – London Lawyer of the Year 2023 by Best Lawyers
- Transport: Individual (London) of the Year 2020 by Legal 500
- Aviation – Regulatory Lawyer of the Year 2020 by Who’s Who Legal
- one of the 10 most highly regarded individuals in the world for contentious aviation by Who’s Who Legal, 2014
He has also been acknowledged as a leading aviation lawyer by Chambers & Partner’s Guide to the UK Legal Profession, The Legal 500, Expert Guides to the World’s Leading Aviation Lawyers, Legal Experts, Best Lawyers in United Kingdom, International Who’s Who of Aviation Lawyers, Lexology Index: Transport, Who’s Who Legal: Transport, The Lawyer and Airline International’s Aviation Counsel. In his first stint at the Bar he was also recognised in independent directories as a leading practitioner in Travel, International Arbitration, Product Liability and Professional Discipline.
Rob has published several works on air law and speaks regularly on the international air law conference circuit on a wide variety of aspects of aviation law, to date including at events organised by the International Civil Aviation Organization, International Air Transport Association, European Air Law Association, International Chamber of Commerce, UK Civil Aviation Authority, UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Leiden University, Luiss University and McGill University, amongst others.
He is Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and was Chairman of its Air Law Group from 2010 to 2016. He is also a fellow of the International Academy of Trial lawyers, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Executive Committee of the European Air Law Association and the Expert Committee of the Shanghai International Aviation Court of Arbitration.