Tajamal Hussain Shah

A UK-qualified Barrister and Solicitor with extensive experience across private practice, multinational corporations, government finance, and digital technology. He has worked with DLA Piper, a leading international law firm, served as Area General Counsel at the UK multinational BAT plc, and held the role of Senior Legal Advisor at UK Export Finance.

He has particular expertise in high-value asset and aircraft finance transactions, including tax-driven and cross-jurisdictional financing structures. His experience includes structuring, negotiating, and drafting syndicated and bilateral loan agreements, finance leases, and leveraged lease arrangements, including Japanese, French, and German leveraged lease structures. He has advised on ECA-backed financings, operating and finance leases, sale and leaseback arrangements, loan facilities and complex security structures, including aircraft mortgages, assignments, guarantees and IDERAs.

His aircraft finance work has involved complex security and collateral arrangements, including aircraft mortgages, assignments of rentals, fixed and floating charges, liens, and related security structures. He also has extensive experience negotiating and drafting dry and wet leases, advising on return conditions, maintenance reserves, aircraft repossession at the end of lease terms, and default scenarios.

He has advised on residual value protection mechanisms through robust lease covenants and instruments such as residual value guarantees. His experience also includes Export Credit Agency-supported transactions, including structures designed to mitigate political risk and reduce funding costs. His aircraft finance experience includes advising on high-value aircraft acquisitions, leveraged lease structures, Islamic finance and securitisation of aircraft rental payments, as well as multi-jurisdictional financing and enforcement arrangements.

He has worked on transactions involving major international airlines and lessors, including Cathay Pacific, Air Canada, PIA, Malaysia Airlines, Emirates, Garuda Indonesia, Air Mexicana, Korean Airlines, ILFC, and GECAS, as well as major airlines, leasing companies and financial institutions across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

In addition to his transactional practice, he has significant compliance experience, covering data protection, sanctions, anti-money laundering, and corporate codes of conduct. He has held senior legal and compliance leadership roles across multinational, public sector and private practice environments.

More recently, he has expanded his expertise into digital technology, particularly artificial intelligence. As Chief Legal Officer at NADRA, he was involved in the launch of Pakistan's national digital identity initiatives and the Data Exchange Layer for national digital infrastructure. He has also advised a UK-based AI company developing products for the medical sector.

Tajamal advises on corporate and commercial transactions, joint ventures, governance, regulatory compliance and risk management, bringing a commercially focused approach to complex international transactions.