Simone M. Riley

Simone M. Riley concentrates her practice on aviation finance, leasing, and complex cross-border transactions. She represents airlines, lessors, lenders, financial institutions, investors, and other aviation industry participants in connection with the acquisition, sale, financing, leasing, and refinancing of aircraft and aviation assets.

With substantial experience in both domestic and international transactions, Simone advises clients through all stages of sophisticated aircraft finance and leasing matters, including sale-leaseback transactions, portfolio acquisitions and dispositions, secured and unsecured financings, operating and finance leases, and restructurings. She is particularly experienced in navigating the commercial, regulatory, and jurisdictional issues that arise in cross-border aviation transactions, helping clients achieve practical and efficient business solutions.

Prior to joining Smith Gambrell & Russell, Simone was a shareholder in the Global Transportation Finance Group at Vedder Price P.C., where she focused on international sale, leasing, and financing transactions in the aviation industry.

Simone received her undergraduate degree in Social Work from New York University, where she graduated with Dean’s Honors and was a Founder’s Day Scholar.  She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.  During law school, she was Editor-in-Chief of the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice and a judicial extern for the Honorable A. Wallace Tashima of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Outside of the aviation industry, Simone is passionate about providing pro bono legal representation in conjunction with non-profit legal aid organizations to help finalize adoptions out of the foster care system. 

Simone's Practice