Mary E. Comazzi

Co-Chair of the firm’s Aviation practice group, Mary has extensive experience structuring aviation transactions, including domestic and foreign-based aircraft purchases and sales, aircraft leasing agreements, timeshare and interchange agreements, joint and fractional ownership agreements, personal and executive use policies, FAA registrations, Cape Town Convention and International Registry matters, hangar rental and ownership arrangements, airport lease agreements, management and charter matters, and customs compliance.

Mary also helps clients craft, negotiate and document mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, joint ventures, and other complex commercial transactions in the aviation space. She assists clients in enforcement and protection of their intellectual property rights, with employment matters, and with export compliance issues. 

Mary spent nearly six years as in-house counsel with CHI Aviation, a Michigan-based helicopter services company. There, she developed, implemented and managed programs involving virtually all aspects of its business including human resources, import/export regulatory compliance, Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliance, and facility and employee security clearances. She also handled multifaceted corporate transactions, asset purchases and sales, contract review and negotiation, and finance-related matters.

When the stakes and goals are high, Mary leverages her natural determination with her in-house experience, attention to detail, ability to understand the intricacies of the matter at hand, and the client’s goals to work through a problem until she finds a solution.

Mary’s passion, outside of her practice, is her family and giving back to her community – focusing on the next generation. Her husband and her two children have been the impetus for Mary to volunteer her time and support two organizations that help children fighting devastating and life-altering afflictions and diseases, including the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.