Founded

2017

Headquarters

Olathe, Kansas

Key People

Michelle Wade, founder/partner; Lori McGee, partner

Number of Employees

3

Phone Number

(913) 777-4538

Website

Jetstream Aviation Law

Jetstream Aviation Law

A certified Women’s Business Enterprise located in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, Jetstream Aviation Law provides legal services related to aircraft sales, registration, operation, and taxes.

After graduating from Northwestern University with a doctor of law degree in 1988, the company’s founder, Michelle M. Wade, began her legal career as a commercial real estate attorney. She worked for various firms, including Bryan Cave (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner), where she gained experience in international business acquisitions, sales, and financing. 

In 1996, Wade joined with attorney and author Kent Jackson to form Jackson & Wade, a Kansas law firm that provided counsel and support on aviation regulatory issues. As the practice grew, Wade focused on acquisition, financing, and leasing transactions for business aircraft. In addition, she frequently worked with corporate flight departments on internal and external compliance, liability, and tax issues. She also wrote articles for various publications on aircraft acquisition as well as aviation-related legal and regulatory compliance topics. The company became a Professional Development Program provider for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in 2013, offering courses in compliance, documentation, and human resources.

A little more than 20 years after joining Jackson’s firm, Wade left to found Jetstream Aviation Law in Olathe, Kansas, in 2017, taking legal assistant Melissa Gowin with her. (Jackson & Wade was subsequently renamed JetLaw and has headquarters in Washington, D.C.)

Specializing in domestic and international business jet transactions, Jetstream provides legal advice on cross-border acquisitions and consults with corporate flight departments on structuring ownership and operations to comply with FAA regulations. Other services include tax planning, aircraft registration and owner trust assistance, compliance reviews, and legal documentation.

In 2019 Lori McGee joined Jetstream as a partner. McGee began her legal career working as a law clerk with Wade before pursuing her own juris doctor degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. After graduating, she worked as an attorney for Jackson & Wade from 2005 to 2014. McGee was named an NBAA Top 40 Under 40 recipient in the Business Management category in 2020.

Wade is a frequent speaker at aviation events, including the NBAA Tax, Regulatory & Risk Management Conference, Women in Aviation conference, and International Aircraft Transactions Conference. She became a member of the Forbes Business Council in 2020.