Aviation litigation presents distinct challenges to airlines, manufacturers and aerospace companies – your reputation for safety and reliability is on the line and you need counsel with specialized technical knowledge that can hit the ground running. Our team – which includes lawyers that are licensed commercial pilots as well as former counsel with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – not only has trial experience in complex aviation litigation, but are particularly knowledgeable in the field of aeronautics and familiar with the key technical, regulatory and legal issues involved.
Reed Smith’s Aviation Litigation team represents clients in their most sensitive and high-stakes cases, including multidistrict and class action litigation. We serve as counsel for commercial airlines and aviation manufacturers in the defense of all types of complex litigation claims, ranging from commercial disputes, to wrongful death and property damage cases. With broad experience extending from the defense of passenger injury claims, to high-profile commercial air crash cases, to aviation industry business disputes, Reed Smith has deep experience and a proven track record of success, including winning significant defense verdicts, appellate victories, and favorable settlements, and dismissing frivolous claims that can damage an airline’s or manufacturer’s reputation.
We regularly serve as counsel for aircraft and component products manufacturers in the defense of high-profile product liability claims stemming from mid-air collisions, weather-related crashes, stall/spin accidents, and other equipment failure in single-engine piston and multi-engine transport aircraft. Our team has handled cases involving virtually every aircraft system, including airframes, engines, avionics, electrical and hydraulics.
Additionally, we have broad experience in the legal doctrines, conventions and statutes that arise with regularity in the aviation context, including the Montreal Convention, the Airline Deregulation Act, the Federal Aviation Act, choice of law and federal preemption issues.
