Routinely mandated by aerospace manufacturers, Cooley LLP‘s aviation litigation practice acts in major accident litigation cases, such as fatal air crashes and wrongful death claims; and the group’s caseload is frequently multi-jurisdictional cases when clients’ aircraft are involved in major accidents across the world. ’With very good knowledge of the aviation industry’, the team also assists air carriers (as their liability and emergency response counsel); represents airports and fixed-base operators in high-stakes airport disputes; and acts in cases involving unmanned flights. The litigation practice further benefits from the firm’s experience in both National Transportation Safety Board investigations and contested matters against the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Authority, which involve regulatory compliance and international air authority issues. William O’Connor acts across the full range of aviation litigation from San Diego; and in Washington DC, Parker Erkmann‘s aviation disputes practice focuses on antitrust, competition and regulatory work.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Top-notch team - available, responsive, and with very good knowledge of the aviation industry. When clients have issues in the US, they are the ones they contact.’
‘William O'Connor is the person clients enjoy working with as he is a fierce litigator in addition to being pleasant to work with.’
Key clients
- JetBlue
- MD Helicopters
- Town of East Hampton
- Textron
Work highlights
- Representing JetBlue Airways Corporation in the US Department of Justice’s lawsuit, seeking to block the merger of JetBlue and Spirit, and in a private action challenging the merger.
- Representing MD Helicopters, Inc. before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in relation to a helicopter crash in Oso, Washington.
- Representing Town of East Hampton in a series of disputes, arising from the town’s efforts to regulate its municipal airport in response to community concerns.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
William O’Connor