Overview
For more than two decades, Wilson Elser has been at the forefront of aviation law, with a focus on high-profile disaster cases arising out of airline and general aviation accidents. Clients rely on our ability to handle matters from the very start to and through trial. They also have come to expect real advice and decisiveness from our practice attorneys borne out of vast related experience and a thought process mirroring the intensity and precision that define this industry. In today’s world of aviation, there’s no time for a learning curve and no substitute for backbone.
Clients have come to expect real advice and decisiveness from our practice attorneys borne out of vast related experience and a thought process mirroring the intensity and precision that define this industry. In today’s world of aviation, there’s no time for a learning curve and no substitute for backbone.
We represent virtually every kind of commercial and general aviation interest, including manufacturers, airlines, airports, fixed-wing and helicopter operators, and ground-based services. We also serve as tort counsel of choice for one of the largest government contractors in the aviation field. For each of these segments, our attorneys are able to reduce complex narratives to their fundamental elements − often in terms that will be understood by lay juries − facilitating the litigation process and increasing the odds for successful resolutions.
As best suits our clients’ needs, our Aviation & Aerospace attorneys are able to draw on the vast resources of a large national firm. This is especially useful in complex, high-exposure cases requiring ready access to attorneys with intimate knowledge of product liability, operations issues, application of the law, motion practice, and trial preparation and strategy. Clients also appreciate our national footprint, allowing “on the ground” representation in virtually every national jurisdiction; experience in coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); our seasoned trial attorneys willing and able to take matters to court; and ready access to a carefully cultivated and vetted group of experts.
The practice maintains two teams, each offering its own suite of tactical services as needs arise:
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Helicopter Defense Team
Acknowledging the profound differences between rotorcraft and
airplanes − including their respective insurance exposures − Wilson Elser has a cadre of attorneys skilled in helicopter defense. Members of this team are accomplished at handling actions arising from helicopter accidents and disasters, and they understand the menacing repercussions for companies if these events are not properly managed from the outset. We include among our clients several of the nation’s leading EMS and tour helicopter operators. -
Airline Accident Emergency Response Team
This team comprises experienced attorneys whose representation of three of the four major domestic airlines and knowledge of applicable law allow them to deal with the complexities associated with NTSB investigations, e-Discovery and document management, family assistance and the litigation inevitably arising in the aftermath of airline accidents.