Aviation Attorney – A Unique History Of Work And Educational Experience

All attorneys need an extremely complicated set of skills in order to be successful and victorious; however, an aviation attorney needs all the skills of any other lawyer plus a very unique history of work and educational experience. Aviation lawyers not only need to be well versed in the typical legal techniques and linguistics, but must also be able to apply that knowledge to the complicated field of aviation law. Therefore, a working knowledge of both private and commercial aviation is required. This necessitates either a strong educational background in commercial flight or direct experience in the flight industry.

Aviation law deals with the legal ramification of commercial, private, and cargo flight accidents, litigation, and assessing and assigning liability where appropriate. While this sounds like an easy enough process, it is far from easy and can be difficult and contentious. Take for example a commercial aircraft that skids off of the runway during takeoff. The airplane in question may have skidded off of the runway because of a mechanical failure - the brakes, wheels, or landing gear did not function properly in which case the manufacturer, the maintenance team, or the airline company may be held liable. If the weather were bad, then the airport authority or the flight tower operator may be held accountable for operating the plane in unsafe circumstances. Finally, the plane may have skidded off of the runway because the pilot or flight team made a mistake in which case the pilot could be held directly accountable.

In order to sift through all of these possibilities for even a simple accident where there is little damage or no injury takes an incredible amount of patience, commitment, and specific knowledge of aviation terminology, physics, and procedural experience. An aviation attorney has usually had some past experience with flight and could have been a commercial pilot in the past. Several lawyers are still currently licensed pilots and fly private planes in their free time. This experience helps a successful lawyer sort through the minutia of the data quickly and efficiently thereby assigning fault and liability more accurately.

Of course not all aviation lawyers were commercial pilots or have a private piloting license. Lawyers that do not have direct piloting experience must find an alternative way to gain the required knowledge that years of experience can earn them. This alternative way is usually through education. Many aviation attorneys, in addition to a law degree which all lawyers have to have, have an additional advanced degree in a field related to flight. These degrees could be in the field of aeronautical engineering, flight design, or flight dynamics. All of these fields help to prepare an individual for the complicated terminology used when trying to sort out an aviation accident.

Aviation law is a complicated legal field. A successful aviation attorney has be well versed in the complex and intricate processes that happen thousands of time a day across the nation at local airports in order to quickly and effectively assign liability where appropriate. In order to do these a lawyer must not only understand the legal aspects of the situation, but the aeronautical aspects of it as well. He or she can do this by either having direct experience as a pilot or through additional education I a related field.