Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Any Lawyer/Pilots on board?

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

chperplt

Registered User
Joined
Nov 25, 2001
Posts
4,123
I'm thinking about going to law school. I don't necessarily want to practice law, but I would like the education. I think with my Masters in accident investigation/aviation safety, an education in law might be of great help in consulting work, or possibly working for a law firm in that capacity.

Are there any accredited law schools that offer on-line classes? Would I be setting myself up to fail by taking these type of courses out of the classroom?

Thanks
 
use for Lawyers in aviation?

judging by how much it costs to make an airplane and sell it. a whole helluva lot i'd say. 1/2 of what you pay to buy a piston single is all insurance for the manufacturer on that single airplane. It crashes and the widow sues Cessna for 150 million. Remember what drove Piper out of business? thats why cessna initially quit building them in 1983. (or was it 86?) its why a new 172 is over $100k

this was why they introduced the 15 year law...or 18 year law on that sort of legal action. absolving the aircraft and manufacturer after a certin time period from any implications.

However i believe theres plenty of suing going on in aviation. of mechanics. of FBO's. of engine shops. of people who owe these shops money. consulting fees. translating their company information into legal-eeze speak so everyone gets screwed on their new airline contract. etc. theres alot i would imagine. so the plane gets an overhaul and then crashes from a faulty oil pump...hmmm just prove its all the engine guys fault and you get all the companies money. or at least the money from the companies insurance.

Good luck.
 
The only online law school that I know of is Concord Law School. It is owned by Kaplan, the test prep company. Only problem is that you can only sit for the California bar upon completion and it is not accredited.
 
I'm no lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

Here's a few links for schools that offer an online/correspondence course law degree. Completing the program there will allow you to sit for the CA Bar only. I'm in the same type of situation, i'd like to attend law school, but being an airline pilot that commutes doesn't make it possible.

http://www.scups.edu/College/School_of_Law.asp

the above link also has a list of other schools and their cost, bar pass rates, etc. You can do a search on the other schools to view their websites it interested in gaining more info.

www.nwculaw.edu/index.shtml

This one has a good pass rate and is one of the least expensive.

Good luck!
 
Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama; Class of 1994.

Never took the bar. I started flying for the firm I clerked for, and worked that into several free-lance clients. My senior year I flew 500 hours. After I graduated, one took me on full time.

It was a great way for me to have something to do during the last slump, I guess. The first year I wasn't allowed to hold any part-time job, so there's that.

My plan was to graduate and then form a charter company. By the time I got out, I just enjoyed the flying part too much. I didn't want to run a business too.

Consulting for firms would be ok and kind of fun (I am an ALPA AI), but practicing part-time would be too much for me. "The law is a jealous mistress." The CEU's alone would keep you occupied two weeks a year. And liability - lawyers get sued too.

PM any questions. The school was a b!tch and it was a good thing I was younger then. The first year was 16 hour days for months. Go read "One L" by Scott Turow.
 
I've also been considering law school, but I want to work in aviation in some aspect. I've found very little information about "aviation law". Any schools more geared to such a thing or firms to target after graduation? Some one on this board should have that kind of information, this is where the great minds meet!!! :D Or at least some that think they are great minds!!!!!!!!! lol!!!!!!
 
Aviation law

That was my plan originally when I started paralegal school nine years ago. As a pilot and flight instructor, I thought that I could be valuable to an aviation lawyer. Perhaps - but I found only one or two aviation law practitioners here. One was a sole practitioner who really didn't need any help. The other one never returned my calls or responded to my resumes (typical aviation :( ). So, I turned to other areas of law.

With the exception of Yodice & Associates in Washington, D.C., I don't believe that there are many sizeable aviation law firms. There just isn't the business. Aviation law is really a niche or boutique practice and is not really a mainstream practice.

I don't know for sure how one establishes an aviation law practice. I suspect that one begins by getting a job as counsel with the FAA or NTSB. You learn the ropes and make the contacts, and then hang your shingle. Compare to becoming an ADA or PD for a few years and then starting a criminal defense practice.

Finally, don't be fooled by the "Aviation Law" subheading in the yellow pages. The term "aviation law" means many things to many people. I learned through experience that these are primarily lawyers who litigate aviation accident claims.

Hope that helps. Good luck with law school, if you go in that direction.
 
I'm not a lawyer, my wife is. Her starting pay in ATL was $110K per year. After her 6th year at the firm it was $150K per year plus bonus and great benies. The partners were making $250K to over $1,000,000 per year. Go to law school, but why would you then want to work for pilot pay when you can make great money practicing law. After a few years you can buy an airplane and fly it all you want.
 
bobbysamd said:
With the exception of Yodice & Associates in Washington, D.C., I don't believe that there are many sizeable aviation law firms.

Not quite true. I'm a member of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association (www.lpba.org), although I don't practice aviation law, and there are some pretty heavy hitters there. There's also an NTSB Bar Association. (www.ntsbbar.org)

But you're right that it is a boutique practice area. Like other areas of law, aviation has it small solo practitioners and mid-sized and large groups. A number of practitioners are involved in aviation accident law and part of a larger personal injury practice. And like many small specialized practice areas, can be difficult to get into.

Here's an example of an aviation firm. www.speiserkrause.com. Look through the attorney profiles. Their backgrounds may give you some idea what theses kinds of firms are looking for.
 
I am an aviation defense attorney who practices in the area of accident litigation. I graduated law school in 1994, worked in a large law firm for several years and then transitioned to aviation law after obtaining several pilot certificates and ratings.

If you really want to practice law, then go for it, but I would discourage you from spending the time, money and energy on law school if you are not serious about actually practicing law. Further, correspondence law degrees are not looked upon with favor in the legal profession. You actually have to attend live classes with real people, although part time or night can be okay. I do not believe that a law degree is necessary background for assiting lawyers in accident investigation or consulting. Lawyers know the law (or think they do) and hire people to help them with technical issues such as accident reconstruction and testifying as to the duties and responsibilities of airline pilots, CFIs, etc.

SMU Law School in Dallas publishes an aviation law journal. The LPBA, as mentioned by a poster above, is also a great resource.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions.
 
Aviation law

bobbysamd said:
With the exception of Yodice & Associates in Washington, D.C., I don't believe that there are many sizeable aviation law firms. There just isn't the business. Aviation law is really a niche or boutique practice and is not really a mainstream practice.
I've gathered from the comments following mine that we're talking about establishing a legal practice devoted to helping pilots deal with the FAA. Perhaps I need to clarify.

I don't believe that there are all that many large firms that practice strictly in that area of law. But there are plenty of plaintiffs' firms that litigate claims arising from aviation accidents and plenty of insurance defense firms that defend them. These plaintiffs' firms are also likely to litigate claims from motor and train accidents as well.

Hope that helps some more.
 
Who was the lawyer for Bob Hoover for his Medical/FAA issue?
Bailey? or Riley? or something like that?.....i cant remember.
 
F. Lee was hoover's lawyer. I think the two of them are pretty chummy.

When Hoover's shrike was busted for a while, I saw him do his routine in F. Lee Baileys personal Shrike. It was a trip.

now, why Bailey wasn't using a Bailey Bullet, I'll never know--that was right about when he was making those...

Dan
 

Latest resources

Back
Top