Worldwide Aviation Accidents Lawyers - Essay Example

Retaining Counsel Team A James Anthony, Danelle Phipps, Scottie Benjamin, Stephen Antley, and Trina Jefferson LAW/531 December 4, Kathleen Butler Retaining Counsel Proposal introduction Team A Aircraft Component Manufacturing is a company that traditionally manufactured aftermarket aircraft parts and components that have been used as replacement parts. The company has never produced parts that were used as original parts on new aircraft. The company has recently been awarded a $50,000,000.00 subcontract to produce landing gear components for the next generation of commercial aircraft. Since the company has never retained outside counsel, the team needs to research and recommend a firm that can review the subcontract and serve as the companies counsel throughout the life of the contract. The following is the criteria that a firm should have for the fulfillment of the needs of the company for a general counsel. Criteria to be met Such a firm should have significant experience in high dollar manufacturing and product liability. Due to the many laws and regulations in the aviation industry, the firm should have experience and expertise in cases and litigation involving aviation and be thoroughly familiar with FAA regulations. Additionally, international experience in the same areas is critical. These criteria have been chosen due to the high sensitivity of the contract. The company has been awarded a $50,000,000.00 subcontract to produce landing gear components for the next generation of commercial aircraft. This contract is very important to the company and, therefore, must get the best law firm to review the contract. It is also because the company has neither had an in-house counsel, nor been involved in litigation and, thus, has never retained outside counsel. It is important the best counsel be retained for the review of the contract. Following the research and recommendation of outside law firms, the following was documented as the recommendation: Researched Law firms that meet the minimum teams criteria Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Represents Domestic and international aviation industry Provides broad range of aviation manufacturing and support services Addresses Aviation specific transactional, regulatory, risk and crisis management, litigation, and public law and policy issues. Aviation and FAA regulations support Note: I didn’t see anything to suggest that they specialize in Contracting and no specific mention of “high dollar” manufacturing Curry, Pearson & Wooten L.P.C Specializes in aviation accidents and aircraft crashes Note: Seems to specialize exclusively in aviation accidents. I didn’t see anything regarding the specific areas we are looking for. We will need to delete this one. Donahue Davies LLP Experience in aviation litigation including product liability claims involving aviation equipment Experience representing contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers in state and federal courts. Experience with commercial litigation matters including contracts disputes, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unfair competition, torts, and consumer finance. Represents distributors and manufacturers in lemon law, franchise, and warranty litigation. Note: Seems to meet all requirements except for international experience. I didn’t see any references to clients or activities outside the US. Blank Rome L.L.P Experience in contract and tort claims FAA policy experience Experience in governmental, investigative, and regulatory concerns Construction and product liability experience. Has successfully defended manufacturers of aircraft components. International litigation, defense, and arbitration Note: Seems to meet all our requirements Kreindler & Kreindler LLP. Experience in aircraft accident litigation Experience in torts and product liability Note: Another firm that focuses on primarily aircraft accident representation. There is nothing about manufacturing or contracts. We will need to delete this one. LeClair Ryan Manufacturing agreements Maintenance agreements Contract dispute resolution and litigation High dollar manufacturing International Experience Aviation experience Note: Seems to meet all requirements. Not clear if they have experience with FAA issues. McKenna Long Aldridge LLP Experience representing general Aviation Airport representation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Facilities representation Experience with aircraft and component manufacturing National Transportation Safety Board matters Federal Aviation Administration matters Risk counseling and insurance matters International Experience with contracts, predominately government contracts Note: Seems to meet all requirements. Bryan Cave Experience representing aviation manufacturers All stages of aviation litigation Product liability counseling FAA, NTSB expertise Represented major airlines Note: Seems to have all our requirements. Murray, Morin, & Herman, P.A. Experience in all aspects of aviation-related cases including: Manufacture of aircraft and component parts Aircraft and airline operations Aircraft maintenance Piloting Issues International Note: Seems to meet all requirements Pillsbury Experience in: Regulatory Matters Aviation Litigation Aviation Finance Aviation Security Aviation Insurance Aerospace Manufacturing Note: Meets all requirements Pilot Law Experience litigating aircraft accidents Experience in aircraft operations, maintenance, manufacturing, overhaul, and government compliance. Military experience International experience Note: Meets all requirements but is a relatively new firm with less contracting experience than we would probably want. Foley & Lardner LLC Experience representing legal, regulatory, financing, and contractual issues for public and private entities. Manufacturing representation experience. Global experience Note: Seems to meet all requirements. Sheppart Mullin Domestic and international experience. Experience representing aircraft manufactures. Extensive aviation litigation experience Note: Not a lot of information about contract experience except for Government experience. Jones, Skelton & Hochulis Aviation Law Group Experience representing manufacturers, airlines, and airports. Experts in all aspects of aviation law. Have handled cases for all aspects of aviation. Note: No mention of international experience. This firm seems to provide services to a wide range of clients. May not be specialized enough for our requirements Law firms that meet the criteria better than the other firms The following three law firms meet the criteria set for the required general counsel. Bryan Cave The firm seems to have all our requirements. The firm has an extensive list of awards and recognition including high honors for superior client service among law firms serving Fortune 1000 companies by BTI Client Service 30, 2015; and ranking in U.S News Media Group and Best Lawyers ‘Best Law Firms’ 2015. Additionally, 164 of the firm’s lawyers were recognized in the oldest lawyer-rating publications “Best Lawyers in America 2015”. A large majority of the firm’s aviation experience has been in product liability representation and counseling. They have provided product liability counseling to companies such as Boeing, Quest Aircraft, McDonnel Douglas Corporation and Garmin, and have represented clients manufacturing clients in cases involving airline accidents and wrongful death actions. Bryan Cave’s aviation law practice is well versed in the areas that the company is seeking and can provide the right mix of experience to make it one of our top three choices to represent our company. McKenna Long Aldridge LLP This firm seems to meet all requirements. McKenna Long Aldridge LLP is a world leader in aviation representation according to their website. They have represented clients in all areas Team A will need assistance in. They have extensive experience in both the Domestic and International arenas. McKenna Long Aldridge LLP does not provide a listing of clients, but it is evident that their firm has vast experience. Additionally, their many other practice areas will likely provide assistance in any areas Team A may encounter. Blank Rome L.L.P This firm seems to meet all our requirements. A nationally known aviation practice, Blank Rome has a great deal of experience with “public corporations, private companies, and government” and expertise that the company is seeking (Hankin, 2014). Blank Rome’s aviation experience lies not only with airlines and airports, but they also have experience representing aviation product manufacturers such as Garmin, Honeywell, Wollard Airport Equipment Company and Pratt and Whitney. The Firm’s well-rounded list of aviation and product liability experience coupled with their nationally known and high ranked status make Blank Rome L.L.P. one of learning company’s top three choices for legal representation of our company. The best law firm The best law firms that seem to meet all the requirements are Bryan Cave, McKenna Long Aldridge LLP, and Blank Rome L.L.P. However, since the team has been awarded a government contract, McKenna Long Aldridge LLP seems to be the best, wining law firm because of its wide experience with contracts which are predominately government contracts. They have represented clients in all areas Team A will need assistance in. In addition, they have extensive experience in both the Domestic and International arenas. However, the management can choose any of the three law firms stated above because each one of them meets the criteria set for the required general counsel. References Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. (2014). Transportation. Retrieved from http://www.akingump.com/en/experience/industries/transportation/index.html Curry, Pearson & Wooten L.P.C.. (2014). Aviation Law. Retrieved from http://www.airaccidentlaw.com/ Donahue Davies LLP. (2014). Product Liability. Retrieved from http://www.cddlaw.com/practice-areas/product-liability/ Hankin, A. W., & Soloman, E. D. (2014, November 25). Aviation. Retrieved from http://www.blankrome.com/index.cfm?contentID=14&itemID=211&viewType=5&viewFlag=3 Kreindler & Kreindler LLP. (2014). Worldwide Aviation Accidents Lawyers. Retrieved from http://kreindler1.reachlocal.com LeClair Ryan. (2013). Commercial Contracts. Retrieved from http://m.leclairryan.com/commercial-contracts-law-groups/ McKenna Long Aldridge LLP. (2014). Aviation and Transportation Law & Litigation. Retrieved from http://www.mckennalong.com/practices-399.html Morof, J. W. (2014). Bryan Cave Aviation Law Practice. Retrieved from http://www.bryancave.com/aviationlaw/ Murray, Morin, & Herman, P.A.. (2014). Aviation Defense. Retrieved from http://www.mmhlaw.com/representativeclients.htm Pillsbury. (2001-2014). Aviation, Aerospace & Transportation. Retrieved from http://www.pillsburylaw.com/aviation-aerospace-and-transportation Pilot Law. (2014). Aviation Law. Retrieved from http://pilotlawcorp.com/areas-of-practice/aviation-law/ Rothman, J. O. (2014). Foley & Lardner L.L.C. Airport and Aviation. Retrieved from http://www.foley.com/airport-aviation/ SheppartMullin. (2014). Aviation. Retrieved from http://www.sheppardmullin.com/industries-3.html Webworks, G. (2014). Jones, Skelton, & Hochuli, P.L.C.. Retrieved from http://www.jshfirm.com/AviationLaw Read More