I'm just back from the first meeting of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association since early March of 2020.  This great organization, which I was honored to serve as president, is dedicated to training lawyers in aerospace law and strengthening the ties among them.  We met in an unlikely place: Norfolk, Virginia.  Despite some hot and humid weather it turned out to be a terrific place for a meeting, Hurricane Henri notwithstanding.

Norfolk is a military town, home to the US Navy's main east coast base.  It's a friendly city, where strangers say hello on the street.  The town's waterfront is dominated by the now retired battleship USS Wisconsin, pictured above.  Armed with 16" guns, Big Whiskey is an imposing sight.  She can put munitions on target from 23 miles away.  One projectile weighs 2700 pounds.  That's like launching a small car --- one that explodes --- at an adversary.

We had nine talks on various aspects of aviation law.  Day 1 included a roundup of FAA and NTSB regulations and enforcement practices, a sobering look at little known risks of using corporations and LLC's to own aircraft, and a lawsuit involving a crash at a remote mountain airstrip owned by the government.

Day 2 saw discussions of aircraft appraisals --- a mundane but critical component of aircraft purchases and financing, legal considerations of owning and maintaining a personal runway for private use --- there are more of them than you might think, and an update on the rapidly changing field of drone law.

Day 3 wound up with fascinating detours into the rules and ethics of warfare (aerial and ground-based), the basics of Title IX law, and ethics.

Having put programs like this together personally, I can tell you how valuable the information is, especially in a narrow field like aerospace, and how much work it takes to do it well.  The speakers this year were uniformly excellent and generated many follow-up questions and spirited discussion. 

Our next few posts will look into some of these subjects in greater detail. 

LPBA's next meeting will be in the winter of 2022, and I can't wait to go back.

Experienced Aviation Law Attorney You Can Trust

Aviation law is a highly complex area, so it’s vital that you choose an attorney with the skills and experience to handle your specific legal concern. Aviation Law Attorney Frank Steinberg inherited his passion for flying from his father and has been an airplane fanatic his entire life. He earned his private pilot license at 19, followed by a commercial pilot's certificate, instrument rating, and multi-engine rating. He’s served as president of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, chairman of the New Jersey Aviation Association, and president of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition. Major media publications such as The New York Times have turned to his expertise in interpreting aviation law.

In addition to his hands-on experience with aviation, Frank has been serving clients since 1994. His practice is devoted to finding personalized solutions to each client’s unique problem, so you can count on Steinberg Law, LLC to help you determine the best way to move forward. Contact us today to request a free case review.

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