Clifford Law Offices has Experienced Aviation Accident Lawyers

Clifford Law Offices is a Chicago law firm that regularly handles complex damage cases, including claims for aviation accidents, wrongful death and personal injury arising out of transportation, medical negligence and product liability claims.

Robert A. Clifford, Kevin P. Durkin and Brian Shallcross, aviation attorneys and partners at Clifford Law Offices, have experience with claims involving small aircraft similar to the Cirrus plane that was involved in the recent tragedy near Chicago where four people were killed when their plane crashed while operating on "visual flight rules."

Clifford Law Offices represented 15 of the 20 passengers who were killed aboard an American Eagle turboprop plane when it crashed Dec. 13, 1994, in Morrisville, North Carolina. The cockpit voice recorder of the Jetstream Super 31 turboprop captured conversations between the pilot and co-pilot when they spoke of a failure in one of the plane's two engines. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the error of the 29-year-old pilot of American Eagle Flight 3379 caused the plane to fall from an altitude of 1,400 feet.

Clifford Law Offices’ aviation attorneys are available for consultation given their experience in crashes and accidents involving large commercial jets, as well as turboprop planes. Robert A. Clifford and Kevin Durkin served as lead counsel in the Roselawn, Indiana air crash of a turboprop plane where the inadequacy of the pneumatic de-icing boot was a major issue.  Kevin Durkin traveled to France where the de-icing boot was developed, to take the depositions of the engineers of the device.  After that crash, the design of the pneumatic de-icing boot was changed to make it more safe. The firm represented the family of the only Canadian on board that plane. 

Clifford Law Offices' aviation accident lawyers are involved in air crash litigation around the world. The firm's highly experienced trial attorneys have successfully represented passengers and crew members involving commercial aviation litigation as well as private aircraft, corporate jets and helicopter crashes. Mr. Clifford and his firm have brought lawsuits against a number of major airlines and aircraft manufacturers involved in these tragedies in the last 25 years.

Aviation liability is a highly complex area of law that requires in-depth knowledge of many facets of aviation. Robert Clifford, Kevin Durkin and Richard Burke have deposed literally hundreds of aviation experts, NTSB officials, top airline executives and airline employees at aviation firms around the world in preparation for trial. The firm, in fact, hires experts from around the globe to help in its trial preparation work. Timothy Tomasik, partner at Clifford Law Offices, also is very active in this complex area of law. In addition to working round-the-clock on the World Trade Center property damage litigation surrounding the tragic 9/11 air crashes, he is handling the case involving the crash of the private jet that killed the younger son of NBC Sports Chairman, Dick Ebersol. A chartered Challenger jet crashed moments after take-off in November, 2004. His elder son dragged his dad out of the fiery plane. Initial National Transportation Safety Board reports indicated the plane's wings were not de-iced in the freezing weather.

Because aviation cases are complex, it's important to select an aviation accident law firm with a proven track record. To contact us via email fill out the form on your right with some details on your case and a convenient time for us to call. You can also call us toll free at 1-866-850-6777 or (312) 899-9090 if you are in the Chicago, Illinois area.

Depend on Our Aviation Accident Lawyers:

Robert Clifford and Kevin Durkin have been leaders in the field of aviation. Mr. Durkin has served as Co-Chair of the Aviation Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation for four years. They are frequent speakers on programs that attract attorneys, experts and airline executives. Lawyers from around the country turn to Clifford Law Offices for its vast experience and commitment to professionalism and excellence in pursuing these claims. Richard Burke concentrates much of his practice on product liability law which includes defects found in aircraft, often the cause of many large and small airplane crashes. It is meticulous, intensive work and Mr. Burke is a tremendous asset to the firm in his dedication and knowledge of this area of law.

Clifford Law Offices received national first-tier rankings in Plaintiffs' Product Liability Litigation in the 2010 U.S. News-Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" Guide. Thousands of clients and law firms were surveyed by U.S. News-Best Lawyers. This is the first time that a national ranking has been compiled and it was featured in the October print issue of U.S. News & World Report. Airplanes are considered a product and finding out what goes wrong with them is a complex issue. Robert Clifford, senior and name partner at the firm, was named the 2009 Best Lawyers' Top Personal Injury Attorney in Chicago. The firm also received Metropolitan First-Tier rankings in Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs' Product Liability Litigation and Plaintiffs' Medical Malpractice Law in what some have called the most comprehensive view of the U.S. legal profession. Thousands of law firms and clients were surveyed. Robert Clifford has been named a Best Lawyer since the publication's inception in 1983. Kevin Durkin and Keith Hebeisen, partners at the firm, were named Best Lawyers in the 2011 edition. Robert A. Clifford was selected in 2004 as one of the "five most respected and feared plaintiffs' attorneys" in the country by Corporate Legal Times, calling him "the best of the bad." The National Law Journal named Mr. Clifford's firm on the "Plaintiffs' Hot List: 20 Go-To Teams" in 2004 and one of the top 25 firms in 2003. The publication also named Robert Clifford one of the Top Ten Litigators in Illinois as well as one of the nation's Top Ten Litigators. American Lawyer Media recognized Mr. Clifford as one of the Top Ten Most Influential Lawyers in Illinois in 2000. He has consistently been voted by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America , and he was named one of Chicago's "30 Toughest Lawyers" by Chicago Magazine in 2002. He was selected to be a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group of 100 trial lawyers from around the country.

Clifford Law Offices is located in Chicago, Illinois, home of the busiest airport in the world.

For an experienced aviation accident attorney or airplane accident lawyer, contact Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, Illinois. Our attorneys are available for consultations. Please complete the form to the right or phone (866) 850-6777.