Richard F. Burke, Jr., is an experienced aviation attorney who has worked on numerous small plane crash cases on behalf of families both in the Chicago area and around the country. For example, he represented a co-pilot and passenger involved in a plane that crashed during take-off at a suburban airport, Palwaukee. Following years of depositions and exploration, Mr. Burke tried the case of the co-pilot against the corporation that owned the plane. Following a trial that resulted in a hung jury, he tried the case again for another four weeks and received a $10.45 million verdict, the jury finding the airport 90 percent at fault for failing to provide a safe terrain alongside the runway. Involving that same crash, he earlier obtained at $13.5 million settlement on behalf of a passenger killed in that Gulfstream IV plane. In May, 2002, Mr. Burke obtained a $6.8 million verdict as a result of the crash of a Piper aircraft in northwest suburban Schaumburg that was recognized as the Verdict of the Week in the National Law Journal. He also obtained a settlement of $4.2 million for the family of a business executive killed when a chartered plane crashed during a fishing expedition in a remote area of Canada.

Richard Burke concentrates much of his practice on product liability cases which include aircraft crashes, sport utility vehicle rollovers and truck collisions. It is meticulous, intensive work, and aviation litigation often requires his kind of perseverance. Mr. Burke learned his craft as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County for 12 years. He rose up the ranks among his peers to supervise felony trials. Clifford Law Offices is proud of Richard Burke and his dedication to the profession and to his clients.

Richard Burke, partner at Clifford Law Offices, is an experienced Chicago aviation attorney. With extensive work on cases as a small plane crash attorney, Mr. Burke's perseverance in aviation litigation is well-respected within the firm. As an aviation lawyer who understands product liability, he's an asset to the aviation law team, and to our clients.