As we near the 20th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, we will hear how the determination of the victims’ families to pursue justice brought change to a terrorist regime. As always, our program will include a presentation on Recent Developments, and we will hear from General Counsel of several large airlines and their insurers. We will hear what concerns them today and how the current economic climate is effecting their operations. We will also get to sharpen our practice skills by learning what truly impacts jurors’ decision-making and gain knowledge on how to deal with electronic discovery issues.

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This year, the TIPS Aviation and Space Law Committee’s annual conference will be held October 26th and 27that the Downtown Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC. October is slated to bring us a welcome respite from this summer’s oppressive heat, and we invite you to join us in the Nation’s Capital for the beautiful Fall colors and pleasantly cool weather.

The last several years have seen extreme changes in the area of Aviation Law, and this year’s program will focus on some of these changes and what they mean to the future. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the broader war on global terrorism have affected the U.S. and world economies, as well as the public and private aviation sectors. Domestic airline safety is at an all time high, moving litigation focus on foreign carriers’ overseas operations. The aviation insurance market has undergone significant changes both abroad and at home that have, and will, continue to affect all aspects of aviation practice. At home, as the stakes in high value litigations have risen, both plaintiffs and defendants have sought technology and techniques to better predict outcomes and more accurately assess risks and benefits of going to a jury. These shifts in the market bring changes to everyone in the practice of aviation law and make ripe for discussion what we may anticipate on the road ahead.

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The theme for this year’s conference is On the Horizon: Securing Safety, Insuring Fully and Litigating Fairly. Our faculty of leading practitioners will be addressing the changes which are taking place in the industry and how we can best prepare for and adapt to them. Experts in the field, from both the public and private sectors will be discussing issues which have come to the fore in recent years: the state of the insurance industry; gaps in coverage for war risk events; an update on security from TSA; aging aircraft issues; and litigating with a defendant in bankruptcy.

There will also be presentations on the recently implemented Air Carrier Access Act; trends and developments in electronic discovery; the impact of very light jets on general aviation; and the pros and cons of tort reform. Fine tune your practice skills by learning how to avoid the common mistakes made at the trial court level; and the ethical considerations involved in packaging a structured settlement.

We are also pleased to announce that our keynote luncheon speaker will be R. L. "Hoot" Gibson, who retired from NASA in 1996 as the Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations with five space shuttle missions under his belt, four as spacecraft commander. Gibson is presently a pilot for a major airline. In his spare time he participates in numerous flying events such as Oshkosh and the Reno Air Races. He has experience in over 50 types of civil and military aircraft, including the MiG 21. His achievements in aviation are quite impressive and we are honored that he has agreed to join us.

This program will provide you a great opportunity to ask questions of our distinguished speakers and panelists and to network with leading aviation practitioners from all over North America and Europe. It will also give you the chance to enjoy the culture and history of Washington, DC without the high temperatures and crowds of the summer. Visit the new Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, see the Space Shuttle Enterprise up close at the Udvar Hazy Air & Space museum, visit the recently unveiled World War II memorial, or take a stroll though colonial Georgetown.

October 21 - 22, 1999
The 1999 Aviation Litigation Seminar

After a rousing return to Washington, D.C. in 1998, the Aviation and Space Law Committee continued its tradition of sponsoring this 2-day seminar on the subject of aviation litigation.  In 1999, the seminar was held at The Hilton Washington Embassy Row, in Washington, D.C., which proved to be a great location for one of the year's premier aviation seminars.