Aviation attorneys in Texas are being encouraged to join in a campaign to petition the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) to create a new specialty area in Aviation Law.
Currently only Florida recognizes Aviation Law as a specialty that merits board certification for members of the bar who demonstrate experience and proficiency in the field of aviation law.
Texas bar rules require that a minimum of 100 attorneys sign a form advising the State Bar of their support and recommendation that aviation law become a specialty area recognized by TBLS.
Jad Stepp, an attorney in Houston who practices primarily in the defense of aviation-related litigation, and Mark Pierce of Austin, who chairs the State Bar of Texas Aviation Law Section and is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law, are leading the effort to collect evidence of the requisite attorney support and to develop the standards for the proposed aviation law certification area.
Creating the Aviation Law specialty area is a priority of the Aviation Law Section of the Texas bar for 2017-2018. Once the required forms petitioning TBLS are submitted, Mark Pierce as Chair will continue to work with the board to set up the board certification process and to address any concerns of members, TBLS, or the public.
According to TBLS (www.tbls.org), within the Texas legal community, board certification means an attorney has substantial, relevant experience in a select field of law as well as demonstrated, and tested, special competence in that area of law. There are more than 100,000 attorneys licensed to practice in Texas. Only 7,300 are Board Certified.
Aviation attorneys supporting the drive to create the new Aviation Law specialty area believe that board certification will give the public and potential clients confidence that the lawyers they hire have the “special competence” required for this highly technical and highly regulated field of law.
Texas attorneys with aviation law experience and an interest in the application are encouraged to contact Mark Pierce at 512-308-6734.
—by Mark Pierce © 2018
