Barry S. Alexander

Mr. Alexander serves as vice-chair of the firm’s Aviation Group. His practice covers all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts across the United States. His areas of focus include aviation law and litigation, product liability, insurance coverage, labor law and contract negotiation/litigation.

A frequent lecturer, Mr. Alexander has given multiple lectures and provided numerous seminars to manufacturers, airlines and insurers on various liability and regulatory issues. He also is an accomplished writer, having authored an article on airline liability for parental child abduction published in the SMU Journal of Air Law and Commerce, a chapter on the admissibility of expert evidence in federal court published in Litigating the Aviation Case, and a variety of articles on subjects including personal jurisdiction, tort reform, forum non conveniens and removal of Montreal Convention actions. He was the publications chair of DRI’s Aerospace Committee and editor of Skywritings, the Committee’s newsletter, between 2008 and 2011.

News & Publications

Education

Duke University School of Law, J.D., 1997
Cornell University, Industrial and Labor Relations, B.S., 1994

Bar Admissions

New York, 1998

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Clerkships

Honorable Sherrie L. Krauser, Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland

Other Distinctions

Listed in Who’s Who Legal: Transport 2018 in Aviation Regulatory and Aviation Contentious
Listed as Leading Aviation Attorney by Aviation Expert Guides 2014-present
Winner of the International Advisory Experts Award Litigation Lawyer of the Year in New York, 2017
Listed in The International Who’s Who of Aviation Lawyers (Transport: Aviation-Contentious, Transport: Aviation-Regulatory), 2016 and 2019
Noted as “New York Super Lawyer,” 2015-2018

Representative Matters

Aviation Law and Litigation

Responsible for day-to-day handling of product liability action against major general aviation aircraft manufacturer; drafted motions for summary judgment that led to favorable settlement prior to decision.
Obtained dismissal in district court of claims for tortious interference with employment and discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity on behalf of EL AL Israel Airlines, and successfully briefed and argued appeal before the Second Circuit.
Successfully obtained summary judgment that was upheld on appeal to Second Circuit of claims against Ethiopian Airlines arising out of foreign government’s confiscation of large amount of currency due to lack of proper Customs documentation.
First-chaired trial on behalf of aviation maintenance company; case settled during trial.
Second-chaired two trials on behalf of major global courier delivery services company.
Drafted amicus briefs for world’s largest airline trade association in multiple Federal Circuit Court/Supreme Court appeals.
Handled all aspects of wrongful death litigation against Fixed-Base Operator arising out of incident involving shipment of cargo dollies that fell onto truck driver.
Defended multitude of personal injury, premises liability and cargo claims throughout the United States for one of the United States’ largest overnight package delivery companies.
Handled all aspects of hundreds of passenger and cargo claims and lawsuits on behalf of approximately 50 domestic and foreign air carriers
Assisted with discovery, document review and motion practice with regard to several major airline disasters, including EgyptAir Flight 990 and Sibir Flight 778.

Product Liability

Defended overnight package delivery company in wrongful death action arising out of allegedly defective conveyor belt
Defended airline in action arising out of allegedly defective ground support equipment.
Responsible for day-to-day handling of litigation against aircraft component manufacturer arising out of the crash of a general aviation aircraft.
Attended inspections and advised major international manufacturer of electrical equipment with regard to product liability claims
Assisted with summary judgment briefing in litigation against major manufacturer of golf carts.

Insurance Coverage

Advise and represent insurer with regard to coverage issues and anticipated litigation arising out of crash of general aviation aircraft.
Drafted amicus brief submitted to Texas Supreme Court on behalf of Aviation Insurance Association in In re Deepwater Horizon litigation.
Advised clothing manufacturer and retailer with regard to insurance coverage issues arising out of multiple sexual harassment and discrimination claims.
Advise aviation insurance carriers with regard to variety of insurance coverage issues.

Insurance Defense/Labor Law

Defend variety of owners and contractors in labor law litigation arising out of construction in New York City.
Represents insureds in variety of premises liability actions.
Represent interests of excess insurer in relation to lawsuits with high exposures.
Defended owner/developer against lawsuits arising out of injuries to laborers during the construction of two buildings at JFK International Airport.
Defended general contractor against lawsuits arising out of injuries to laborers during construction of movie theater in New York City.

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