Brian Alexander has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Boeing 737 MAX litigation against Boeing and other defendants. For over two decades, he has litigated numerous international and domestic airline, commuter, military and general aviation crash cases, most notably as one of the lead attorneys for the September 11th Terrorist Litigation. After graduating from the United States Military Academy, Mr. Alexander served as a military helicopter and fixed wing pilot from 1985 to 1990. He is a graduate of the Army Aviation Accident Investigation Course and a licensed FAA commercial multi-engine airplane and helicopter pilot with instrument rating. He went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
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We do not accept anything at face value and will do whatever it takes to obtain the best results for our clients. That includes traveling the globe, questioning authorities and investing the time, money and expertise necessary to uncover the truth and win.
Brian completed flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama after receiving a B.S. degree from the United States Military Academy. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Notre Dame Law School where he received the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy, the Jessup International Moot Court Award and the American Jurisprudence Award for Trial Advocacy.
After joining Kreindler, Brian soon made partner and has litigated numerous international and domestic airline, commuter, military and general aviation crash cases. The aviation cases that he has litigated have resulted in significant awards, including several of the highest individual settlements in the United States. The McClendon v. First Tennessee Bank case yielded an $8 million jury verdict award — one of the largest in Tennessee history at the time. Brian led the effort litigating the Korean Air Flight 801 tragedy and was the lead examiner for the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) in numerous depositions of airline and FAA personnel. He was also a member of the PSC for the Singapore Flight 006 crash in which he briefed, argued and won a critical choice of law motion for the passengers which resulted in another notably large settlement. Brian has obtained successful settlements for military families against the manufacturers Bell and Boeing arising out of two MV-22 Osprey crashes.
Brian has resolved more than 35 cases arising from the China Air Flight 611 Boeing 747 crash. He vigorously pursued claims against both the airline and the manufacturer, Boeing, for their negligent maintenance and repairs on the aircraft. Among the settlements, Brian obtained the largest recovery for any case on the aircraft for a family from California. Additionally, he has represented the largest group of families in the United States litigation arising from the Boeing 737-300 Helios Airways Flight 522 crash near Athens, Greece.
Product liability cases are technically complex cases involving a wide range of aviation products including jet, turboprop and helicopter engines, avionics equipment, flight computers and flight control systems. Brian has successfully prosecuted numerous product liability cases against Sikorsky, Bell, Robinson and Eurocopter helicopters; Beech (Raytheon), Cessna, Cirrus, Mitsubishi and Piper general aviation aircraft; and Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Airbus, Bombardier, British Aerospace and other foreign manufactured commercial jet aircraft.
In addition to the multitude of aviation cases Brian has won, he was appointed by the Court as co-liaison counsel for the September 11th Litigation pending in the Southern District of New York where he briefed, argued and defeated the defendant’s motion to dismiss the 9/11 lawsuits.
Brian is an aviation expert and legal analyst for several television and radio shows including CNBC, NPR, BBC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN and The Today Show. Brian was interviewed by Mike Wallace for 60 Minutes about his efforts on Capitol Hill to address aviation safety. Brian lectures at ABA conventions and legal symposiums in both the United States and Canada and has authored numerous articles on aviation and product liability litigation. He is the co-editor of the American Bar Association (Torts and Insurance Practice Section) Air and Space Law Newsletter and is a co-author of the book Litigating the Aviation Case from Pre-Trial to Closing (ABA 1998). Brian is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Rutgers School of Law where he teaches a course on Aviation Accident Litigation.
