Brian J. Alexander

Brian J. Alexander received his undergraduate degree (B.S. Economics/Engineering) from the United States Military Academy in 1985. After completion of flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, he served as a helicopter and fixed wing pilot from 1985-1990. Mr. Alexander graduated from the Army Aviation Accident Investigation Course and is a licensed FAA commercial multi-engine airplane and helicopter pilot with instrument ratings.

Mr. Alexander received his Juris Doctor degree from Notre Dame Law School in 1993. While at Notre Dame, 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.

Mr. Alexander joined Kreindler & Kreindler in 1995 after having clerked for the Honorable Robert D. Potter, U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of North Carolina (1993-1995). Mr. Alexander became a partner in 2001.

Mr. Alexander has litigated numerous international and domestic airline, commuter, military and general aviation crash cases. Many of the aviation cases in which Mr. Alexander has been involved have had notable results, including several of the highest individual settlements in the United States. One such case, McClendon v.First Tennessee Bank, yielded an $8,000,000 jury verdict award, at the time one of the largest in Tennessee history.

Mr. Alexander led the effort in the litigation arising out of the 1997 crash of a Boeing 747 in Agana, Guam being operated as KAL Flight 801 and was the lead examiner for the PSC in numerous depositions of airline and FAA personnel.

He was a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) for the Singapore 006 crash in October 2000. In that case, he briefed, argued and won a critical choice of law motion for the passengers and obtained one of the largest settlements. He also handled the litigation arising out of two recent MV-22 Osprey crashes and obtained successful settlements for the military families against the manufacturers Bell and Boeing.

In 2002, Mr. Alexander was appointed by the Court as Co-liaison counsel for the September 11 Litigation pending in the Southern District of New York. He briefed, argued and defeated the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the 9-11 lawsuits.

Mr. Alexander resolved more than 35 cases arising from the 2002 crash of a Boeing 747 operating as China Air Flight 611. He vigorously pursued claims against both the airline and the manufacturer, Boeing, for their negligent maintenance and repairs on the accident aircraft. Among the settlements, Mr. Alexander obtained the largest recovery on the aircraft for a family from California.

Mr. Alexander also represented the largest group of families in the United States litigation arising from the August 14, 2005, crash of a Boeing 737-300, operating as Helios Airways Flight 522, near Athens Greece.

Mr. Alexander represented injured passengers against the airline and the FAA in litigation arising from the Continental Airlines Flight 1404 crash in Denver, Colorado in December 2008.

He represented passengers injured during the Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 landing overrun at Georgetown, Guyana in July 2011.

He presently represents passengers injured and three victims killed as a result of the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, 2013.

In addition, Mr. Alexander has prosecuted numerous aviation product liability cases. These 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. He has been involved in matters concerning Boeing, 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.

Mr. Alexander has tried cases in federal and state court and also argued and briefed appeals in the Second, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits.

Mr. Alexander has lectured 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). He is the former Chairman of the Aviation Section of the American Trial Lawyers Association and Vice Chairman of the American Bar Association Air and Space Law Committee.

Mr. Alexander has appeared on television and radio shows as an aviation expert and legal analyst, including CNBC, NPR, BBC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN and The Today Show. He was also interviewed by Mike Wallace of “60 Minutes” in connection with his efforts on Capitol Hill to address aviation safety.

Since 2006, Mr. Alexander has repeatedly been selected by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America and also as a New York Superlawyer.

Mr. Alexander is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Rutgers School of Law where he teaches a course on Aviation Accident Litigation.

• 1997 United States Air Force C-141B Mid-Air collision off the coast of Namibia