Three decades of aviation law.
During three decades as a litigator, Dan Barks has focused almost exclusively on aviation law. Acting as lead counsel in cases filed across the United States, he has developed a reputation as an attorney who does not hesitate to take a case to trial. His expertise and detailed knowledge of aircraft systems, aerodynamics, and pilot performance gained during his service as a Naval Aviator and 41 years of aviation provide an advantage few attorneys possess.
Born in the Southeastern United States, Mr. Barks grew up on the campus of the Baylor School, a college preparatory institution in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where his father served as president for 20 years and his grandfather for 40. Upon graduation from high school, he attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in political science with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies.
Following graduation, he joined the United States Navy, serving on active duty from 1985 until 1991. Designated a Naval Aviator in 1986, Lieutenant Barks flew the A-6E Intruder. He subsequently served in the Naval Reserve for over a decade.
Mr. Barks served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Upon returning from the Middle East, he left active duty to pursue a law degree. He has maintained his pilot licenses and certifications to this day.
Mr. Barks attended the University of South Carolina School of Law and was awarded a Juris Doctor, with honors, in 1996. During his time there, he focused his studies on products liability under Professor David G. Owen, co-author of Prosser, Keeton and Owen on Torts. Mr. Barks has continued to write and lecture on the commercial and ethical implications of products liability law, tort reform, and their effects on product safety.
Mr. Barks began practicing as a trial attorney in 1996 and has since served as lead or co-counsel in over 50 cases in the United States and abroad. While focusing primarily on aviation litigation, he has also litigated matters under the Federal Tort Claims Act including air traffic control negligence cases and, as co-lead counsel, the Sutherland Springs mass shooting litigation in Texas. He has additionally litigated general products liability, negligence, and intentional tort claims in wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury matters and has tried contract and tortious interference cases in multiple jurisdictions.
Mr. Barks has been admitted to and argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Supreme Court of Virginia, and the Supreme Court of Louisiana. He is currently licensed to practice in Georgia, Virginia, and New York, and is admitted to numerous federal appellate courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is the past Chair of the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section's Aviation and Space Law Committee and speaks frequently on aviation law and trial practice.