Garth W. Aubert, who for 30 years has built a career in aviation law, this month joined the Los Angeles office of MG+M The Law Firm, based in downtown.
An L.A. native, Aubert leaves behind downtown-based Fitzpatrick, Hunt & Pagano, a firm he co-founded 12 years ago. He joins MG+M as an equity partner and will continue his practice of representing aerospace product manufacturers, airline service providers, aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul organizations, airport authorities and airlines in state and federal courts throughout the United States, as well as testifying before the National Transportation Safety Board. He has also worked defense in toxic tort cases.
Aubert said a headhunter brought him to MG+M, which he found to be a good fit for his goal of “looking for a place to spend the rest of my career.” Many of Aubert’s major clients have followed him to the new firm.
“As I dug into it, it became quickly apparent to me that there were good synergies with the practice and type of work I was doing,” he said in a recent interview. “I was looking for a firm that provided broader and deeper resources for supporting my clients and a broader geographic footprint. Just in the course of the interviews and such that you go through, I’ve been consistently impressed with the caliber of attorneys here and the work that they’re doing. It’s proven so far to be a genuinely collaborative environment.”
Aubert earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from USC and his law degree from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law. During law school, he clerked for Mendes & Mount’s downtown office, where he picked up his interest in aviation litigation.
“I was fortunate to fall into it, basically,” he said. “As I’ve told people, the aviation community is a relatively small one and comprised of people who are very passionate about it. That passion is kind of addictive, I think. It’s a fascinating field to be practicing in, whether because of the technical issues involved, the experts we get to work with or the legal issues we’re confronted with.”
Aubert represented the aeronautical chart publisher in the federal lawsuit stemming from the 1996 U.S. Air Force plane crash in Dubrovnik, Croatia, that killed then-Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and everyone else on board. He recalled the experience of chartering a Boeing 737 flight to recreate the flight path of that plane as part of the preparation for that trial.
“It was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever done,” he said.
Other defense work for Aubert includes representing a parts supplier whose cover glasses for solar arrays on a telecommunications satellite were claimed to deteriorate earlier than expected and the military contractor responsible for the maintenance of a Black Hawk Helicopter that crashed in Italy in 2007.
Aubert also has spoken and written extensively on topics related to litigation, technology and aviation, including for the American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, the Insurance Institute of London, Aircraft Builders Council, American Conference Institute and the London insurance market.
“With great enthusiasm, MG+M welcomes Garth to our firm,” said MG+M Chairman and Partner John B. Manning in a statement. “His breadth of experience, particularly in the aviation industry, enhances our ability to serve clients in California and nationally, and we are excited about his practice further enhancing our brand as a go-to firm for complex, high-stakes litigation matters.”
