Contact Steven C. Marks

Steven C. Marks born September 22, 1960, in Miami, Florida. He is admitted to practice in Florida (1985). He holds a BA from the University of Florida (cum laude, 1982) and a JD from the University of Miami (cum laude, 1985), where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. He is a member of the Bar and Gavel Law Society and the Order of the Coif, and is on the board of directors of the University of Miami Law School Alumni Association (2003 to 2006).

He is a member of the Dade County Bar Association, American Bar Association (Aviation & Space Law Committee, Program Planning Committee for National Institute on Aviation Litigation, editorial board member, Torts and Insurance Practice Section and Tort and Insurance Law Journal Committee, and The Brief); The Florida Bar; Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Aviation Law Section, Aviation Section); Dade County Trial Lawyers; Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association; American Board of Trial Advocates (Miami Chapter); and the Inns of Court.

He is listed in Florida Trend’s “Florida Legal Elite”; Florida Super Lawyers 2007; Best Lawyers in America 2006 and is a Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators “New Star” 2007.

Steve focuses on personal injury and wrongful death litigation, product liability, aviation litigation, commercial litigation, class actions, medical malpractice, premise liability, and admiralty.

He has acted as lead counsel, appointed court counsel and/or counsel representing victims in a number of commercial major airline crashes, including acting as co-lead trial counsel for the California State Court plaintiffs after a Silk Air crash between Jakarta and Singapore in 1997 (successfully obtaining one of the most significant and largest verdicts in a mass disaster aviation case), acting as lead liaison counsel for the State Court and Federal multi-district litigation (MDL) plaintiffs’ steering committees over the ValuJet Flt 592 crash, Everglades, 1996, and acting as a member of the MDL plaintiff’s steering committee for the Arrow Air military charter crash, Newfoundland, 1985.

Other commercial major airline crashes he has acted on include: Comair Flt 5191 on take off from Lexington, Kentucky, 2006; Sibir Airlines Flt 778 from Moscow Russia, 2006; Chalk’s Ocean Airways Flt 101 air disaster, Miami, Florida, 2005; Helios Airways air disaster near Cyprus, 2005; mid-air collision over German airspace involving Bashkirian Airlines and DHL, 2002; Eurocopter AS350-B2 helicopter in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2001; Scandinavian Airlines at Linate Airport, Milan, Italy, 2001; Air France Concorde tragedy 2000; Bell Helicopter BH 407 in Brazil, 1999; TAESA Airlines Flt 725 from Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico, 1999; Occidental Petroleum’s chartered Boeing 737 in Peru’s northern jungle, 1998; TAME Flight 422 near Bogota, Colombia, 1998; Bell 407 helicopter in the Andros Islands, 1996; Millon Air Flt 406 en route to Miami, Florida from Manta, Ecuador, 1996; Aero-Peru Flt 603 en route to Santiago, Chile from Lima, Peru, 1996; El Al cargo crash, Amsterdam, Holland, 1992; ADC Airlines crash, Nigeria, 1991; Surinam Airways Flight PY764 in Paramaribo, Surinam, 1989; and Independent Air Flt 1851 crash, Bergamo, Italy, 1989.

He also acts as lead trial counsel for countless victims of general aviation and military accidents, many involving foreign claimants, ranging from air balloons, banner planes, aerobatics, helicopters, and propeller, turbo-prop and jet-powered aircraft, , including, but not limited to, Cessna, Cirrus, Beechcraft, Pipers, Bellancas, Lear Jets, Citation Jets, Bell Helicopters, Sikorsky Helicopters, Robinson Helicopters, Aerospatiale Helicopters and countless other aviation manufacturers, operators and maintenance facilities.

Apart from aviation, and general personal injury and wrongful death practice, he also counsels foreign governments, including the Russian Federation, the Republic of Venezuela, Ecuador, Belize, Honduras and numerous Brazilian states.

Among his many speaking engagements have been:

• “An Introduction to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act,” invited guest lecturer, Embry-Riddle 2001. Also an invited lecturer on the Embry-Riddle Aviation Program 2006;
• “Recent Developments in Aviation Law,” ABA Litigation in Aviation Seminar 1991 (co-author);
• Masters of the Courtroom Seminar, Dade County Trial Lawyers, 2002 and the Dade County Trial Masters Program, 2002-2003;
• Forum Non Conveniens panel member and co-chair, ABA Aviation & Space Law Committee Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Conference 2003;
• ABA Panel on Forum Non Conveniens, “An Update of Recent Decisions and An Analysis of the Legal Criteria,” 2003;
• Discovery in Aviation cases, ABA Conference, Washington DC 2004, invited lecturer;
• ATLA Aviation Section Program, Chicago, program chair; and
• Miami-Dade County Bar Association Young Lawyer Section’s First Annual “SuperLawyer Mock Trial Demonstration Seminar 2006”.
• “A Discussion on the Basics of Litigating the Foreign Crash”, ABA Aviation & Space Law Convention 2006

Steve is the author of “The Admissibility and Use of Demonstrative Aids,” ABA, The Brief (2003).

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