Steven C. Marks holds a BA from the University of Florida (cum laude) and a JD from the University of Miami (cum laude), where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. He is an alumni editorial-board member of the University of Miami Law Review. Steve is admitted to the Florida Bar. 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). Steve is also an inaugural member of the University of Miami Law School Dean’s Council and a member of the University of Miami Law Review Alumni Advisory Board.
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); Fellow, American Bar Foundation, Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyers Honorary Society, and the Inns of Court.
Steve was appointed to the Legal Advisory Committee for the International Civil Aeronautical Organization; the Flight Safety Foundation Advisory Board; as Consultant and Board Member for AURA, an aviation company launching executive flights in 2019/20. He is the only victim’s advocate on the board. Steve continues to serve as President of the Top 10 National Aviation Trial Lawyers for the National Trial Lawyers Organization.
Steve is also a Trustee for the National YoungArts Foundation.
Steven is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Dade County Bar Association, American Bar Association (Aviation & Space Law Committee), Trial Lawyers Honorary Society, American Board of Trial Advocates, and the American Bar Foundation. He serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Miami Law School Alumni Association and holds leadership roles in aviation safety organizations and law groups.
Lead Plaintiffs’ counsel and executive committee member in major airline disaster MDLs including Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and ValuJet Flight 592.
Served on NFL Concussion Litigation Executive Committee as co-lead settlement class counsel.
Extensive trial and appellate experience in aviation litigation and complex personal injury litigation worldwide.
Trustee, National YoungArts Foundation.
General and major commercial airline crashes he has handled include:
Red Air Flt. 203, landing gear collapse, runway excursion causing fire, 2022; Ethiopian Airlines Flt. 302, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, crash just 6 minutes after take-off en route to Nairobi, 2019; Lion Air Flt. 610, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, crash 12 minutes after take-off, 2018; Robinson R44 Helicopter, crashed into Sea at Praia, South Zone of Recife, 2018; LaMia Airlines Flt. 2933, crash near Medellin, Colombia, 2016; Dynamic Airways, Flt. 405, runway fire while taxing for departure, 2015; Metrojet Flt. 9268, from Egypt, en route to Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2015; Germanwings Flt. 9525, from Barcelona, Spain to Dusseldorf, Germany; 2015; Malaysian Airlines, Flt. MH370, from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, 2014; Gulfstream IV, crash on take-off, Bedford, Massachusetts, 2014; IBC Airways, Flt. 405, La Alianza, Puerto Rico, 2013; Dana Air, Flt. 992, Abuja, Nigeria, 2012; Central American Airways Flt. 731, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2011; Conviasa Airlines, Flt. 2350, Bolivar, Venezuela, 2010; Aires Airlines Flt. 8250, San Andres Island, Colombia, 2010; Ethiopian Airlines Flt. 409, Mediterranean Sea, 2010; American Airlines Flt. 331, Kingston, Jamaica, 2009; Air France Flt. 447, Atlantic Ocean, 2009; Colgan Air – Continental, Flt. 3407, Buffalo, New York, 2009; Aeroflot-Nord, Flt. 821, Perm Airport, Russia, 2008; SpanAir, Flt. 5022, Barajas Airport, Spain, 2008; TACA Airlines, Flt. 390, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2008; Santa Barbara Airlines, S.A., Flt. 518, near Merida, Venezuela, 2008; TAM Airlines, Flt. 3054, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2007; Comair, Flt. 5191, crash on takeoff from Lexington, Kentucky, 2006; Sibir Airlines Flt. 778 from Moscow Russia, 2006; GOL Airlines, Flt. 1907, mid-air collision in the Amazon, Brazil 2006; Chalk’s Ocean Airways Flt. 101 air disaster, Miami, Fl, 2005; Helios Airways, Flt. 522, crash shortly after takeoff near Cyprus, 2005; Tropical Air, LET 410, Cap Haitian, Haiti, 2003; Bashkirian Airlines Flt. 2937 and DHL Flt. 611, mid-air collision over German airspace, 2002; American Airlines, Flt. 587, crash in Belle Harbor, Queens, N.Y., 2001; Papillon Airways, Inc. Eurocopter AS350-B2 helicopter in the Grand Canyon, AZ, 2001; Scandinavian Airlines, Flt. 686, at Linate Airport, Milan, Italy, 2001; Air France Concorde Flt. 4590, crash shortly after takeoff, 2000; Bell Helicopter BH 407 in Brazil, 1999; Cubana Air, Flt. 3010, YAK-42, Valencia, Venezuela, 1999; TAESA Airlines Flt. 725 from Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico, 1999; Hot Air Expeditions, near Cave Creek, AZ, 1999; Occidental Petroleum’s chartered Boeing 737 (from Peruvian Airforce), in Peru’s northern jungle, 1998; American Airlines, Flt. 1420, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1999; TAME Flt. 422 near Bogota, Colombia, 1998; Swissair, Flt. 111, Atlantic Ocean near Hailfax, Nova Scotia, 1998; Silk Air, Flt. MI185, Palembang, Indonesia, 1997; Fine Air, Flt. 101, Miami, Fl, 1997; Bell 407 helicopter in the Andros Islands, 1996; Millon Air Flt. 406 en route to Miami, Florida from Manta, Ecuador, 1996; ValuJet, Flt. 592, Florida Everglades, 1996; Aero-Peru Flt. 603 en route to Santiago, Chile from Lima, Peru, 1996; Aviation Development Corp. Airlines, Flt. 053, Nigeria, 1996; Tarom Airlines, Flt. R0371, Bucharest, Romania, 1995; El Al cargo, Flt. 1862, Amsterdam, Holland, 1992; Surinam Airways Flt. PY764 in Paramaribo, Surinam, 1989; Grand Canyon Airlines, Grand Canyon National Park Airport, AZ, 1989; Independent Air Flt. 1851, Bergamo, Italy, 1989 and Arrow Air Flt. 1285, Gander, Canada, 1985.
National Trial Lawyers, National Aviation – Top 10 for Florida (2025)
Best Lawyers in America, Aviation Law & Personal Injury Litigation (2007–2025)
Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year: Aviation (2022 & 2024)
LawDragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers (2024)
Chambers USA Guide, Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs (2007–2024)
Thomson Reuters Florida Super Lawyer (2006–2024)
Florida Trend Legal Elite, Notable Managing Partners (2023)
South Florida Legal Guide, Top Lawyer (2007–2021)
Chambers & Partners, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2007–2017)
University of Miami Law Review, Daniel E. Murray Distinguished Service Award (2016)
Expert Guides, World’s Leading Aviation Lawyers (2008, 2013 & 2016)
National Law Journal, Litigation Boutiques – Hot List (2013)
