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.
He is listed in Florida Trend’s “Florida Legal Elite,” Super Lawyer Magazine, “Florida Super Lawyers”, Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” and “500 Leading Litigators”; South Florida Legal Guide, “Top Lawyers”; The Guide to the World’s Leading Aviation Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America; Chamber’s USA’s Guide to Leading Lawyers for Business named in the Daily Business Review’s “Most Effective Lawyers” and “Professional Excellence – Distinguished Leaders”.
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 several commercial class actions and major airline crashes including: his appointment as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee handling over 100 cases filed in Ethiopia Airlines Flt. 302 crash involving Boeing 737 Max 8 airliner, 2019; NFL Concussion Litigation Executive Committee Member and co-lead settlement class counsel, 2014; acting as lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in the American Airlines Flight 331, crash in Jamaica, 2010; acting as co–lead trial counsel for the California State Court plaintiffs’ after a Silk Air crash between Jakarta and Singapore in 1997; acting as lead liaison counsel for the State Court and Federal multi–district litigation (MDL) plaintiffs’ steering committees over the ValuJet Flt. 592 crash, Florida Everglades, 1996, and acting as a member of the MDL plaintiffs’ steering committee for the Arrow Air military charter crash, Newfoundland, 1985.
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.
He also acts as lead trial counsel for countless victims of general aviation and military accidents, many involving foreign claimants, ranging from air balloons, flight training, ground school, air ambulances, banner planes, aerobatics, helicopters, and propeller, turbo-prop and jet-powered aircraft, including, but not limited to, Cessnas, Cirrus, Beechcraft, Pipers, Bellancas, Lear Jets, Citation Jets, Bell Helicopters, Sikorsky Helicopters, Robinson Helicopters, Aerospatiale Helicopters and countless other aviation manufacturers, operators, maintenance facilities and private & public air traffic control centers.
In addition to his aviation, 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.