Pillsbury Winthrop Aviation Partner Named General Counsel Of Flight Safety Foundation
Quinn to expand duties in new role with Flight Safety Foundation
Washington, D.C. -- Kenneth Quinn, co-chair of Pillsbury Winthrop LLP's leading Aviation, Aerospace and Transportation practice group, has been selected to serve as General Counsel and Secretary of the Flight Safety Foundation. He will continue to help lead the Firm's aviation practice. Prior to this appointment, Quinn served as a member of the Foundation's Board of Governors.
"The Flight Safety Foundation has made extraordinary contributions to improving aviation safety and I'm honored to serve as their General Counsel," Quinn stated. "The Foundation is the one place where differing political and industry interests are checked at the door with a common goal of elevating aviation safety." The Flight Safety Foundation, founded in 1947, is composed of over 900 organizations around the world and is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to aviation safety.
Based in Alexandria, Virginia, the Foundation brings together aviation industry, government, and academia to study, debate, and recommend aviation safety improvements as well as help implement industry standards. "We're very pleased that Ken has agreed to take on the additional role of General Counsel," said Stewart Matthews, FSF's President and CEO. "His extensive legal, governmental, and industry background will help us further expand our international leadership role in flight safety."
Quinn, admitted to practice in Illinois, served as Chief Counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration between 1991 and 1993, and as Counselor to the Secretary of Transportation between 1989 to 1991. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of American Bar Association's The Air & Space Lawyer since 1997 and has also been Chair of the ABA's Forum on Air & Space Law. He recently was named in Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Aviation Lawyers, and in Who's Who International Aviation Lawyers.
FSF's historic accomplishments include driving industry acceptance of flight data recorders (one of the "black boxes"); conducting the first full-scale tests of an aircraft passenger airbag for NASA; and declaring the air traffic control system safe after the 1981 controllers' union strike. More recently, the FSF has worked with the International Civil Aviation Organization to discourage the chilling effect that criminalization of accidents has on investigations and prevention. The Foundation also conducted an industry-wide study on controlled-flight-into-terrain accidents, and the release of an approach-and-landing Accident Reduction education program for pilots.
Pillsbury Winthrop's Aviation & Aerospace practice group is one of the largest and most diverse in the world. The firm's client roster include many of the largest aircraft and engine manufacturers, parts suppliers, air carriers, charter operators, travel companies, airports, lenders, and lessors. The firm handles every aspect of the aviation business from certification and enforcement, to accident investigation and litigation, to aircraft finance and travel regulation.
About Pillsbury Winthrop
Pillsbury Winthrop is an international law firm with core practices in aviation, technology, energy, capital markets/finance, intellectual property, and litigation. The firm has 16 offices and over 700 attorneys worldwide. The firm recently announced its intent to merge with Washington D.C. based law firm Shaw Pittman LLP, which would create an international law firm composed of more than 900 attorneys. For more information, visit www.pillsburywinthrop.com.
Source: Pillsbury Winthrop