As an aviation lawyer, Tim advises aircraft owners, operators and pilots. His work involves claims surrounding investigations, accidents, injuries and deaths. With a unique understanding of the regulatory and investigative issues surrounding the aviation industry, Tim helps clients develop practices and procedures that mitigate future risk and facilitate prompt responses to regulatory scrutiny.
Tim has represented a number of schools and currently serves as counsel to the Culver Academies. Tim has been Culver’s trusted adviser for over two decades, a testament to how he handles matters ranging from commercial contracts to student discipline, premises liability and personal injury matters.
Approachable and known to establish rapport with everyone he meets, Tim seeks reasonable compromise where it can be found. With a deep dedication to pursue justice for all, Tim creates an atmosphere of candor with clients and opponents alike that facilitates practical resolutions to disputes.
Experience
- Barnes & Thornburg attorneys handled claims on behalf of the owner of an aircraft involved in a crash in which the pilot and four passengers were killed. All four passenger wrongful death cases were resolved within 12 weeks of the accident – thus sparing the families further trauma. The team then conducted an independent investigation into the cause of the accident, including full-scale reconstruction. The attorneys also appealed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) fault determination through the U.S. Supreme Court and lobbied both administrative agencies and Congress for improved safety regulations.
- Barnes & Thornburg attorneys represented Venture International, LLC, a business management and executive coaching organization, in a nine-day jury trial in Elkhart County, Indiana, involving claims of tortious interference with an at-will employment agreement and negligence made by a former credit union CEO, who was seeking $1.1 million. The jury returned a complete defense verdict on behalf of our client after an hour of deliberation.
Credentials
Education
- Notre Dame Law School, J.D.
- Concannon Programme of International Law in London
- Cornell College, B.S.S., Special Studies in History, Politics and English
Bar Admissions
- Illinois (Inactive)
- Indiana
- Missouri
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

