Michael L. Slack and Ladd C. Sanger Achieve Board Certification in Aviation Law
Slack and Sanger Among First Texas lawyers to Receive New Aviation Law Certification
Austin, Texas – Slack Davis Sanger is pleased to announce that Michael L. Slack and Ladd C. Sanger have received Board Certification in Aviation Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This achievement sets the two apart in Aviation Law, as only a handful of attorneys have received this certification in Texas.
Board certification means that an attorney has demonstrated special competence in a particular area of law. According to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS), approximately 7% of Texas licensed attorneys are board certified, across 27 specialty areas. Board certified lawyers are the only lawyers in Texas allowed to refer to themselves as specialists and to display board certified credentials.
Texas is the largest single-state certification program for lawyers in the U.S., with Aviation Law becoming the latest area of specialty added by the TBLS in 2023.
The TBLS describes Aviation Law as the practice of law dealing with issues affecting aircraft and airport operations, aircraft ownership, aircraft navigation and maintenance, air traffic control safety, pilot licensing and certification requirements, spacecraft, and outer space. Lawyers in this area represent parties in transactions governed by or affected by aviation law, provide legal counsel with respect to various tax or regulatory matters, serve as legal counsel in civil aviation authority regulatory enforcement matters or other regulatory actions, provide legal counsel with respect to aviation-related insurance claims and coverage, and litigate aviation law disputes.
To become board certified in Aviation Law, applicants are required to meet the following qualifications:
- Practice law full-time for at least 5 years as an active member of the State Bar of Texas;
- At least 3 years of specified aviation law experience with a yearly minimum of 30% substantial involvement in aviation law matters;
- Qualified vetted references from judges and lawyers in the area;
- Complete 60 hours of TBLS approved continuing legal education in aviation law;
- Meet the TBLS Standards for Attorney Certification; and
- Pass a comprehensive 6-hour examination in aviation law
Slack is the managing and founding partner of Slack Davis Sanger, L.L.P., based in Austin, Texas. In addition to being Board Certified in Aviation Law, he is also Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also a licensed pilot and former NASA aerospace engineer who worked on the Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle programs at the Johnson Space Center before becoming an attorney. To date, he has litigated or tried aviation accident cases in state or federal courts in 36 states.
Sanger is the managing partner of Slack Davis Sanger’s Dallas office. He is an FAA-licensed Airline Transport Pilot with two jet-type ratings and is also a licensed helicopter pilot. Sanger has handled numerous crash cases around the globe. He received a Top 50 Verdicts in Texas Award in 2019 and 2022, ranking number one in aviation accidents.
About Slack Davis Sanger
Since 1993, Slack Davis Sanger attorneys have been serving clients nationally and internationally, with a combined experience of more than 150 years. Slack Davis Sanger has extensive experience in litigation involving a diverse array of airplane, helicopter, and balloon accidents and involvement in major airline disasters, sightseeing and tour flights, air ambulance operations, and charter flights. For more information regarding Slack Davis Sanger, Mr. Slack or Mr. Sanger, please contact Marketing Manager Stephanie Eitrheim at Slack Davis Sanger at 512-225-5322 or seitrheim@slackdavis.com. The Aviation Law specialization is described on the TBLS website at https://www.tbls.org/specialtyarea/AV.