We have comprehensive knowledge of, and experience in, all aspects of satellite and aerospace litigation, including disputes emanating from satellite design and development, the satellite manufacturing process and satellite launch and operations. We are intimately familiar with the typical terms and provisions of complex contracts that drive these activities and from which many legal disputes arise.
We have extensive experience with lawsuits and arbitrations between U.S. companies and foreign companies that require the exchange of technical data governed by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"), and understand that compliance with ITAR -- which adds a new level of complexity to depositions, hearings and document production -- is critical to the day-to-day management of a case. We are also one of the few firms in the country that has arbitrated a matter monitored by the Defense Technology Security Administration.
Disputes in the satellite/aerospace industry can present daunting challenges involving highly complex technical facts and complex legal theories intertwined with federal regulations and the laws of foreign jurisdictions. Beyond ITAR, representing clients in this area has familiarized us with specialized legal principles common to such disputes, including the complexities of government procurement laws and regulations, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other federal statutes and regulations pertaining to the satellite/aerospace industry.
Underlying our formidable legal expertise is real-world experience. A number of our lawyers have degrees in aerospace engineering and are active members of technical professional organizations, such as the IEEE and the AIAA. One was an operations analyst for Rockwell International, responsible for the design of fuel consumption algorithms for the airborne laser, while another worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the design, development and operation of spacecraft systems — including the Galileo Mission to Jupiter, the Mars Pathfinder Mission, and joint development work with Russian and German space programs. Another one of our lawyers, a former Air Force Officer, worked with the Air Force's Global Positioning System (GPS) program on long range design and planning issues.
We have worked with all types of highly technical documents generated by the satellite/aerospace industry, including technical specifications and requirements, preliminary and critical design reviews, integration and test plans, space qualification documents, material review board minutes and documentation, non-conformance reports related to the manufacturing process, discrepancy review board minutes and documents, action items and closure documentation, documentation related to satellite performance (e.g. satellite telemetry data) and documentation generated in anomaly investigations.
Our experience gives our group a tremendous advantage in complex satellite/aerospace litigation, through our ability to understand our client’s technology, patents and intellectual property, and to compare those accurately with the technology being used by competitors. We can communicate effectively about these sophisticated issues with our client’s engineers and technical employees, as well as the expert witnesses in this field with whom we have worked on similar matters throughout the United States and various parts of the world.