Frank A. Silane joined Condon & Forsyth LLP in 1973. He is a partner and manages our firm’s Los Angeles office.

Frank concentrates his practice in complex and multidistrict tort and insurance litigation and has over thirty-five years of experience representing aerospace insurers, airlines and aircraft manufacturers in cases involving wrongful death and personal injury. Described in The Legal 500 United States as having “attracted plaudits from clients and other lawyers”, Frank has significant experience with respect to insurance coverage issues and in all aspects of aviation and aerospace litigation including litigating claims governed by the Warsaw Convention, Montreal Convention, Airline Deregulation Act, and other international treaties and U.S. aviation statutes. Having litigated in federal and state courts throughout the U.S., Frank frequently counsels foreign and domestic air carriers, aviation manufacturers and other corporate entities on federal and state regulatory requirements.

Over the years, Frank has been lead counsel for the firm’s airline clients in numerous cases involving complex and multidistrict litigation, including the following, among others, of representative cases:

In Re: Air Crash Disaster at Belle Harbor, New York, on November 12, 2001

In Re: Air Crash Disaster at Taipei, Taiwan, on October 31, 2007

In Re: Air Crash Disaster at Agana, Guam, August 6, 1997

In Re: Air Disaster Near Cerritos, California

In Re: Air Disaster Near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 1994

Frank is admitted to the bar of New York (1974), U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (1974), the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second and Ninth Circuits, the bar of California (1979), the U.S. District Court, Central, Northern and Eastern Districts of California (1979), the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. Supreme Court (1987), and the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia (2011).

He is a member of the Los Angeles County, New York State, Federal and American Bar Associations and The State Bar of California. Frank formerly served as Vice Chairman of Aviation Section of American Bar Association (1996-1997, 1997-1998), Co-Chairman TIPS Aviation Seminar, "Aviation Liability into the Twenty-First Century" (October 9-10, 1996) and was a Faculty Member of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy (2004). Frank is a graduate of Fordham University (J.D., 1973; B.A., 1967).

He is a Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (inducted March 2012).

Frank has achieved an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory (2010, 2011). An AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating demonstrates that a lawyer has earned the highest rating available for their legal ability and professional ethics.

Frank has been honorably mentioned in:

Southern California Super Lawyers (February 2009-2011);

Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Aviation Lawyers (2001-2012);

Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers (2000-2012);

Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers - Aviation (2002-2012);

The Legal Media Group Guide to the World's Leading Aviation Lawyers (2006);

Who's Who Legal: California's Leading Business Lawyers (2007-2009); 

Who's Who Legal: California's Aviation Lawyers (2009);

Who's Who Legal: California's Product Liability Lawyers (2009); and

The Legal 500, United States, Litigation (2007-2010);

Los Angeles Magazine Top Attorneys in Southern California (2010-2012).

Along with Condon & Forsyth LLP being selected as one of the top aviation law firms for 2011 by Legal 500, special mention was made of Frank as being highly recommended for his work.

Frank has also been very active throughout his career in various legal associations and has written articles and lectured on diverse aviation-related issues.