Paul J. Hedlund
Paul Hedlund
Los Angeles
California (CA)
Personal Injury Plaintiff: General
Aviation
Profile
Paul J. Hedlund is a senior partner and trial lawyer for the national law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman which handles major transportation accidents and pharmaceutical drug product liability cases.
Mr. Hedlund focuses his practice on commercial transportation accidents and traumatic brain injury cases stemming from aviation, bus, train and truck crashes.
In the last 20 years Paul and his firm have handled more than 850 commercial transportation personal injury and wrongful death cases across the country.
He has personally served on several airline disaster Plaintiffs' Steering Committees (PSCs) including the PSCs for the United Airlines Crash, Sioux City, Iowa, 1989 - MDL 817; Alaska Airlines Crash, off Point Mugu, California, 2000 - MDL-00-1343-CAL; and the September 11, 2001 Tort Litigation for the four airliners used in the terrorists attacks.
Mr. Hedlund is AV® Peer Review Rated through Martindale Hubbell and is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in the World. He is also among the relatively few attorneys who have argued a wrongful death case before the United States Supreme Court.
Because of his expertise as a mechanical engineer, Paul was the only attorney to testify at two different state government safety hearings. He testified in 1990 about the need for labeling earthquake susceptible buildings before the California State Legislature Seismic Safety Commission regarding the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. He testified on behalf of his client whose son was killed when a crumbling commercial building facade fell on him during the quake.
He also testified about rail passenger car crashworthiness and the dangers of pushing passenger trains at the state hearing conducted by the California State Assembly, looking into the causes of the 2005 Glendale, California, Metrolink train tragedy.
The media have interviewed Paul more than 150 times on TV and radio programs such as, ABC's PrimeTime Live with Sam Donaldson, ABC World News Tonight, CNBC, CNN, Court TV, EXTRA, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NPR, and all of the Los Angeles news stations. He has also appeared in print media such as, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, National Law Journal, and the Washington Post.
He received his degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his law degree from UCLA.
Selected To
Southern California Super Lawyers 2012
Southern California Super Lawyers 2011
Southern California Super Lawyers 2010
Southern California Super Lawyers 2005
About Paul Hedlund
Admitted: 1973, California
Professional Webpage: www.baumhedlundlaw.com/bios2/hedlund.php
Honors and Awards:
- AV® Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- Aviation Counsel Magazine's List of Recommended High Flyers, believed by the International Air Transport Association's Legal Dept. to be one of the most elite lists of aviation law practitioners ever produced
- Who's Who in American Law, Marquis Who's Who
- Who's Who in America, Marquis Who's Who
- Who's Who in the World, Marquis Who's Who
- Listed, Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
- National Air Disaster Foundation Safety Award, 2002
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Patent Law, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1978
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Admitted: California, 1973; U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1977; U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 1978; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1991; District of Columbia, 1994; U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1994; U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 1994; U.S. Supreme Court, 1997
- Plaintiffs' Executive Committee, September 11, 2001 Tort Litigation
- Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, MDL-00-1343-CAL, Alaska Airlines Crash, off Point Mugu, California, 2000
- Trial Team Member, 1991-1992, United Airlines Crash, Sioux City, Iowa: Member, 1989
- Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, MDL 817, United Airlines Crash, Sioux City, Iowa, 1989
- Moot Court Judge, Pepperdine University School of Law
- Staff Engineer, Southern California Edison, 1968-1970
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- American Bar Association, The Forum on Air and Space Law, Litigation Section and Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
- The American Association for Justice, Aviation Law Section
- The Bar Association of the District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Bar
- State Bar of California
- Plaintiffs' Steering Committee Member, Chatsworth Metrolink Collision Cases, Chatsworth, California, 2008
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- "Another Level of Justice: The Public Apology" Published in Andrews Aviation Litigation Reporter,Volume 24, Issue 5 / April 2006 by Thomson West and ATLA-Association of Trial Lawyers of America Aviation Law Section Newsletter Vol. 13, No. 3, Spring 2006
- "Successful Handling of Wrongful Death Cases in California: The Law, The Traps, The Tricks", "Trying Your Case to Verdict or Settlement," "What Damages Do You Get?," "Quirks of Courts" Lorman Education Services, January 2002
- Airplane Maintenance Outsourcing Tests Bounds of Safety, Findlaw Knowledge Base, 2009
- , Pilot's Reaction Among Flight 3407 Crash Causes, Findlaw Knowledge Base, 2009
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Governmental Testimony: California State Assembly Hearing on California commuter rail safety as a result of the January 26, 2005 Metrolink derailment, July 20, 2005
- Governmental Testimony: California State Legislature, Seismic Safety Commission hearing re October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damage after the death of our client's son due to the collapse of a building known to be vulnerable to tremors during an earthquake, 1990
- Paul was on the legal team that negotiated one of Baum Hedlund's most significant aviation litigation achievements when the firm won, as part of the settlement agreement from the January 8, 2003 Air Midwest Flight 5481 crash in Charlotte, NC, the agreement of the airline and maintenance company, in an organized ceremony, to deliver an unprecedented official public apology to the families for the crash., 2005
Video:
- EXTRA interviews Paul: A Gulfstream Jet Crashes on Final Approach to Aspen, Colorado, Gulfstream Jet Crashes on Final Approach to Aspen, Colorado
- Fox News Interviews Paul: TSB of Canada Examines Cause of Swissair Flight 111, Fox News Interviews Paul: TSB of Canada Examines Cause of Swissair Flight 111
- Baum Hedlund's 20 years of aviation litigation experience, Major Airline Accident Attorneys
- MSNBC interviews Paul: NTSB Spreads Blame for 1996 ValuJet Everglades Crash, Paul Hedlund re 1996 ValuJet Crash
- KCAL 9 Los Angeles News interviews Paul: Pilot Lands Airliner in Thunderstorm
- KCAL 9 News Los Angeles interviews Paul: Wake Turbulence Possible Cause of American Airlines 587 Crash in Queens
- NBC News Los Angeles interviews Paul: Video Released of 9/11 Terrorists Getting Through Airport Security
Educational Background:
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (B.S.M.E., 1968)
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
