William Angelley

Bar Admissions

• Texas
• New York
• California
• New Mexico

Education

• The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1997

Honors and Awards

• AV Rated (Preeminent) – Martindale Hubbell
• Texas Super Lawyer, a Thompson Reuters service, 2010 – 2024
• Top 100 Attorneys in Texas, Super Lawyers, a Thompson Reuters service, 2015 – 2019
• Rated Superb by AVVO

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William Angelley is an aviation crash attorney. He is a former Navy pilot who has flown more than 1,100 hours in various types of military airplanes and helicopters. In addition, as an aircraft maintenance officer for his squadron detachment, he was intricately involved with the technical workings of the squadron’s aircraft. Since leaving the Navy, Mr. Angelley has continued to fly privately and currently holds active commercial pilot ratings in both airplanes and helicopters.

As a leading aviation lawyer, he has been interviewed regarding aviation issues and accidents by various national television, radio and print news outlets, including NBC, CBS, FOX, NPR, The Fort Worth Star Telegram, The Boston Globe, The Salt Lake City Tribune, and Voice of America.

Mr. Angelley is AV Rated (Preeminent) by Martindale Hubbell, and has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers, a Thompson Reuters service, each year from 2010 to 2022. He has been listed as one of the best lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, and one of the best lawyers in Texas by Newsweek magazine. He is rated as “Superb” by Avvo.

Having practiced in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, Mr. Angelley has litigated and been lead trial counsel in cases pending in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

Contact William Angelley for a free consultation.

Mr. Angelley has been involved, on both sides of the docket, in numerous aviation and product defect cases, including:

• The crash of an Airbus AS-350B helicopter into the East River of New York that caused the drownings of the five passengers aboard
• The crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B airplane that killed an orthopedic surgeon, who was the son of a U.S. Senator
• Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco, California
• American Connection Flight 5966 crash near Kirksville, Missouri
• Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash near Anacapa Island, California
• Swissair Flight 111 crash near Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Raytheon Patriot Missile shoot down of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 aircraft in Iraq
• The crash of a Lear 35 aircraft near Mina, South Dakota, which killed professional golfer Payne Stewart
• The serious injury of a well-known model who was struck by the propeller of an airplane
• Injuries to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot caused by a defective oxygen delivery system
• The crash of an Army UH-60 helicopter near Fort Hood, Texas
• The crash of a Florida National Guard C-23B transport plane near Unadilla, Georgia
• The death of a man helping construct a petrochemical storage tank caused by the explosion of an adjacent tank
• Malfunction of rifle trigger mechanism
• Malfunction of construction nail gun
• Petroleum drilling and storage accidents

Mr. Angelley has published numerous articles and is a frequent speaker at legal education forums and bar association meetings. Some of his articles and speeches are:

• Author, The Stowers Doctrine in Need of an Update, Texas Lawyer, 2013
• Author, Certiori Granted in Aviation Pre-Emption Case, Texas Lawyer, 2013
• Author, A Touch of Gray, Texas Bar Journal, 2012
• Author, Dealing with Low Ceilings, Trial Magazine, American Association for Justice, 2012
• Author, Harsh Realities of the State Secrets Privilege, Trial, American Association for Justice, September 2010.
• Author, Amateur-Built Aircraft Litigation Risky for Plaintiffs Attorneys, Texas Lawyer, August 16, 2010, Vol. 26, No. 20.
• Author, Left Behind: How Consumers Became the Biggest Losers of the Chrysler and GM Bankruptcies, Advocate, Journal of Consumer Attorneys Associations for Southern California, September 2009 (with Orla Brady).
• Author, The Need for Mandatory Aviation Insurance, AAJ Section Newsletter, Vol. 15, No. 2, Winter 2008 (with Justin T. Green).
• Author, Plaintiff Thwarts Cessna’s Preemption Arguments in Monroe v. Cessna, AAJ Aviation Section Newsletter, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 2007.
• Speaker, A Discussion of Monroe v. Cessna Aircraft Company, New York City Bar Association, June 2006.
• Speaker, Update on the September 11, 2001 Victim Compensation Fund and Related Litigation, Lubbock Bar Association, May 2004.
• Speaker/Author, Field Preemption and the Federal Aviation Regulations, SMU Airlaw Symposium, February 2003.
• Author, The September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, Texas Bar Journal, January 7, 2002.
• Speaker, Aviation Product Liability Insurance, Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Conference, June 2001.

Mr. Angelley began his career in Dallas defending aviation insurance companies, maintenance facilities and manufacturers. Using the expertise he gained during these years, he later began representing individuals and families upon joining a New York-based firm focusing on plaintiffs’ litigation. He worked in the firm’s New York and Los Angeles offices and was promoted to partner during his time there.

Mr. Angelley graduated with honors from Texas Tech University, and earned his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the State Bars of New Mexico, Texas, New York and California, and is presently or formerly active in the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, the Texas Bar Foundation, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the New York City Bar Association.

Contact William Angelley for more information.