Don Swaim
If it flies, Don Swaim has probably been involved in a case where it didn’t fly quite right. And based on his vast experience in the area of aviation law — nearly three decades’ worth — he can tell you exactly what happens when a plane goes down.
People and companies get sued. And then they call Don.
He has represented aircraft owners and operators, aircraft manufacturers and makers of aircraft instruments. In addition, his practice involves products liability, premises liability and personal injury.
Don is board-certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and in civil trial law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named to the list of Texas Super Lawyers, 2008-2011.
Practice Areas
Complex civil litigation, including:
- wrongful death and personal injuries involving product liability
- aviation cases, representing manufacturers, commercial carriers, maintenance facilities and pilots in aircraft accidents
- disputes between businesses
Professional Affiliations
- State Bar of Texas
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Board-certified, personal injury trial law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Board-certified, civil trial law, National Board of Trial Advocacy
- Defense Research Institute
- Texas Association of Defense Counsel
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Litigation Counsel of America
Representative Experience
- Handled cases across the United States and tried cases to verdict in a number of states, including Texas, New Hampshire, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and New Mexico|
- Represented the owner and operator of an aircraft that crashed and killed four; after all the passengers' cases were settled with no contribution from the pilot, represented the pilot's insurer and obtained a $1 million verdict against the engine installer
- Won a defense verdict in a case arising from a seven-alarm fire at a Dallas plastic recycling plant, involving claims of $3 million in property damage and $15 million in business interruption
- Defense of commercial resin manufacturer in claims regarding roof failures on commercial buildings in seven states
- Defense verdict for the manufacturer of an altimeter in a plane crash that killed two pilots
- Defense of an offshore commercial helicopter operator that injured seven passengers
- Defense of an aerospace company in cases involving age discrimination and allegations of termination for filing workers' compensation claims
- Defense verdict for the architects and engineers that designed a multimillion-dollar coal-dewatering bin at a TXU electrical plant
- Defended a major supplier of telephone conferencing services in a multimillion-dollar breach-of-contract suit
Admitted
- All courts of the state of Texas
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Districts of Texas
- 5th and 6th U.S. Circuit of Appeals
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- Baylor Law School, J.D., 1982
- Abilene Christian University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1980
Honors
- Named in Texas’ Legal Leaders as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Personal Injury Law and Products Liability