Barbara E. Lichman, Ph.D., J.D.

Barbara E. Lichman, Ph.D., has an extensive and successful record representing airports, municipalities, developers, and other public and private clients in litigation and administrative proceedings under Federal Aviation statutes such as the Federal Aviation Act, 49 U.S.C. § 40101, et seq.; the California Public Utilities Code governing California land use in airport environs (State Aeronautics Act); and federal and state environmental statutes including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Clean Air Act, the Federal Clean Water Act, the California Environmental Quality Act, and the California Coastal Act. She also represents clients in litigation involving land use issues such as inverse condemnation, development agreements and specific plan amendments. Dr. Lichman holds both a doctorate in urban and regional planning, and a law degree from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Lichman’s experience is both national and international. As a Registered Federal Lobbyist, Dr. Lichman successfully lobbied and testified before Congress on behalf of aircraft owners and operators on issues including the grant of investment tax credits for noise reduction of aircraft engines. She also served as counsel to Air AAA Group, a consortium of international architectural, engineering and construction companies in their airport development activities at Pudong Airport, Shanghai, China.

Dr. Lichman is a Shareholder at the law firm of Buchalter, A Professional Corporation, well known in the City of Los Angeles and throughout the Western United States for its 73 years of successful representation of business and other interests within the community.

Representative Matters

  • City of Los Angeles v. Dickson, ________, 2021 WL 2850586 (9th Cir. 2021)
  • Vaughn v. Federal Aviation Administration, 756 Fed.Appx. 8, 2018 WL 6430368 (D.C. Cir. 2018)
  • BRRAM, Inc. v. Federal Aviation Administration, 721 Fed.Appx. 173, 2018 WL 332908 (3rd Cir. 2018)
  • SilverWing at Sandpoint, LLC v. Bonner County, 700 Fed.Appx. 715, 2017 WL 4995822 (9th Cir. 2017)
  • City of Mukilteo, Wa. v. U.S. Dept. of Transp., 815 F.3d 632 (9th Cir. 2016)
  • SilverWing at Sandpoint, LLC v. Bonner County, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16500 (D. Idaho 2014)
  • Tinicum Township, Pa. v. U.S. Dept. of Transp., 685 F.3d 288 (3rd Cir. 2012)
  • 41 North 73 West, Inc. v. U.S. D.O.T., 408 Fed.Appx. 393 (2nd Cir. 2010)
  • City of Las Vegas, Nev. v. F.A.A., 570 F.3d 1109 (9th Cir. 2009)
  • County of Delaware, Pa. v. Department of Transp., 554 F.3d 143 (D.C. Cir. 2009)
  • City of Olmsted Falls, Ohio v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 435 F.3d 632 (6th Cir. 2006)
  • City of Olmsted Falls, OH v. F.A.A., 292 F.3d 261 (D.C. Cir. 2002)

Education

Dr. Lichman earned her J.D. at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 1988 after receiving her M.P.L. and Ph.D. from the USC School of Urban and Regional Planning. She earned her B.A. at Brandeis University.

Areas of Practice

  • Aviation/Airports Law and Litigation
  • Land Use Law and Litigation
  • Environmental Law and Litigation

Bar Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, Northern Division

Paul J. Fraidenburgh, J.D.

Paul J. Fraidenburgh is Chair of Litigation for Buchalter’s Orange County office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Aviation Industry Group. He focuses his practice on representing airports and other aviation industry clients in complex litigation and regulatory compliance matters.

Clients praise Paul for his “high-energy, stamina, professional ethics, and vigorous intellectual capabilities.”

Paul has prevailed on behalf of clients in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and at the state Supreme Court level. He has also served as lead trial counsel in California and beyond. He represents clients ranging from government agencies to Fortune 100 companies. In 2018, Paul was named a “Top 40 Under 40” lawyer by the Daily Journal, as one of only 20 lawyers selected from Southern California. He has also been recognized as a 2020 Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine.

“Delivered masterful written and oral arguments.”
– Counsel for public airport client

Paul has gained a national reputation for his representation of clients in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include public and private airports, ports, leading international aerospace companies, developers (particularly on projects near airports), solar and wind energy companies, oil companies, Part 135 companies, FBOs, air charter brokers, and contractors in large transportation projects. The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and several other publications have quoted Paul on litigation and emerging legal issues in the aviation and aerospace industry.

Highlights of his recent work include:

  • Successfully briefed, argued, and prevailed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, achieving dismissal of 8-figure claims against a public airport in November 2017. SilverWing at Sandpoint, LLC v. Bonner Cty., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 21970 (9th Cir. 2017).
  • Won a unanimous reversal in a state supreme court following the trial court’s denial of a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict filed by a public airport client.
  • Advised a federally-obligated airport sponsor on complex leasing issues, including matters pertaining to the Anti-Head Tax Act.
  • Successfully served as lead trial counsel in a two-week jury trial and defensed claims against a public airport, limiting exposure to less than 1% of the amount sought by the Plaintiff. (Additional trial experience includes representing a Fortune 100 company in a three week jury trial and serving as first chair and second chair in bench trials and jury trials.)
  • Represented a leading aircraft maintenance company in state, federal, and Part 16 actions over an airport hangar lease dispute, resulting in a complete victory for the client on summary judgment and an award of more than $1.4 million in attorney’s fees.
  • Represented a leading national energy company in regulatory compliance matters related to a wind energy project.
  • Advised a leading American aviation and aeronautics company in matters related to autonomous vehicle operations.
  • Successfully represented a Beijing-based client in obtaining a high-dollar figure judgment in litigation in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
  • Advised a mining transportation and logistics company on FAA regulatory compliance matters related to the operation of large delivery drones.
  • Successfully represented a transportation industry client in obtaining summary judgment and more than $900,000 in attorney’s fees in high-exposure federal litigation.
  • Advised large commercial airport tenant on regulatory compliance and risk-mitigation issues.
  • Successfully responded to Department of Transportation subpoenas and obtained complete dismissal of DOT enforcement action.

Paul has also served as an active member of several firm committees. As a member of the Pro Bono Committee, he has volunteered his time to organizations that serve underprivileged children.

Presentations

  • Speaker, “Strategies for Successfully Navigating Airport Land Use Issues,” IMLA’s 85th Annual Conference, September 23, 2020
  • Speaker at the “Technical Solutions from the NASA VTOL Development Experience,” Hiller Aviation Museum, May 24, 2018
  • Speaker, “Legal and Regulatory Implications of Urban Air Mobility,” Silicon Valley Chapter of AUVSI’s Urban Air Mobility Symposium in San Carlos, California, November 2, 2017
  • Speaker, “Technology and Innovation: Drones in Construction,” AGC California’s 2017 Annual Conference, October 12, 2017
  • Speaker, “Buchalter Connect: Drones-Transformative Technology and Federal Regulations,” January 12, 2017
  • Speaker, “Drones and Filmmaking,” California Lawyers for the Arts, February 17, 2016
  • Speaker, “The Past, Present, and Future of Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems in U.S. Airspace,” Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in San Diego, CA, May 1, 2015
  • Speaker, “The Age of Drones and New Societal Concerns,” CSU Long Beach Distinguished Lecture Series, April 23, 2015
  • Speaker, “Unmanned Aerial Production: The First Leap in Commercial Drones,” 2015 Air & Space Law Symposium in San Diego, CA, March 13, 2015
  • Speaker, “Constitutional Issues in Business Litigation,” The Meeting of the Pacific Legal Scholars in Stockton, CA, October 21, 2014
  • Moderator, “Entrepreneurship & Startups,” Leadership, Innovation, and Transformation Conference in San Diego, CA, April 19, 2014

Education

Mr. Fraidenburgh earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, in History from University of the Pacific.

Bar Admissions

  • California

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California