Aerlex Law Group

What Aerlex Law Group does

Aerlex Law Group is a privately held boutique law firm founded in 2005 by Stephen Hofer and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm specializes in aviation law and serves high-net-worth individuals, aircraft owners and operators, commercial airlines, aviation service providers, and lending institutions requiring International Registry filings under the Cape Town Convention. Its practice spans seven interconnected areas: Aviation Law (transactions, ownership structuring, charter agreements, import/export), Business Law, Labor & Employment Law, Tax Services (federal, state, and aircraft-specific tax planning), Litigation, FAA & Regulatory Law, and International Registry advisory — designed to cover the full aircraft lifecycle from acquisition through disposition.

The firm is built around a small team led by President Stephen Hofer, a former FAA/DOT specialist ranked by Chambers & Partners among the world's premier aviation attorneys and a Southern California Super Lawyers honoree every year since 2009, alongside Of Counsel Jonathan S. Morse, an aviation-transactions attorney with prior flight test engineering experience at McDonnell Douglas. Support staff include an accounting manager, marketing coordinator, and firm administrator. Differentiators cited include 50+ years of combined aviation regulatory experience, hundreds of International Registry filings enabling expedited approvals, and committee seats on NBAA Tax, NBAA Regulatory Issues Advisory Group, and HAI Finance & Leasing.

Aerlex generates revenue through professional legal services billed hourly, by fixed fee, or by transaction value. Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, relying on Chambers & Partners rankings, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell A-V ratings, NBAA/NAFA/IADA/HAI association participation, and industry referrals rather than paid acquisition. The firm reports representation of 500+ clients globally, including Oscar/Grammy/Emmy recipients, fashion designers, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Aerlex has no disclosed funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates as an independent professional services partnership from a single Los Angeles office.

Name

Aerlex Law Group

Legal name

Aerlex Law Group

Website

https://aerlex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aerlex Law Group is a privately held, Los Angeles-based boutique law firm specializing in aviation law, serving aircraft owners, operators, airlines, and lenders across aircraft transactions, FAA regulatory matters, tax, litigation, and Cape Town International Registry filings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Aviation Insurance & Financing/Leasing Services (THABAFAM)

Keywords

• Aviation legal services
• Aircraft transaction law
• FAA regulatory counsel
• Aviation tax planning
• Cape Town Convention filings

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services billed hourly, by fixed fee for specific matters, or transaction-based fees for aircraft purchases, sales, and financing transactions. Services span aviation regulatory compliance, tax planning, corporate structuring, litigation, employment law, and international registry administration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aerlex Law Group is a boutique law firm that provides specialized legal counsel across the entire aircraft ownership lifecycle, including aircraft purchases and sales, fractional ownership and leasing, jet card programs, charter agreements, US/European import/export compliance, FAA and DOT regulatory matters, Cape Town Convention International Registry filings, federal and state aircraft tax planning, aviation-related litigation, and employment law for aviation clients. The firm serves high-net-worth aircraft owners, airlines, aviation service providers, and lenders financing aircraft transactions.

Product overview

Aerlex Law Group is a boutique aviation-focused law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services rather than a software platform. The practice centers on seven interconnected service areas: Aviation Law (covering aircraft transactions, ownership structures, and charter agreements), Business Law (entity formation, contracts, and disputes), Labor Employment Law, Tax Services (federal/state tax planning for aircraft), Litigation, FAA & Regulatory Law, and International Registry services under the Cape Town Convention. These practice areas are designed to work together, enabling the firm to provide comprehensive counsel for aircraft ownership from acquisition through disposition, including regulatory compliance, tax optimization, employment matters, and international transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Law Comprehensive legal services for aircraft transactions including whole aircraft purchases and sales, fractional ownership, aircraft leasing, jet card programs, ownership structuring, shared ownership, financing, charter agreements, and US/European import/export matters.
• Business Law
• Labor Employment Law
• Tax Services
• Litigation
• FAA and Regulatory Law
• International Registry

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)coreOthersActive membership and committee participation. Stephen Hofer serves on NBAA's Tax Committee, Regulatory Issues Advisory Group (RIAG), and served as Chairman of NBAA's 2011 Tax Seminar.
• Helicopter Association International (HAI)coreOthersStephen Hofer serves on the HAI Finance and Leasing Committee, providing aviation industry expertise.
• National Air Transportation Association (NAFA)minorOthersIndustry association membership displayed on company website indicating affiliation with air transportation industry.
• International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA)minorOthersIndustry association membership displayed on company website indicating affiliation with aircraft dealers industry.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Holland & Knight: Holland & Knight's Aviation practice handles FAA regulatory, aircraft transactions, and litigation for airlines, operators, and business aviation clients — comparable service set to Aerlex within a larger national platform.
• Polsinelli: Polsinelli's national Aviation Finance practice represents lenders, lessors, and operators on aircraft financing, securitizations, and Cape Town Convention matters — overlapping with Aerlex's aircraft transactions and IR filings work, but as part of a much broader firm portfolio.
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman: Pillsbury's Aviation practice represents airlines, lessors, manufacturers, and financiers on regulatory, transactional, and dispute matters — overlapping with Aerlex across FAA regulatory, tax, and aircraft transactions but as part of a much larger firm.
• Steptoe & Johnson: Steptoe's Aviation & Aerospace practice covers FAA regulatory, transactions, and dispute matters for operators and financiers — overlapping with Aerlex's core practice areas from within a broader full-service firm.
• Norton Rose Fulbright: Norton Rose Fulbright has a long-standing global Aviation practice covering financing, leasing, regulatory, and litigation for airlines, lessors, and business aviation operators — comparable capabilities to Aerlex but delivered through a global full-service platform.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Akin Gump's aviation practice advises airlines, lessors, financiers, and investors on regulatory, transactional, and dispute matters globally — provides overlapping legal capabilities to Aerlex but at global-firm scale and not aviation-specialized boutique.

Direct peers

• McAfee & Taft: McAfee & Taft AEROSPACE group is one of the largest U.S. aviation-focused law practices, serving aircraft owners, operators, lenders, and manufacturers on FAA regulatory, transactional, tax, and litigation matters — directly comparable to Aerlex's aviation law practice.
• Cozen O'Connor: Cozen O'Connor's Transportation & Logistics practice includes a dedicated aviation subgroup handling FAA regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters for airlines, operators, and business aviation clients — overlapping directly with Aerlex's core offerings.
• Williams Kastner: Williams Kastner maintains an Aviation group serving aircraft owners, fractional programs, and operators on acquisitions, finance, regulatory, and dispute work — comparable boutique-style aviation practice with overlapping customer segments.
• SmithAmundsen: SmithAmundsen's Aviation Law group represents aircraft owners, operators, and lenders on acquisitions, financing, FAA compliance, and litigation — a closely aligned specialty practice serving a similar client profile to Aerlex.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AerlexLawGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/AerlexLawGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerlex-law-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aerlex Law Group