What Cooling & Herbers does

Cooling & Herbers, P.C. is a privately-held professional corporation law firm founded in 1977 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with a second office in Wichita, Kansas. The firm specializes in aviation law and adjacent practice areas including business law, civil litigation, environmental law, and insurance law. Its client base spans individual pilots and aircraft owners, corporate flight departments, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), maintenance facilities, aircraft manufacturers, and Fortune 500 companies, with services delivered worldwide from its two U.S. offices.

The firm's value proposition rests on attorney credentials that are uncommon in the legal market: multiple attorneys hold FAA pilot certifications (commercial, instrument, multi-engine, and flight instructor ratings, including a Cessna Citation jet type rating), at least one attorney holds a Master of Laws in taxation, and prior service includes former FAA regional counsel. Practice areas encompass aviation transactions, taxes, regulations, enforcement defense, litigation, FAA certificate defense, NTSB proceedings, international aircraft registration (including the Cayman Islands registry), and corporate/business transactions. The firm does not develop or sell technology products; all value is delivered through traditional attorney-client engagements supported by thought-leadership content and industry-association participation.

The business model is fee-for-service professional services billing typical of law firms, with revenue generated by hourly and matter-based charges for complex aviation and business legal work. Go-to-market is sales-led via industry reputation, professional referrals, and aviation industry networking, supplemented by long-form articles in industry publications, active board and committee roles across NBAA, AIA, AOPA, EAA, NATA, and the ABA, and a niche 50-state aviation sales-and-use-tax resource portal used as a top-of-funnel authority asset.

Name

Cooling & Herbers

Legal name

Cooling & Herbers, P.C.

Website

https://coolinglaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cooling & Herbers, P.C. is a privately-held aviation-focused law firm founded in 1977, headquartered in Kansas City with a Wichita office. It serves pilots, aircraft operators, manufacturers, and Fortune 500 companies with specialized legal services in aviation transactions, FAA regulatory defense, litigation, and business law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Energy Law (BPAHAAAO)

Keywords

• Aviation law services
• Business law
• Civil litigation
• Environmental law
• Insurance defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: The firm generates revenue through billing for legal services including aviation transactions, litigation, regulatory compliance, tax planning, and business law matters. Services are provided to individual pilots, corporate flight departments, and Fortune 500 companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cooling & Herbers, P.C. is a professional law corporation that provides legal counsel and representation across five primary practice areas: aviation law, business law, civil litigation, environmental law, and insurance law. The firm represents a broad client base including Fortune 500 corporate flight departments, individual pilots, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), aircraft maintenance and modification facilities, fractional ownership programs, aircraft manufacturers, and air ambulance operators. It also handles additional matters such as administrative hearings, contracts, family law, intellectual property, real estate, taxation, and wills and estates.

Product overview

Cooling & Herbers, P.C. is a full-service law firm providing legal services across multiple practice areas, with particular expertise in aviation law. The firm offers legal counsel in aviation transactions, taxes, regulations, enforcement matters, litigation, business law, civil litigation, environmental law, and insurance law. The practice areas are provided as distinct legal service offerings rather than software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Law Legal services for the aviation industry, including representation of Fortune 500 corporate flight departments, individual pilots, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), aircraft maintenance and modification facilities, fractional ownership programs, aircraft manufacturers, and air ambulance operators. Matters cover FAA interactions, regulatory compliance, aircraft transactions, aviation litigation, and accident defense.
• Business Law Legal counsel for business matters for commercial and individual clients, including business formation, contracts, transactions, and ongoing business legal advice (also referenced under "Additional Areas" with administrative hearings, intellectual property, real estate, taxation, and wills and estates).
• Civil Litigation Civil litigation representation in state and federal courts on behalf of business and individual clients, including commercial disputes and other contested civil matters.
• Environmental Law Legal counsel and representation in environmental matters, including environmental claims and environmental-related insurance disputes for commercial and individual clients.
• Insurance Law Legal representation for both insurance companies and insureds in insurance disputes and related matters, including coverage analysis and litigation.
• Additional Areas of Practice Legal services beyond the core five practice areas, including administrative hearings, contracts, family law, intellectual property, real estate, taxation, and wills and estates. These areas utilize the firm's collective expertise, including tax specialization through the LL.M. in Taxation credential of partner Paul V. Herbers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 50 years of continuous operation since 1977
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional and minor.

• National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)coreOthersAttorneys serve on NBAA Board of Directors; Tax Committee member; firm participates in NBAA events and programs; attorneys speak at NBAA forums
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)coreOthersFirm is member of AOPA; attorneys provide legal expertise to pilot community
• Aviation Insurance AssociationcoreOthersPast President of AIA; attorneys serve on AIA Board of Directors; firm handles insurance defense for aviation matters
• Lawyer Pilots Bar AssociationcoreOthersMembership includes attorney pilots; supports pilot-attorney community
• National Transportation Safety Board Bar AssociationcoreOthersAttorneys represent clients before NTSB; member of international air and transportation safety bar
• American Bar AssociationmajorOthersAttorneys serve on ABA committees including Aviation, Space and Transportation Law Committee; ABA House of Delegates representation
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)majorOthersAttorneys serve on EAA Legal Advisory Council; firm supports general aviation community
• Kansas City Business Aviation AssociationregionalOthersRegional industry association with shared membership and networking
• Wichita Aero ClubregionalOthersRegional aviation industry networking organization based in Wichita
• National Air Transportation Association (NATA)majorOthersMembership supporting aviation service providers
• Missouri Bar AssociationregionalOthersState bar association with firm attorneys serving in leadership roles including President
• International Registry (Cayman Islands)coreTechnology or IntegrationFirm provides expertise in international aircraft registration through Cayman Islands and other offshore registries
• Airline History MuseumminorOthersFirm attorney serves as Vice President of Board of Directors of museum

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Thompson Hine LLP: Cleveland-based national firm with a recognized aviation practice serving corporate operators and business aviation clients. Larger, broader-portfolio incumbent competing for similar enterprise aviation mandates.
• Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP: Large full-service national firm with a substantial aviation practice serving manufacturers, MROs, and operators. Overlaps with Cooling & Herbers on aviation transactional and regulatory work but competes across a far broader practice footprint.

Direct peers

• Condon & Forsyth LLP: Long-established aviation law firm serving airlines, manufacturers, and corporate operators with regulatory and litigation work. Directly competes with Cooling & Herbers for corporate aviation and aviation regulatory mandates.
• Smith + Malek, PLC: Michigan-based boutique specializing in aviation and business transactions for aircraft owners and operators. Comparable niche boutique targeting similar client profile and transaction-heavy practice.
• Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP: Texas-based aviation law firm representing corporate flight departments, aircraft owners, and operators across FAA matters, transactions, and litigation. Most direct comparable in size and service mix to Cooling & Herbers.
• Kreindler & Kreindler LLP: New York aviation accident and product liability litigation firm with substantial aviation docket. Directly competes for aviation defense and litigation matters where Cooling & Herbers serves its clients.
• Rapaport Wisecarver + Batzli & Associates: California boutique specializing in aviation law for pilots, aircraft owners, and operators. Direct comparable serving individual pilots and corporate flight department clients with FAA and transaction matters.
• Aitken Aitken Cohn, LLP: California aviation and personal injury law firm focusing on aviation accident and product liability matters. Comparable litigation-heavy aviation boutique serving similar defendant and plaintiff aviation defendants.
• Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym Ltd. Chicago-based firm handling aviation, personal injury, and commercial litigation. Overlap is significant in aviation litigation and regulatory defense work comparable to Cooling & Herbers' civil litigation practice.

Regional players

• McAfee & Taft A Professional Corporation: Oklahoma-based full-service firm with one of the largest aviation practices in the region. Comparable regional aviation powerhouse competing for Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas aviation mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cooling & Herbers