Board Certified Aviation Lawyer
Principal and Founder
Timothy M. Ravich is the founder of Empennage Consulting LLC. Licensed to practice law in both Florida and Illinois, he also is is one of fewer than 50 lawyers recognized as a Board Certified Aviation Lawyer (Florida). He concentrates his practice on litigation, airport law, aviation transactions, and emerging aviation and space technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicle ("drones") and advanced air mobility ("AAM").
Tim is a veteran of some of the top business litigation firms in the world. He began his career with the international law firms of McDermott, Will & Emery and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. There, he gained "first chair" trial experience representing Fortune 500 corporations in high stakes complex commercial matters. Tim also served as general counsel of a Canada-based precision-agriculture company during its successful efforts to obtain one of the first authorizations for commercial drone aircraft operations in the world.
Tim's advocacy skills are recognized by the legal community. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a distinction representing the highest possible rating for lawyers based on legal ability and general ethical standards. He also is regularly recognized by publications such as a "Super Lawyer" and "Leading Lawyer" in the area of aviation and business law.
As a legal analyst and consultant, Tim is the author of numerous publications on aviation and pioneering spaces, including a leading treatise entitled Introduction to Aviation Law (West Academic 2020) and Law and Technology (West Academic 2024). He has also served as the Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation related to "flying taxis" and advanced air mobility ("AAM") and with respect to several projects with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine relating to airport law. He also has served as an expert witness in state and federal aviation litigation. He designed and taught an aviation and space law course at the University of Miami School of Law and FIU College of Law and was the first tenured professor of a new legal studies program at the University of Central Florida.
Tim is an active community and bar leader. He was the 92nd president of the Dade County Bar Association ("DCBA"), the largest voluntary bar association in the State of Florida. He also chaired the DCBA's professionalism committee and led the Florida Bar Aviation Law Committee for two consecutive terms. He now serves on the Aviation Law Certification Committee and was a member of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates, serving as the DCBA's representative.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim is a cum laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Miami Business Law Review and was tapped into Iron Arrow, the highest honor attained at the University of Miami. He also earned his M.B.A. in Aviation Policy and Planning from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, bringing a business perspective to legal matters.
