Attorney Profiles

Brett M. Hager joined Sanders & Parks in 1999, and is a Shareholder and Director in the firm. He practices in the areas of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, aviation law, including aircraft crashes resulting in both injury and wrongful death, product liability, insurance defense, patent-infringement litigation, construction litigation (including mechanic's liens), commercial litigation, and small business formation and representation.

Personal Injury and Wrongful Death, Aviation, Auto and Tire Defects

Mr. Hager has recovered millions of dollars for his personal-injury and wrongful-death clients. He is a passionate advocate who takes his clients' claims to heart, and fights vigorously to assert their rights. He has a relaxed and personal style that juries find appealing, and he can break down even the most complex issues into easily-understandable messages.

Mr. Hager handles traumatic injury and wrongful death cases arising out of multiple-vehicle accidents, single-vehicle accidents, rollovers (including SUVs, 15-passenger vans, mini vans, pick-ups and other vehicles), tire defects and tread separations (such as missing or inadequate gum strips, nylon cap, and improper cure, and including as against Cooper Tire, Continental Tire, General Tire, Michelin Tire, Bridgestone/Firestone Tire, Goodyear Tire, Uniroyal Tire, Dunlop Tire, Kelly Springfield, Yokohama, Kumho Tire, Westlake, Compass, YKS, Chinese tire manufacturers, and other tire manufacturers, retailers, sellers and installers), roof crush, seatbelt failure, passenger and driver ejections, gas tank explosions and fires, and other automotive defects (including as against Ford, GM and Daimler Chrysler). Mr. Hager also handles motorcycle and ATV accidents.

Mr. Hager is also a licensed private pilot with extensive aviation experience. He understands the trauma a family goes through after an aviation accident. He also understands the strain placed on an aircraft owner by things like disputes over a significant and unforeseen repair bill. He handles virtually all manner of aviation cases, from repair disputes between aircraft owners and FBOs, up to personal injury and wrongful death cases arising out of aviation accidents. He has the technical understanding necessary to evaluate and prosecute a wide variety of cases, and to staff them with the best experts in their respective fields, whether the case involves an engine or structural failure, design defect, maintenance failure, failure to comply with Airworthiness Directives, or simple piloting error. Exemplary cases have involved mid-air collisions, powerline strikes, in-flight wing separation, and engine failure within two hours of overhaul. Mr. Hager also has the experience and know-how to pursue any and all avenues of potential recovery, including employer liability for business flights, insurance, worker's compensation, governmental liability (including as to air traffic control negligence), and other sources. Whether the case involves a Beech craft, Cessna, Piper, Diamond, Cirrus, Lancair, Dessault, Hawker, Learjet, Bell, Taylorcraft, Eurocopter, Sikorsky, Robinson, Fairchild, or even a homebuilt or other experimental aircraft, and whether it is a single engine, twin engine, piston, jet, land, seaplane, or helicopter, Mr. Hager would like to offer his assistance in evaluating your case and guiding you through what surely may be the most difficult time of your life.

Mr. Hager's insurance defense work is a unique and valuable tool when it comes to evaluating and advancing his plaintiff's claims. Because he also handles insurance defense work, he understands how insurance carriers work, what they need to be able to evaluate and settle claims fairly, and when a claim must be taken to trial. Other attorneys who do not do insurance defense work in addition to plaintiff' work lack this perspective, and may not have the intimate knowledge of the insurance industry necessary to effectively advocate for their clients.

Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Small-Business, and Intellectual Property Representation

In addition to the foregoing types of cases, Mr. Hager is a seasoned commercial litigation and insurance defense attorney. His skill set ranges from construction law (including construction defect, contract disputes, indemnity issues, and mechanic's liens) to high-tech patent infringement litigation, business formation and consultation to "outside" general counsel services, and things in between. Mr. Hager is a strong believer that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," especially in commercial settings. Often times, costly litigation can be avoided by utilizing counsel at the earliest signs of a dispute brewing, and this can save the parties significant attorneys' fees and profound aggravation by avoiding litigation. However, if litigation is or becomes necessary, Mr. Hager will work diligently and efficiently to bring your commercial or intellectual dispute to an efficient and satisfactory resolution.

Regarding insurance defense, some attorneys puzzle how a lawyer can wear both hats by doing plaintiff's work. The answer is, very easily. In fact, Mr. Hager finds that his experience working on both sides of litigation serves him well in either type of case by providing a unique perspective on what the other side is thinking. This serves him well in all types of insurance defense cases, including premises liability, construction site injuries, advertising injuries, D&O liability, and other cases.