Clifford Law Offices has earned recognition in the Chambers USA Guide 2026, receiving rankings in the following categories:
- USA Nationwide: Transportation: Aviation: Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs
- Illinois: Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs
The 2026 rankings recognize Clifford Law Offices’ longstanding work in complex plaintiff litigation at both the state and national levels. Since its founding in 1984, the firm has built a reputation for handling catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and aviation cases involving significant legal, technical, and factual challenges.
The firm’s nationwide ranking in aviation reflects its standing as one of the most prominent plaintiff-side aviation groups. Clifford Law Offices has represented victims and their families in nearly every major U.S. commercial airline crash over the past 40 years, as well as in numerous general aviation accidents. Under the leadership of founder and senior partner Robert A. Clifford, the firm has developed a global aviation practice known for handling complex, high-profile matters involving catastrophic loss of life.
Among those matters, Clifford Law Offices represented the families of more than 70 victims of the 2019 Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash in Ethiopia, with Mr. Clifford serving as lead counsel in the multidistrict litigation in federal court in Chicago.
The firm currently represents several families who lost loved ones in the January 29, 2025, midair collision involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle regional jet over the Potomac River. Clifford Law Offices has also filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of families affected by the November 4, 2025, UPS cargo aircraft crash in Louisville, Kentucky.
In addition, the firm represents families pursuing claims arising from the crash of Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London that crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, 2025, resulting in the loss of nearly all passengers and crew aboard and additional fatalities on the ground.
“The cases entrusted to our firm often involve catastrophic loss, complex facts, and formidable opponents. Recognition by Chambers reflects the experience, resources, and courtroom strength our attorneys bring to cases where the stakes could not be higher.”
– Robert A. Clifford, Founder and Senior Partner at Clifford Law Offices
For more than 20 years, Chambers USA has evaluated and ranked the nation’s leading law firms and attorneys through independent research, client interviews, and peer assessments. Published annually, the guide covers practice areas in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as nationwide.
Click here to view the complete Chambers USA Guide 2026.