Baumeister and Samuels P.C.

140 Broadway, 46th Floor
New York, New York 10005

 

The following are excerpts from the acclaimed book by Gary M. Pomerantz, Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds The Tragedy and Triumph of ASA Flight 529, Crown Publishers September 2001:

“The third attorney was different . . .He talked directly to Jennifer. . . She also appreciated that Baumeister stayed in touch with that family [a Pan Am 103 family] as well as other past clients. To her, he seemed less business-like, more personal than the other attorneys. . .Baumeister noticed Jennifer’s wide, sympathetic eyes. Her head had been shaved, her hair only beginning to grow back, and her body was covered in bandages. Baumeister marveled at her resilience and sense of humor. . . . He believed the jury would see her as an absolute hero.

Before leaving [the hospital], Baumeister said ‘Jennifer, I am very tactile as a trial attorney. People often accuse me of getting in the jury box’. He asked to touch her. ‘But I don’t want to hurt you. Is there any part of you that doesn’t hurt?’ ‘The top of my head’, Jennifer replied. ‘Can I touch you there?’ he asked. She nodded. Baumeister touched the top of her head, softly, then said ‘it would be an honor to represent you’.”

“In 1992, Baumeister . . .in the Pan Am 103 trial. . . .cross-examined Pan Am’s chairman, Thomas Plaskett; he worked with the enthusiasm of a mastiff that had come upon a soup bone. He sensed Plaskett being defiant on the witness stand, taking him on. Okay, Baumeister told himself, all bets are off. Baumeister slammed down one of his props - a dictionary - on his podium. Then, his voice rising, his tone and his questions combative, Baumeister used his leg for leverage, steadily inching the podium closer, closer, closer to Plaskett. ‘Counsel has got... the podium... halfway up to the jury box and he’s practically in the witness’s face,’ the defense attorney charged. . . . Then minutes later, facing his witness anew, Baumeister pushed the podium forward again as the defense attorney roared, ‘There he goes again!’. . . . It was vintage, New York in-your-face Mitch Baumeister.”

“Mitch Baumeister. . .liked to describe himself as an. . . underdog fighting for the ‘little guy.’ Raised in the City, his father a fireman, Baumeister came of age during the sixties and fused that decade's social fervor with his own Gotham–style resourcefulness and grit. He'd come home from Vietnam in 1969 and gone to law school at Seton Hall, on the GI bill.”

 

Michel F. Baumeister

A renowned trial attorney for more than 40 years, Mitch Baumeister has concentrated his practice in the field of aviation accident and complex tort litigation. Prior to his entry into private practice, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. During his tenure in this office, he handled dozens of major trials including several high visibility cases involving murder, robbery and rape. Following his term as a trial attorney at the state prosecutor's office, Mitch was appointed an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. While serving as a federal prosecutor, he conducted an international investigation that resulted in the first successful tax fraud indictment and verdict in the commodity futures field.

Combining his extensive trial background with decades of aviation experience as a pilot, Mitch's career has been dedicated to helping air crash victims and their families receive proper and adequate compensation, as well as to making improvements in aviation safety. He has served as a leading Member of the Plaintiffs' Steering and Executive Committees in every major airline disaster in which the firm has represented victims and their families.

In the aftermath of an aviation mass disaster, Mitch is routinely contacted by media organizations for his analysis of the incident. He has made numerous appearances on both television and radio broadcasts in the U.S. and internationally and is frequently quoted in the print media as well. He is routinely invited to lecture and participate in speaking engagements throughout the world, sharing his insights and expertise in the area of aviation litigation. Each engagement not only allows him to impart knowledge but also sparks enriching dialogues and fosters a deeper understanding of the ever-evolving aviation landscape, and being a voice in this field is an honor and a responsibility he takes very seriously.

Mitch holds a commercial pilot's license with an instrument rating for various aircraft. He received his J.D. from Seton Hall University Law School where he was an Editor of the Law Review and earned an LL.M. in International Law from New York University School of Law. He also earned a master’s degree in political science from Rutgers University. He has been an Adjunct Professor of aviation law at Seton Hall University for many years, is the former Chair of the school’s Board of Visitors and was recognized for his years of service with the School of Law Distinguished Graduate Award.

 
 

   

      

 

140 Broadway, 46th Floor
New York, New York 10005

Toll Free Phone - 866-363-1200

212-363-1200 Phone - 212-363-1346 Fax
Email us at : mail@baumeisterlaw.com