Biography: Aviation

Carlos Martins is a founding partner of Bersenas Jacobsen Chouest Thomson Blackburn LLP. He is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of Canada.

Carlos has represented numerous air carriers in tort, contractual and regulatory litigation. He has been involved in major accident litigation and precedent-setting regulatory decisions. For example, he represented Air Canada and WestJet in regulatory litigation before the Canadian Transportation Agency relating to the rights of disabled and obese passengers, as well as Canada 3000 before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in a case that established the priority of aviation safety over religious preference.

Carlos has conducted trials, appeals and tribunal hearings on behalf of his aviation clients on issues as diverse as the sale of aircraft, cargo losses, personal injury, liability for carrying inadmissible passengers and human rights issues.

Carlos has a significant experience in providing day-to-day advice on local law to foreign air carriers. His activities include obtaining airport access and ancillary services as well as advising on office leases and employment matters. He has assisted foreign carriers meet all the legal requirements of carrying on business in Canada, including obtaining appropriate licences for own-operation as well as code share services.

He is a frequent speaker at conferences, including the IATA Legal Symposium, the Ontario Bar Association and the Insurance Institute of Canada. In addition, Carlos was the past author of the Canada chapter of International Insurance Law and Regulation (Oxford University Press) and has been a contributor to Wings Magazine and Helicopters Magazine. He is the editor of the firm's monthly newsletter, Transportation Notes.

Area of specialisation: contentious/regulatory