The Aerlex Team

Stephen R. Hofer  shofer@aerlex.com 
Stephen Hofer has been described in the Los Angeles Daily Journal as “aviation attorney to the stars.”  He has an “A list” of Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy-winning clients.  He has represented many of Hollywood’s most prominent actors, actresses, producers, directors and studio executives, as well as internationally known recording artists and professional athletes, in connection with the ownership and operation of aircraft.  His clients also include several of Southern California’s largest air charter companies.

Stephen Hofer is a 1980 graduate of Northwestern University Law School in Chicago and was winner of the school’s Lowden-Wigmore Award for Outstanding Published Legal Writing.  From 1980 to 1984, he was associated with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, which was then the world’s fifth largest law firm.  After taking a leave of absence to work for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, he joined American Golf Corporation as vice president and general counsel.  During his years at AGC, he represented the company in the acquisition of more than 200 golf courses and country clubs.  He served as a partner and chair of the Bailey & Partners corporate and transactional department from 1997 until he founded Aerlex in 2005.

Stephen Hofer is a Martindale-Hubbell A/V-rated attorney, a ranking given only to lawyers with very high to preeminent legal ability, integrity and overall professional excellence.  In recent years, he has spoken to numerous aviation organizations, bar associations, continuing legal education seminars, business and trade groups, and college classes on aviation-related topics.  He has been quoted in such publications as Forbes, Flying magazine, Travel and Leisure, The American Lawyer, Wealth, California CEO magazine, California Law Business, the Los Angeles Daily Journal and the Los Angeles Business Journal.  He is a former member of the Boards of Directors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the Museum of Flying and the Santa Monica Symphony.  His biography has appeared in multiple editions of Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Law.

Robert D. Ehling  behling@aerlex.com 
Robert Ehling is a 1986 graduate of the University of California-Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law.  He received his A.B. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1982 and is also a graduate of the United States Army’s Airborne Infantry School.  He practiced law in Tokyo and Silicon Valley for several years before joining Bailey & Partners in 2000.  He then transitioned to Aerlex when it was formed in 2005.  He has worked on hundreds of whole and fractional aircraft acquisitions. Bob Ehling is admitted to practice in both California and the District of Columbia and speaks Japanese and Spanish.  He is an expert in the often complex areas of aircraft transactions, equipment financing and leasing and federal aviation regulation.  He also has expertise in the fields of commercial law, intellectual property and entertainment law.

Marvin W. Murray  mmurray@aerlex.com
Marvin Murray is a 1969 graduate of Yale Law School and received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering in 1966 from Northwestern University.  He is a former partner with Townsend and Townsend in San Francisco, having practiced with that firm from 1971 to 1977.  He then became a partner with Murray and Murray in Chicago before leaving that firm in 1980 to become the president of Simmons Airlines, Inc., one of the American Eagle regional airlines that was acquired in 1988 by American Airlines’ corporate parent, AMR.  He spent several years as a private investor before returning to the active practice of law in 2004 with Bailey & Partners and joined Aerlex Law Group upon its formation in 2005.  Marvin Murray brings a unique perspective to the practice of both aviation and commercial law, having spent more than 30 years as a lawyer, the owner of an airline and a private businessman and entrepreneur.  He understands problems from the client’s vantage point, having walked in those same shoes for many years himself.

Robert A. Frost  bfrost@aerlex.com
Bob Frost has worn many hats during his 45 years in business aviation: chief pilot for an airline, corporate president, FAA aviation safety inspector, Part 121 and 135 director of operations, and flight instructor, just to name a few. Now, he utilizes that wealth of knowledge and experience on behalf of Aerlex’s clients in his role as the firm’s Aviation Certification and Compliance Consultant.

Bob holds Air Transport Pilot and Flight Instructor, Airplane and Instrument, FAA certifications. He has flown more than 16,800 hours as both a commercial and corporate pilot, including three years as chief pilot for Hawaii Pacific Airlines, a 121 carrier.  Prior to joining Aerlex, he served as Director of Operations for Trans-Exec Air Service, a Part 135 Gulfstream jet charter company based in Santa Monica and Van Nuys. Before that, he spent four years as an aviation safety inspector for the FAA in Los Angeles.  He currently serves as president of RAF Leasing Inc., a company that leases aircraft and support equipment to air carriers; he previously served as president of Holiday Airways, Inc. and Resort Commuter Airlines/TWA Express. He is active on the boards of a number of professional associations and private companies, including the NATA Advisory Board. He is an FAA Safety Counselor.
 
As Aerlex’s Aviation Certification and Compliance Consultant, Bob Frost brings his comprehensive aviation experience and vast knowledge of technical aviation issues to the firm’s clients. He provides unparalleled guidance in many diverse areas, including pre-purchase advice and document review, technical analysis of aircraft specifications, assessment of Part 135 and corporate flight department operations, and assistance with FAR violations.

Kathy Boland  kboland@aerlex.com
Kathy Boland is Aerlex’s Aircraft Transaction and Closing Specialist.  She works with the firm’s attorneys in the management and supervision of Aerlex’s aircraft transactional practice. She handles aircraft transaction documentation, closings, oversight of aircraft deliveries, financing and lease administration, and taxation issues.  Kathy graduated in 1980 from the California College of Paralegal Studies. Since then, she has worked for a diverse group of aviation-related companies, including Flying Tiger Line Inc. and International Lease Finance Corporation, administering and managing the legal and logistical aspects of their aircraft ownership matters.  During her career, Kathy has managed over 1,000 aircraft transactions. She joined Aerlex in 2007, bringing her unique experience to the benefit of Aerlex and its clients.