Mr. Ladd is recognized as a “Super Lawyer” in the areas of Business and Securities Litigation, and Transportation/Maritime Law. He represents clients in areas that include securities, corporate governance, unfair trade practices (business torts and contact), tax, transportation, and related litigation. Mr. Ladd’s backgrounds in engineering and finance allow him to present a wide range of complex issues effectively. He has litigated in federal and state courts in over 15 States, federal and state agencies, French Tribunals, and arbitration forums.

Mr. Ladd is Chair of the Securities Law Committee of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, has led seminars with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, Congressman Michael Oxley, and Prof. John Coffee on the Sarbanes Oxley Act, corporate governance and securities market oversight, authored and presented Virginia and DC Continuing Legal Education courses on fiduciary duties owed under the Uniform Prudent Investor Act.

Mr. Ladd developed new products and managed distribution with national accounts in the energy industry from 1975 to 1978, prepared patent applications and appeals for NASA and was a financial consultant to the SBA while earning his M.B.A. and J.D, and represented small to medium size businesses from 1983 to 1991 in commercial matters that ranged from anti-trust and securities litigation to structuring transactions with foreign entities. Mr. Ladd defended aviation-related claims while at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1991 to 1999, is a licensed pilot, AOPA Panel Attorney, and has lectured at Wings Seminars with the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Virginia Department of Aviation and Cirrus Design.

Education:

J.D., University of Richmond
(Tax, Corporate, Securities, Commercial Litigation)

M.B.A., College of William & Mary
(Accounting, Finance, and Business Operations)

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
(Automatic Control Theory, Energy Conversion, and Turbo Machinery)

Representative Matters:

• Successful prosecution of Anti-Trust, Defamation, Disparagement, Tortuous Interference, and other Unfair Trade Practice Claims against Chevron and one of its distributors resulting in a settlement that allowed Mr. Ladd’s client to acquire the defendant distributor’s assets);
• Successful defense of all concealed damage claims assigned by national motor carriers, and other transportation litigation in state and federal courts;
• Structured cost effective business entities, mergers and acquisitions, and related stock purchase, restriction and buy-back agreements, and executive compensation plans;
  
• Reviewed and prepared corporate records to comply with Sarbanes Oxley, as well as compliance with SEC and Treasury Rules under TARP, proposed legislation under the Investor Protection Act of 2009 and applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations;
  
• Draft memorandums for use with Regulation D offerings;
  
• Securities litigation, including lead counsel motions in class actions before the Eastern District of Virginia and District of Columbia, derivative claims before state and federal courts, and related discovery motions;
  
• Successful examinations conducted under the Hague Convention before French Tribunals and foreign consulates to obtain a multi-million dollar offset for the United States;
  
• Prepare Wealth Preservation Strategies, Tax Wills and Trusts to make effective use of estate, gift and generation-skipping exemptions, Dynasty Trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts, and GRATS, GRUTS, CRATS and CRUTS;
  
• Represent lenders in domestic and international purchases and sales of private and commercial aircraft, including making arrangements for appraisals, inspections, registration, certification, customs, insurance, and security interests filed with the FAA and under the Cape Town Convention and Protocol;
  
• Prepare Timeshare and other agreements for use of commercial and personal aircraft by owners and corporate employees;
  
• Represent air carriers, operators, and aviation repair facilities in contract and tort actions in courts; and
  
• Represent Air Carriers, Operators, repair facilities, and pilots in regulatory and enforcement proceedings before the FAA, National Transportation Safety Board, and airport authorities.

   

  
  

Memberships & Activities:

• Chairman, Securities Law Committee for the Bar Association of the District of Columbia;

• Member, Virginia and District of Columbia Bars
  
• Member, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, AOPA Panel Attorney;
  
• Civil Air Patrol, Mission Pilot (Mountain qualified in G-1000 Advanced Technology Aircraft), Legal Officer, and former Director of Cadet Orientation Flight Program for National Capital Wing.
  

Honors & Awards:

• Outstanding Committee Program Award, from Bar Association of the District of Columbia (June 2009);

• National Commander’s Commendation Award for Outstanding Duty Performance 2007 and 2008;

• Wing Commander’s Commendation Award for Outstanding Duty Performance 2006;

• Outstanding Committee Chair and Certificate of Appreciation, Bar Association of the District of Columbia 2003

Publications and Seminars include :

• Seminar with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby and Prof. John Coffee; Response to Treasury Blueprint and Changes in Oversight of the Securities and Financial Markets (BADC Nov. 2008)
• Televised Seminar with Congressman Michael Oxley on Impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, sponsored by Bar Association of District of Columbia and CSPAN (Nov 2002);
• Overview of the Uniform Prudent Investor Act (Virginia CLE June 2000)
• Impact of Uniform Prudent Investor Act (Bar Association of District of Columbia, Jan 2000).
• Securities Law Seminar with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby and Prof. John Coffee ; Response to Treasury Blueprint and Changes in Oversight of the Securities and Financial Markets (BADC Nov. 2008);
• EAA Aviation Safety and Law Seminar (Stafford, VA May 2008);
• AOPA/AFS Safety and Legal Seminar, sponsored with Va. Dept of Aviation (Richmond, VA Oct 2007);
• FAA Wings Safety Seminar, sponsored by FAA, Duty of Care owed by CFIs and related civil liability (Sept 2007).
• FAA Wings Safety Seminar, sponsored by Civil Air Patrol with FAA, NTSB, and Cirrus Design (Apr 2006).
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Chairman of televised Panel Discussion with Congr. Michael G. Oxley, sponsored by Bar Association of District of Columbia and CSPAN (Nov 2002)
• Emerging Issues Under the Federal Securities Laws in a Volatile Market (Bar Association of District of Columbia and the D.C. Bar May 2001)
• Panel Discussion with SEC Commissioner Isaac Hunt (2000).

Reported Decisions include:

• Administrator v. DeShazer , NTSB SE-18042 (Jul 2008);
• In re BearingPoint, Securities Litigation, Civil Action 1:05 CV 00618 (E.D. Va.)
• Westerfeld v. Wachovia Securities et al., NASD-DR 03-02046 (2006);
• Rubens v. American Express Financial Advisors, NASD-DR- 03-07266 (2005);
• Weston v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. et al. , NASD-DR 02‑02017 (2003);
• Park v. Prudential Securities, Inc. et al. , NASD-DR 01‑02160 (2003);
• Pigford v. Veneman, 141 F.Supp.2d 60 (D.D.C. 2001);
• Adkins v. Teseo, 180 F.Supp.2d 15 (D.D.C. 2001);
• Lowry v. Commonwealth of Canada, 917 F. Supp. 290 (D. Vt. 1996);
• Black Hills Aviation, Inc. v. United States, 34 F.3d 968 (10 th Cir. 1994); and
• Schmidt v. United States, 994 F.2d 843 (8 th Cir. 1993).

Lead Plaintiff and Discovery Motions in Securities Class Actions include:

• Kling v. Amerigroup Corporation, et al., Civil Action 2:05-CV-601 (E.D. Va. 2005);
• In re Cisco Systems Securities Litigation, Civil Action 1:05-MC-64 (E.D. Va. 2005);
• In re BearingPoint, Inc., Securities Litigation II, Civil Action 1:05CV454 (E.D. Va. 2005);
• In re Cable & Wireless, PLC, Securities Litigation, Civil Action 1:02CV1860 (E.D. Va. 2004);
• In re Royal Ahold Securities Litigation, Civil Action 1:03CV216 (E.D. Va. 2003); and
• In re AOL Time Warner, Inc. Shareholder Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1500 (2002).