Industry Expert

Stephen Hofer is president of the Aerlex Law Group in Santa Monica, California.  He has been practicing law for over 45 years, specializing in the fields of aviation, corporate, commercial and employment law.

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Mr. Hofer founded the Aerlex Law Group in 2005.  The firm provides guidance to aviation clients in the fields of aircraft acquisition and sales, leasing, fractional ownership, financing, FAA and DOT regulations, aircraft import and export, and aircraft taxation issues.  Aerlex also counsel clients in commercial real estate, corporate structuring, contracts, trademarks and intellectual property, and labor and employment law.

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Mr. Hofer holds an A-V peer rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating given to attorneys for both legal ability and ethical standards.  He has been ranked by Chambers & Partners High Net Worth Guide as one of the premier aviation attorneys worldwide every year since 2016, and has been named among the top recommended aviation lawyers in the world by Spear Publishing Ltd. (Spear’s 500) since 2021.  Mr. Hofer has been selected by Southern California Super Lawyers as one of the top attorneys in the Southern California region every year from 2010 through 2025.  He is a former member of the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) Tax Committee and served as Chairman of NBAA’s 2011 Tax Seminar.  He is also a member of NBAA’s Regulatory Issues Advisory Group (RIAG) and has written numerous articles for NBAA’s website on tax and regulatory matters.  Mr. Hofer has served on the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Finance and Leasing Committee since 2014. He has spoken on legal topics to various organizations, including the National Air Transportation Association, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association, HAI and NBAA.  Mr. Hofer has been quoted in such publications as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Business Aviation Advisor, Fortune and Business Jet Traveler.

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A 1980 graduate of Northwestern University Law School in Chicago, Mr. Hofer practiced from 1980 to 1984 with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where he specialized in the representation of media clients.  He also worked in the fields of labor and employment law, corporate and commercial matters, and estate and entertainment litigation.  After taking a leave of absence to work for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Mr. Hofer 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.  Prior to founding Aerlex, from 1997 to 2005, Mr. Hofer was a partner and chair of the corporate and transactional department at Bailey & Partners in Santa Monica.