Rodney A. Dean
Rodney Dean has been practicing law since 1973 with concentration in the areas of products liability, professional malpractice, aviation, construction, and first party defense work. He formed his own law firm in 1988, with Michael Gibson joining him within a year, and later forming the firm of Dean & Gibson, LLP. in 1991.
He is personally rated AV by Martindale Hubbell, which is the highest possible rating for ability and legal ethics. He has handled numerous trial and appellate matters at the state and federal level.
Mr. Dean is a pilot and panel attorney for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Legal Services Plan for representation of pilots in proceedings before the FAA and NTSB. He is also a member of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) Bar Association, Aviation Insurance Association, and is serving on the Board of Directors for the Carolinas Historic Aviation Commission.
As an approved instructor in North Carolina for continuing education programs, he conducts lectures and seminars in the field of property and casualty insurance, products liability, and various other insurance defense matters. He provides seminars and training programs to bar groups, engineering and industry associations, insurance companies, businesses and aviation organizations.
Areas of Practice
- Insurance Defense
- Products Liability
- Aviation Litigation
- Professional Malpractice
- Construction Litigation
- General Civil Litigation
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina, 1973
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1973
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina
Education
- The University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- J.D. - 1973
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- B.A. - 1970
- Major: Business Administration
Published Works
- The North Carolina Claim Manager's Guide
- What Every Claims Handler Needs to Know About North Carolina Law
- Defense and Subrogation of Products Liability Claims in North Carolina - A Practical Guide For the Insurance Industry
- The Products Liability Claims Handbook for North Carolina, 1996
- How to Avoid Lawsuits in Material Analysis, Journal of Advanced Materials and Processes, September, 2000
- Preparation of an Engineering Report in the Products Liability Case, Journal of Products Liability, Vol 3, No. 1 and 2, 1979
- Guide to Law For Doctors (Contributing Author), A.M.A., 1999
- Legal Issues in Failure Analysis, Journal of Failure Analysis & Prevention, 2004
Representative Cases
Classes/Seminars
- Panel Attorney, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Legal Services Plan
- Numerous Continuing Education Courses for Insurance Companies and North Carolina Claims Associations
- Presentations to Professional and Industry Groups
Professional Associations and Memberships
- North Carolina State Bar, Member
- North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, Charter Member
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Executive Affiliate Member
- ASM International (American Society for Metals)
- American Society for Civil Engineers, Affiliate Member
- Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society
- American Chemical Society
- American Society for Testing & Materials - Products Liability
- Defense Research Institute
- National Fire Protection Association
- Lawyers-Pilots Bar Association
- N.T.S.B. Bar Association
- Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
- Aviation Insurance Association
- Carolina Historic Aviation Commission, Board of Directors
- Organization of Flying Adjusters, Associate Member
- International Association of Arson Investigators, (former member)









