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Kathleen A. Yodice, Esq. Managing Partner
Kathy Yodice has been representing aviation legal interests for almost 30 years, beginning her career as an FAA prosecutor and regulatory lawyer, before then moving into private practice defending air carriers, commercial operators, repair stations, pilots, and mechanics against FAA enforcement actions and assisting entities and individuals in aviation compliance matters, medical certification concerns, and aviation-related business and transactional issues. Ms. Yodice is a frequent lecturer on aviation legal issues involving flight activities, aircraft acquisitions, airports, medical certification, maintenance, and insurance. In addition, Ms. Yodice regularly authors columns for the aviation community. Ms. Yodice received her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Frostburg State University, where she concentrated her studies on psychology and mathematics. Ms. Yodice is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 4th, 5th, 8th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and District of Columbia Circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is an active member of the Maryland and D.C. Bar Associations, the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, and the International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association. Ms. Yodice is a Past President of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association and currently sits on their Board, and she served on AOPA’s Board of Aviation Medical Advisors and the Board of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. She was appointed to, and continues to serve on, the Editorial Board for the ABA Forum on Air and Space Law, and she is a former long-time panel member in the Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program. She is also an active member of many aviation and legal organizations, including AOPA, NBAA, Civil Aviation Medical Association, Cub Club, United States Pilots Association, Aero Club of Washington, and Women In Aviation, International. Ms. Yodice is an instrument rated private pilot. She learned to fly in the family’s 1946 Piper J-3 Cub, and formerly co-owned a 1968 Piper Cherokee 180 with her brother. |
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John S. Yodice, Esq. Senior Partner
John Yodice set up his private practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland upon graduation from the George Washington University School of Law in 1959. Since then he has been continuously representing pilots, flight schools, corporate and commercial operators, aircraft owners, and others in aviation and corporate law matters. Mr. Yodice is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Oklahoma. He served as General Counsel to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association. He is a Director (and past president) of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association and currently continues to serve as their Convention Manager, a position that he has held for 45 years. He is a founding member and current secretary of the International Aviation and Transportation Safety Bar Association (formerly the NTSB Bar Association). Mr. Yodice authored a regular, monthly column in the AOPA Pilot magazine for 53 year and is a contributor to the quarterly IATSBA newsletter. Mr. Yodice is a commercial pilot and flight instructor. He owned and flew a twin-engine Cessna Turbo 310 in support of his law practice for many years. |
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Raymond C. Speciale, Esq., CPA Of Counsel
Ray Speciale is a lawyer and a Certified Public Accountant. His areas of specialty are aviation, taxation, estate planning, and administration, as well as commercial transactions. He is an FAA certified commercial pilot and flight instructor. In recent years he’s authored two books published by McGraw-Hill and several law review and journal articles. His research and writing typically focuses on aviation-related legal and tax matters. Mr. Speciale serves as an associate professor of law and accounting at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Since 1989, he's been teaching law and accounting related classes at the Mount. He’s also actively engaged as the chairman of the Frederick Community College Accounting Advisory Committee. Governor O’Malley appointed Ray to the Maryland State Board of Accountancy in October 2007. Mr. Speciale served as the educator member of the board until his term ended in December 2013. As the educator member of the board, he was charged with oversight of educational requirements for Maryland CPAs. Mr. Speciale also serves on several non-profit boards. Since 2007, he’s been the treasurer of the Visitation Academy, an all-girls Catholic school located in the heart of Frederick, Maryland. Since 2009, Mr. Speciale has served as a board member for the Frederick County YMCA. He’s also the treasurer and a board member of the International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association, a membership bar association serving lawyers practicing aviation law. |
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ELizabeth Candelario, Esq. Of Counsel
Liz Candelario has been representing clients in private practice for over a decade, and assisting the firm clients in representing their individual and corporate legal interests in the aviation. Ms. Candelario is experienced in researching and strategizing FAA and TSA enforcement and compliance issues and drafting litigation documents and appellate court briefs. She advises client on federal and state lobbying obligations and ethics compliance and reporting requirements, on trademark applications, registrations, and maintenance, and on various corporate governance matters. Ms. Candelario is admitted to the bars in the states of Pennsylvania (currently inactive) and the District of Columbia, and she is admitted and has practiced in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Ms. Candelario graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law in May 2007 in the top 10% of her class, and she received her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in May 2003 from La Salle University |
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Mike Yodice, Paralegal Counselor and LSP Director
Mike Yodice joined the firm in 2009 as a paralegal and aviation counselor. In that capacity, he assists airmen and aviation entities on FAA compliance matters and related issues. He has authored articles on a broad array of aviation legal topics. He manages the firm’s several aviation-centric legal services plans for pilots and mechanics. Mike has an extensive background in turbine aircraft sales and consulting and is well-versed in the sales and contracting processes. He is an experienced pilot and airplane owner. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. |
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Mary Ann Melpolder, Executive office Manager
Mary Ann Melpolder joined Yodice Associates in 1994 and serves as Executive Office Manager. Her responsibilities include administering the firm’s financial systems (accounts payable, account receivable, bank account reconciliations, and payroll), reviewing and copy-editing outgoing correspondence and court pleadings, maintaining the firm’s calendar to ensure due dates are met for court proceedings and client lobbying activities, and managing the firm’s filing systems for all client and administrative files. Ms. Melpolder specializes in creating and maintaining administrative systems for the tracking of documents, files, and other materials. Working with John Yodice, who served for many years served as Trustee and Secretary for a number of different Boards of Trustees of aviation-related associations, Ms. Melpolder was responsible for copy-editing and tracking Board minutes from initial drafts distributed to Board members through the final approval at follow-up Board meetings. She also designed and now maintains a system for tracking Library of Congress copyright registrations for three different client magazines, from the initial submission of application forms through final receipt of copyright certificates. She is also responsible for administering the firm’s file retention program, which requires accurate database entry of case activity and the closing or confidential destruction of inactive files. |