PUNTA GORDA, FL, May 05, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Russell A. Klingaman with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Klingaman celebrates many years of experience in his professional network and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Klingaman (Russ) is a retired attorney and retired college adjunct professor. He is also a published writer and an instrument-rated private pilot with over 3000 hours logged as pilot-in-command (PIC) of various aircraft. The aircraft he currently owns is a Cessna 182. His distinguished legal career, spanning more than 30 years, demonstrates expertise in aviation law and other accomplishments that have earned him substantial recognition as a leader in the legal field.

Professionally, Mr. Klingaman has gained respect among his peers for his long tenure in the Milwaukee office of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP (Hinshaw). At Hinshaw, Russ served as a law clerk while a law student (1989 to 1991), an associate attorney (1991 to 1997) and as a partner (1997 to 2023).

Hinshaw was founded in 1934, with its headquarters in Chicago. It is a national law firm with over 450 lawyers in 20+ offices located in 15 states, plus Washington, D.C. Hinshaw's attorneys provide legal services to a wide range of clients in various industries, including transportation, construction, financial services, health care, insurance, legal services, manufacturing, real estate, and retail operations. Hinshaw's clients also include individuals, businesses, government agencies, municipalities, and schools. Hinshaw is also part of Global Access Lawyers, giving it international connections.

During Mr. Klingaman's time at Hinshaw, he combined his love of aviation with his exceptional legal skills to serve a wide variety of clients within the aviation community. Russ excelled in litigation, transactions, intellectual property, and regulatory matters involving the Federal Aviation Administration. He also directly managed many high-profile cases involving catastrophic personal injuries and/or deaths, complicated intellectual property issues (including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets), and/or large property/business loss matters involving claims for millions of dollars. He consistently used high-quality communication skills to effectively translate complex legal concepts into understandable and useful information. He deftly navigated shifting priorities by applying critical thinking, skillful research, original ideas, and creative strategic plans when confronted with conflicting demands. He efficiently managed multiple projects simultaneously. He repeatedly actuated cost-effective results for his clients by leading his team members to proceed toward and deliver positive results through successful litigation and/or negotiations. He consistently delivered outstanding and economical legal strategies without compromising on quality. During his career, Russ became keenly aware of and handled issues related to UAS/drone operations, including safety, privacy, property rights, and data security.

Mr. Klingaman is very proud of providing exceptional legal services to many clients, authoring numerous successful legal briefs and articles, making compelling oral arguments before various courts, and securing several published court decisions used as legal authority by other lawyers across multiple jurisdictions. Also, during his career, Russ made numerous presentations and authored many articles concerning various legal issues. In March 2015, the Wisconsin Law Journal recognized Russ as a "Leader in the Law."

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Klingaman was an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School, teaching aviation law from 2007 until his retirement. In this position, Russ introduced his law students to all major aspects of aviation-related topics regarding a wide variety of domestic and international legal subjects, including governmental regulation of pilots, mechanics, manufacturers, airlines, and airports. He exposed his students to the basics of administrative law, constitutional law, antitrust law, environmental law, and various rules of civil procedures (in both federal and state courts), along with international treaties and conventions. He taught his students how to examine current and historical aviation-related controversies such as aircraft accidents, aviation safety, antitrust issues, deregulation, and environmental concerns.

Mr. Klingaman's academic background laid a strong foundation for his career achievements. Russ earned very good grades while in high school and college. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Iowa in 1980. He earned his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. Russ also earned his Master of Arts in public policy and administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1991. Additionally, while a law student in Madison, Russ served as the editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin International Law Journal (1990 to 1991).

In 1991, within a few weeks of completing law school and starting his legal career, Mr. Klingaman became a licensed pilot. Becoming a pilot fulfilled a childhood dream inspired by his father, Bill Klingaman, who was a pilot and a flight instructor. Russ also bought his first airplane in 1991, a Cessna 150.

Throughout his career, Mr. Klingaman was involved in numerous aviation-related organizations. The most important one is the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association (LPBA). Russ served as the LPBA's president from the summer of 2014 through the summer of 2015. He has been an LPBA member since 1994, and he served on the LPBA Board of Directors from 2009 to 2023.

The LPBA is a non-profit bar association. It is dedicated to promoting aviation safety, continuing legal education, and fellowship among all people interested in aviation. It promotes aviation law and safety through its semiannual educational conventions and its quarterly LPBA Journal.

The LPBA was formed in 1959. It is a unique international professional group of lawyers, pilots, and other aviation community members. LPBA's membership includes lawyers in some of the world's most successful law firms, aviation insurance executives, in-house counsel for various aviation manufacturers, airline personnel, representatives of aviation's leading trade organizations such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and individuals working for governmental agencies including the FAA and the NTSB. The LPBA fills a special niche in legal education by bringing together a diverse mix of people with aviation-related interests. The LPBA fosters new and/or renewed professional and personal relationships and provides fantastic networking opportunities.

While practicing law, Mr. Klingaman was a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, the American Bar Association's (ABA's) Aviation Section, the ABA's Intellectual Property Law Section, the University Aviation Association, the Aviation Insurance Association, the International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association, the NBAA, the AOPA (where he provided legal representation to AOPA members through APOA's Legal Services Plan), the Helicopter Association International, the Wisconsin Aviation Trades Association and the Defense Research Institute. A few years ago, he was also on the board of directors for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Advocacy Network and the Great Lakes Air Museum.

Mr. Klingaman's passions for both aviation and intellectual property law have led him to research significant historical inventions, business decisions, and legal disputes involving the early days of aviation. This research has led him to focus on the patents earned by the Wright brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and others. This research has culminated in several publications and presentations on aviation history and intellectual property law.

Mr. Klingaman is working on a book about his research. The book will discuss how (1) legal mistakes and/or misconduct combined with (2) questionable and/or poor business decisions to have major negative impacts on the early U.S. aircraft industry and the First World War.

Mr. Klingaman is currently on the board of nominations for the National Aviation Hall of Fame (since 2020). Russ also belongs to the AOPA, the EAA, the Cessna Pilots Association, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Society, the National Geographic Society, the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, the Mitchell Gallery of Flight Museum, the Glenn Curtiss Museum, the Commemorative Air Force, and the OX5 Aviation Pioneers.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Mr. Klingaman is and/or was actively engaged with several civic-minded organizations, including the Wisconsin Writers Association, where he served as the vice president (2022-2023) and is currently a member of the board of directors. Russ was also on the board of directors for the Wauwatosa Curling Club from 2019 to 2022. He is also a member of Captains for Clean Water.

Mr. Klingaman is a former high school and college gymnast. After high school Russ earned an athletic scholarship to be part of the University of Iowa's men's gymnastics team. Russ also coached gymnastics -- including grade school, high school, and college gymnasts -- for almost 10 years before attending law school.

Reflecting on his career and civic achievements, Mr. Klingaman attributes his success largely to his parents, Bill and Gloria. His parents bestowed on him a love of aviation and reading. He also acknowledges the significant contributions of his other family members, his friends, and his colleagues over the years.

In his personal life, Mr. Klingaman enjoys hiking, biking, boating, golfing, pickleball, curling (on ice), water-skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, snow-skiing, and snorkeling. Being a gymnast and a windsurfer helped Russ become a successful pilot by developing a keen sense of balance and fully understanding how the wind can quite often and quickly change speeds and directions.

Mr. Klingaman's favorite personal activities are spending time with his wonderful wife, Mary, and his amazing daughters, Leah and Jenelle. Mary and Russ began dating in 1986, got engaged in 1991, and they got married in 1992.

Mary and Russ love music (both live events and recordings). For the past 20+ years, they have usually attended both the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Winnipeg Folk Festival, often with Leah and/or Jenelle and usually with other family members and/or friends. The Klingamans have also attended many other festivals and concerts. Some of Mary's and Russ' favorite musicians are Marcia Ball, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, Mia Borders, Zac Brown, David Byrne, Paul Cebar, Eric Clapton, John Cleary, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Alejandro Escovedo, Samantha Fish, Lowell George, Ben Harper, Jimmy Hendrix, Bruce Hornsby, Janis Joplin, Amos Lee, Eric Lindell, Tommy Malone, Dave Mathews, Joni Mitchell, Stanton Moore, Van Morrison, Aoife O'Donovan, Anders Osborne, Tom Petty, Rachael Price, John Prine, Willy Porter, Bonnie Raitt, Robbie Robertson, Allison Russell, Carlos Santana, Martin Sexton, David Shaw, Sting, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Steve Winwood. Some of their favorite bands include The Allman Brothers, The Band, The Cat Empire, The Eagles, The Nevell Brothers, and many, many others. Mary and Russ, when they owned a home in the Milwaukee area, hosted several house concerts.

Looking toward the future, Russ plans to complete and publish his book on aviation history. Mary and Russ also plan to travel to destinations like Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, the Caribbean, and many other countries/continents. They hope these trips will reward them with great sightseeing experiences, wonderful adventures, and the opportunity to explore significant events in world history. Plus, hopefully, there will be some opportunities for Russ to promote his book.

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