NATIONAL – FordHarrison LLP, one of the country's largest management-side labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce the expansion of its Airline Practice Group with the addition of two seasoned partners, Matt Westerman (Nashville) and Justin Doane (Chicago). Their arrival reinforces FordHarrison's position as the largest and most experienced airline labor and employment practice in the United States, serving a substantial number of commercial carriers, cargo operators, regional airlines, and aviation service providers.
Matt, a Board-Certified Labor and Employment Law specialist, joined the practice in late September with more than 25 years of experience representing employers in traditional labor relations, employment litigation, and workplace compliance. Most recently, he served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Unifi Aviation, overseeing the labor and employment matters for a workforce of more than 45,000 employees. Westerman has successfully negotiated and administered numerous collective bargaining agreements throughout the United States, guided corporate policy development, and advised Fortune 500 companies, healthcare organizations, and transportation providers on complex labor and employment law strategy. Prior to his role at Unifi Aviation, Matt served as Deputy General Counsel at Prospect Airport Services for four years. Prospect Airport Services, acquired by Unifi Aviation in April 2024, is a U.S. aviation support provider with operations in over 30 airports, offering comprehensive passenger, cabin, and mobility assistance services.
Justin will join the firm following the conclusion of his role as Vice President of Labor for Hawaiian Airlines, where he will continue to serve through October 31, 2025. At Hawaiian, Justin led major labor relations initiatives and worked closely with local and national Union leaders to improve Hawaiian's labor relations. His leadership contributed to Hawaiian reaching labor agreements that helped facilitate Hawaiian's expansion into Amazon Cargo operations, as well as reaching new collective bargaining agreements in direct bargaining with all of its labor Unions in the last round of negotiations. Additionally, Justin played a key role as part of Hawaiian's executive team in Hawaiian's merger with Alaska Airlines. Before joining Hawaiian, Justin served in United Airline's labor relations department for more than 14 years, most recently as Director of Labor Relations. At United, he gained significant experience during its successful exit from bankruptcy and its merger and integration with Continental Airlines. Justin also worked closely with the National Mediation Board (NMB) while at United and Hawaiian.
Jerry Glass, Co-Chair of FordHarrison's
Airline Practice Group, said:
"Matt and Justin both bring practical, front-line industry
knowledge, sophisticated legal insight, and deep industry
experience to the firm. Their track records negotiating with
airline labor organizations and managing high-stakes labor
relations will immediately expand the depth of our team and benefit
our clients across the industry."
John Monroe, FordHarrison's Managing
Partner, added:
"Our Airline Practice has been central to FordHarrison's
identity since the firm's founding. The addition of Matt and
Justin reflects not only the strength of our client demand, but
also our commitment to ensuring that FordHarrison remains the
premier destination for airlines and aviation service providers
navigating complex workforce issues."
FordHarrison's Airline Practice: Industry Leader and Business Partner
Since its founding in 1978, FordHarrison has built the
nation's most experienced airline labor and employment
practice. The group now includes more than a dozen professionals
who devote substantially all of their practice to RLA and airline
industry matters, supported by an additional 30 attorneys with
significant aviation experience. With 27 offices nationwide and
strong working relationships with the National Mediation Board and
all major airline labor organizations, the practice offers
unmatched depth and breadth of experience and expertise.
The team regularly advises clients on:
- Collective bargaining strategy, representation campaigns, and NMB proceedings.
- Arbitration and mediation of labor disputes, with access to one of the industry's largest libraries of arbitration decisions.
- Employment litigation, including discrimination, AIR21 whistleblower, ERISA, and FMLA claims.
- Wage and hour compliance, immigration, employee benefits, and workplace investigations.
- High-stakes matters such as strikes, mergers and acquisitions, and government audits.
By combining technical mastery of the RLA with a full-service labor and employment law platform, FordHarrison is uniquely positioned to help airlines and service providers achieve operational goals, minimize risk, and manage their most important asset — their workforce.