Lilia Bell is a labor attorney who focuses her practice in the airline industry. She assists clients in negotiating collective bargaining agreements with labor unions, including mediated agreements under the auspices of the National Mediation Board (NMB) and restructuring agreements in anticipation of or during bankruptcy proceedings. Lilia also assists clients in grievance resolution matters, including settlement negotiations with union representatives, mediation with NMB and private mediators, and representation before arbitration boards.
Lilia also assists airlines involved in mergers and acquisitions, analyzing related labor issues, assisting with fence agreement and other union negotiations, and representing management in seniority integration disputes, including arbitration.
Lilia also has expertise on issues related to the Railway Labor Act (RLA), including representing management in litigation (major/minor/representation disputes, unlawful self-help lawsuits, etc.). She also represents management in matters before the NMB.
In addition, Lilia counsels airlines on a variety of issues, including employee discipline investigations and contract language interpretation and application. She conducts training sessions for management on discipline investigations and improving the grievance process.
During law school, she was awarded Order of the Coif and was a member of the Law Review and Moot Court team. Lilia is fluent in Spanish.
Recent Experience
ˇ In 2010-2011, Lilia assisted airline clients involved in mergers and acquisitions. This included representing management in a pilot seniority integration arbitration and related litigation, single carrier proceedings before the NMB, as well as negotiation of a fence agreement.
ˇ In 2008, Lilia assisted a large regional airline in obtaining a contract with its flight attendants' union prior to the scheduling of a cooling-off period. Lilia continues to assist airlines with various types of collective bargaining negotiations, including Section 6 mediated negotiations.
ˇ Lilia represents airlines in numerous RLA litigation matters, including appellate work, in major/minor dispute cases, unlawful self-help lawsuits, and other matters.
*Per Florida Bar rules, information on litigation and other legal successes has not been disclosed but is available upon request.
Industries
Airlines
Memberships
American Bar Association
State Bar of Georgia
The Florida Bar
Cuban-American Bar Association