Australian MH17 families engage renowned aviation lawyer for planned legal action against Russia, Ukraine and Malaysia

An international aviation lawyer is preparing a lawsuit on behalf of families of the Australian victims of the MH17 plane crash.

Jerry Skinner was part of the team that won $US2.7 billion ($3.2 billion) in compensation from Libya over the Lockerbie bombing.

He has been engaged by at least five Australian families who lost relatives when the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over Ukraine in July.

Mr Skinner said they deserve the same compensation as the Lockerbie families.

"What happened in the Pan Am bombing, when an action is intentional and not negligent it generates more damages, and those damages were in the neighbourhood of $10 million for families," he said.

"In my way of thinking, since this was an intentional act and the nation states sort of took the bait of a low-flying aeroplane, that would be appropriate."

Mr Skinner is preparing the case against Russia, Ukraine and Malaysia while other families consider joining the action.