ADMIRALTY
Our admiralty practice includes attorneys in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Gulfport, Houston and Tampa offices. Our practice is among the largest in the country, and is well known throughout the United States and internationally for its experience, knowledge and diversity. Two partners in the group have distinguished themselves in recent years by being elected to the presidency of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. We have the capability of mobilizing a fully staffed emergency response team should a major maritime casualty require this level of attention. Because many maritime emergencies do not arise during normal working hours, our admiralty attorneys maintain an on-call system so that we are available at any time. At the same time, our depth and breadth of experience allow us to handle the more routine maritime claims in a responsible and cost-efficient manner.
As the reputation of our maritime practice has grown, the complexity of the cases handled has increased. Our admiralty practice now extends to virtually every area of maritime law.
Litigation
Our maritime attorneys are recognized as experienced litigators and, accordingly, our maritime practice has a significant litigation caseload. Our attorneys routinely litigate in matters involving collision and personal injury defense (inland marine vessels, oceangoing vessels, passenger vessels, drill rigs, and other offshore equipment), defense of cargo claims, workers' compensation, maritime commercial disputes and marine insurance coverage. In addition, the firm has particular experience in mass disaster, major pollution, toxic tort and class action litigation for both marine and land based claims.
We represent shipowners and underwriters, including Lloyd’s, British, European and Domestic insurance entities, and leading Protection and Indemnity (“P&I”) Clubs. The firm is the local or regional correspondent for several P&I and Hull Clubs serving ports from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Pascagoula, Mississippi, and inland waterways. The firm has been involved in the handling of numerous significant marine disasters over the past thirty years. We defended the owners and underwriters of an 800-foot freighter in connection with over 1,800 injury, property damage and business interruption claims arising out of its collision with a shopping mall at the New Orleans riverfront. This single incident required the maritime practice’s attention in defending claims for collision damage, property damage/loss, cargo loss, personal injury, statutory penalties and losses of a purely commercial nature. Moreover, our maritime practice is able to handle major maritime catastrophes that have, at times, occurred simultaneously in different parts of the world.
Commercial and Non-Litigation Counseling
The attorneys in our maritime practice are routinely asked to render marine insurance counseling, marine insurance coverage evaluation, contract drafting and negotiation, charter drafting and negotiation, and marine financing advices. As stated previously, our attorneys are also experienced in handling litigation that ultimately might be involved in these areas.
Regulatory Work
In addition to the practice areas noted above, our attorneys appear before state and federal regulatory bodies such as the United States Coast Guard, Federal Maritime Commission, United States Department of Labor and the National Transportation Safety Board. We also routinely call upon the firm’s Labor and Employment attorneys to assist in counseling our maritime clients in those specialized areas.
