When an incident at sea or in port raises legal issues, only the best and most experienced advisers will do. Maritime law covers a broad range of matters, from ship and cargo security, to accidents at sea, to liability claims against watercraft. Wilson Elser’s experienced attorneys are ready to advise on maritime issues, drawing on practical experience and knowledge of a complex body of law.
Our attorneys can effectively and efficiently handle all types of maritime matters. Wilson Elser is one of the few national law firms with attorneys able to litigate multijuristictional marine issues. We have offices in most United States ports and abroad. Our admiralty and marine team is headed by a partner who has served in the U.S. Navy.
Fundamentally, we are litigators; we try cases and argue appeals. Yet, we also have extensive experience in non-contentious matters. Accordingly, our capabilities encompass skills as varied as handling commercial transactions like ship purchases and mortgages, to litigating issues such as those that occur as a result of an oil spill.
With wide experience in insurance matters on both the domestic and international scenes, we can quickly investigate the circumstances of a maritime incident and chart the proper course of action. We can litigate or arbitrate the full spectrum of claims arising from insurance coverage disputes. We handle the legal aspects of all kinds of maritime claims, whether they involve ship and cargo damage, bodily injury and death at sea, loss and damage to goods during transportation, marine product liability or environmental damage stemming from spills and other accidents. With a broad knowledge of insurance policy wording, analysis and interpretation, we offer a distinct advantage to maritime clients.
Our attorneys have handled maritime cases in state and federal courts, not only in locations where we have offices, but in other port cities as well. We have appeared on behalf of clients before the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Federal Maritime Commission. Many of our attorneys are members of the Maritime Law Association of the United States.
We are skilled in interpreting general maritime law, as well as the provisions of various maritime statutes, including the Jones Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act. Some of the specific areas in which our admiralty and marine practice advises include ship collisions, vessel arrest and attachment, tariff filings and other U.S. Customs matters.
In both the United States and abroad, we handle the legal challenges that arise on our shared seas. We make sure our clients engaged in maritime commerce have smooth sailing.