Bryan Brantley > McGuireWoods LLP > Pittsburgh, United States > Lawyer Profile

Acting for a wide range of shipping clients, McGuireWoods LLP‘s maritime practice is routinely mandated to assist with the regulatory issues surrounding transportation assets. The team is also experienced in Jones Act-related work, including in relation to terminal operations, energy matters, offshore wind projects, sale-leaseback transactions, and fleet acquisitions. In the international trade space, the group assists with tariff mitigation strategies, country of origin determinations, anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations, and the shipping regulations that control how shippers and carriers interact. In Norfolk, the broad practice of founding transportation industry team leader John Padgett includes handling major litigation regarding cargo damage and charter disputes, and Pittsburgh-based Bryan Brantley, the firm’s current transportation industry head, manages a significant litigation portfolio for a Fortune 50 transportation company. Also in Norfolk, civil litigation associate Jeanne Noonan is particularly focused on transportation and maritime issues.

McGuireWoods LLP‘s transportation practice is consistently mandated by railroad clients in state, federal, regulatory and arbitration forums. It both prosecutes and defends clients in litigation relating to federal pre-emption matters, real estate disputes, private and public crossings, contract enforcement and interpretation issues, and cargo transportation claims. The team is also regularly hired by trucking and logistics companies, particularly in relation to the firm’s innovative use of technology through case management applications. Clients additionally benefit from the department’s complementary credentials in areas such as energy, natural resources development, land use, real estate and M&A. Another particular selling point for the practice is McGuireWoods Consulting, the firm’s government relations subsidiary that provides enviable public policy insight. Eric Bilik is a commercial litigation specialist, Christopher Thanner‘s experience includes representing railroads in disputes with state agencies and local governments, and experienced litigator Bryan Brantley in Pittsburgh heads up the firm’s transportation industry group. Tort litigation specialist Natalie Zagari, who serves as national coordinating counsel for a major transportation company, was elevated to the partnership in January 2023. All practitioners listed are based in the firm’s Jacksonville office unless stated otherwise.