From offices in Houston, Mobile, New Orleans, and Miami, Jones Walker LLP‘s sizeable maritime litigation and dispute resolution group acts in state, federal, and administrative proceedings throughout the US, including emergency response, maritime litigation, regulatory, and transactional disputes. Advising on every aspect of the maritime industry, the firm is home to experts in the brown water, blue water, cruise line and offshore energy sectors. Among the practice’s several active practitioners, Grady Hurley is first vice president of the US’ Maritime Law Association; Jefferson Tillery tries cases in state and federal courts throughout the Gulf Coast; Scott Jenkins assists with both regulatory issues and maritime disputes; and Richard Bertram heads the maritime regulatory team. The department further includes Etienne Balart, who represents terminals, shipyards, and vessel operators in litigation; George Fowler III, whose track record includes trying hundreds of cases to juries and judges; Wayne Zeringue Jr, a specialist in admiralty and maritime litigation; and Sara Kuebel, who is also an active maritime litigator. Over in Miami, Luis Llamas‘ practice encompasses admiralty disputes and cruise line claims, while former partner Lara DiCristina is an August 2023 departee. All practitioners named are based in the firm’s New Orleans office unless otherwise mentioned.

K&L Gates‘ ‘pragmatic, ethical and very knowledgeable’ maritime practice is consistently mandated to advise on arrests, attachments, and seizures of vessels and cargo. The team also assists with cargo claims, limitation of liability proceedings, vessel collisions, allisions, groundings, and personal injury and death-related matters. The firm additionally houses experts in marine insurance claims; and charter party, bill of lading and other maritime contractual disputes, as well as piracy-related issues. On the environmental side, the group regularly defends ship owners, operators, managers, charterers and crew members facing civil fines or criminal prosecution under domestic and foreign environmental regulations. In Boston, Jeffrey King focuses on commercial litigation and arbitration involving maritime and transportation. In Washington DC, Michael Scanlon‘s maritime practice involves both domestic and international maritime work, Mark Ruge ‘has an incredible handle on policy’, Darrell Conner is a government affairs counselor in the firm’s public policy and law group, and Elle Stuart assists with transportation-related federal regulatory, policy and legislative matters. In the firm’s New York office, George Kontakis is ‘a very bright, knowledgeable and easy-to-reach partner’. Jorge Romero retired in April 2024, and Luke Reid left the firm in June 2024.

Holland & Knight is consistently sought out to handle US-related maritime incidents. Recent workloads include supply chain ensnarement-related litigation and proceedings before the Federal Maritime Commission, and the representation of shipper companies seeking recoupment for charges imposed during the pandemic. The team is also active in cargo loss work, while its full-service status facilitates the leveraging of antitrust, sanctions, energy, environmental, and tax specialisms. The practice is further mandated on a daily basis to advise on shipping regulatory issues, including Coast Guard and related matters, customs and border protection issues, carriage of dangerous goods, Office of Foreign Asset Control matters, embargoes, economic sanctions, and International Maritime Organization conventions. National transportation and infrastructure industry co-chair Christopher Nolan ‘provides practical and actionable advice’; Michael Frevola acts in maritime arbitrations and court proceedings; James Power‘s practice encompasses admiralty law; and Vincent Foley focuses predominantly on international transportation litigation and arbitration. Over in Houston, Michael Cavanaugh is a shipbuilding legislative and regulatory expert; and Julia Haines acts in offshore energy and traditional maritime litigation. All advisers are based in New York unless otherwise mentioned.

Seward & Kissel LLP, offering ‘deep knowledge of both the underlying transactions and best strategies for resolving commercial disputes that arise’, handles litigation, arbitration and investigations throughout the US and abroad, with the maritime litigation practice focusing on disputes arising from shipping business, financing transactions, shipping securities and governance, as well as vessel operations. ‘At the top of his game’, Bruce Paulsen is a specialist in shipping industry-related finance and securities-related disputes, along with traditional maritime disputes, lien claims and environmental issues. Paulsen co-chairs the litigation group alongside Russell Johnston, who was elevated to the role in September 2023. In another boost to the practice, Brian Maloney was promoted to partner in July 2023. Maloney specialises in litigating complex commercial disputes and managing regulatory investigations, and has a growing caseload in relation to shipping industry-related sanctions. The team further includes Laura Miller, promoted to counsel in January 2024, whose recent experience includes being part of the team representing ING Bank in lawsuits arising from the OW Bunker group’s global collapse. All advisers listed are based in the firm’s New York office.

Winston & Strawn LLP has a strong market reputation for its advice on complex maritime issues involving US government policy and law, as well as shipping-related  transactions, litigation, regulations, and enforcement issues. The full-service practice also routinely leverages the firm’s other litigation and regulatory practices, including attorneys from the appellate, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, global trade, and labor and employment practices. The team additionally represents port authorities and marine terminal operators in disputes before the Federal Maritime Commission, including challenges to proposed rules, and the litigation of alleged unlawful preference and refusal to deal disputes. Chairing the firm’s maritime and admiralty practice, Charlie Papavizas, who represents shipowners, operators, managers, shipyards, energy companies, marine construction companies, and financial institutions, focuses on the administrative and legislative aspects of the maritime industry. Bryant Gardner‘s practice ranges from maritime government contract disputes, US flag programs and The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), to Shipping Act and Federal Maritime Commission-related disputes and Jones Act compliance issues. All advisers listed are based in the Washington DC office unless otherwise stated.

McGuireWoods LLP‘s ‘consistently available’ transportation, shipping, maritime and regulatory team acts for terminal operators, transportation authorities, beneficial cargo owners, commodity traders, carriers, financial institutions, and vessel owners and charterers on a vast array of shipping matters. The team consistently advises on regulatory compliance with the Jones Act, as well as shipping-related international trade issues (including the shipping regulations that determine how shippers and carriers can interact). Its practice also encompasses assistance to retailers with licensing and regulatory issues, in relation to Ocean Transportation Intermediaries-related matters; and it assists beneficial cargo owners with new enforcement remedies, which are available through the Federal Maritime Commission and the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. Heading up the team, Norfolk-based John Padgett is experienced in representing tug boat companies, freight forwarders, freight consolidators, and shipping and trucking companies; and Bryan Brantley in Pittsburgh is an experienced transportation-related litigator. In September 2023, Jeanne Noonan left the firm.

Thompson Hine LLP is consistently mandated to represent shippers and intermediaries in policy and rulemaking matters concerning the Shipping Act of 1984 (as amended by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act). The team additionally advises on Federal Maritime Commission regulations, in relation to containerized cargo’s ocean transportation services. The group is also well known for acting for the National Industrial Transportation League, which represents shippers’ interests in freight transportation matters; and the practice regularly applies its regulatory expertise to the drafting and reviewing of international service contracts, charter agreements, ocean bills of lading, and towage contracts. Heading up the department, Karyn Booth is a specialist in multimodal transportation and logistics services; and Jason Tutrone‘s practice covers transportation regulatory compliance and protections for shippers, along with logistics-related litigation. Also key to the practice, Columbus-based Dan Ujczo is an expert in ocean and barge transportation. All attorneys are in Washington DC unless otherwise mentioned.