Best Lawyers in California, United States for Admiralty and Maritime Law
California’s Admiralty and Maritime Lawyers work across a vast coastline and port network that supports international shipping, passenger travel, offshore activity and marine innovation. Their practices include high-stakes litigation involving marine casualties, cargo disputes and personal injury claims, as well as sophisticated commercial and advisory work tied to vessel operations, ship construction and repair, chartering and maritime finance. Because maritime activity in California spans multiple regions and industries, legal work often crosses jurisdictional lines and involves coordination among ports, operators and commercial stakeholders.
Lawyers listed in Best Lawyers for Maritime Law in California have earned recognition through our Purely Peer Review® process, which identifies practitioners whose work is consistently respected by others in the profession. This statewide listing serves as a gateway to leading maritime lawyers across California’s major port cities, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, San Diego and other coastal centers, offering readers a curated view of attorneys recognized for their experience and professional standing throughout the state.
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Neil is a partner in Cox Wootton Lerner Griffin & Hansen, LLP (CWL), a regional law firm serving the Western U.S. and Pacific Rim. He practices maritime and transportation law. He’s been designated a Southern California "Super Lawyer" for 2012-2024 and been recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2021. He represents domestic and foreign insurers in first and third-party cases, and local maritime and transportation companies in business litigation. Neil has been featured in the L...
Mark L. Venardi is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Mark L., who practices law in Walnut Creek, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Matthew P. Vafidis is a partner specializing in commercial litigation, with an emphasis on shipping and environmental law. Mr. Vafidis began his legal career as a barrister in London at the Bar of England and Wales, to which he was called in July 1979. Since 1981, he has practiced in San Francisco, first as an associate and partner at a major California law firm, and thereafter as a partner at Holland & Knight and one of its predecessors, an internationally-renowned shipping and aviation ...
Conte Cicala is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Conte, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Conte is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.