Best Lawyers in America for Admiralty and Maritime Law
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Kevin LaVie practices in the area of admiralty and tort. He has a very broad-based practice involving nearly all aspects of maritime law including personal injury and death claims; cargo damage claims; dock damage and collision claims; Limitation of Liability matters; charter party and related commercial disputes (including ship arrests and Rule B attachments); insurance coverage disputes; oilfield indemnity actions; pollution matters; and various Coast Guard and immigration matters. His prac...
Senior Counsel Will Bland, III, one of the founding members of the firm, has more than 49 years of experience as a litigator. Will’s practice focuses on maritime personal injury defense, maritime collision and property damage insurance coverage, contractual indemnity, longshore matters, transportation defense, and general litigation. His clients have included both Fortune 500 and local one-boat companies, and he regularly represents vessel operators, shipyards, both brown water and offs...
Henry Salas is a partner in the firm’s Miami and Key West offices. He practices in all phases of civil litigation focusing on Federal and State Civil Litigation focusing on the defense of products liability, marine/admiralty, aviation and transportation, pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (“LHWCA”), bad faith/extra-contractual liability, toxic tort and commercial litigation. Mr. Salas leads the firm’s admi...
Neal J. Kling, a Member of the firm, received his undergraduate degree in Business and Public Administration from Louisiana State University and his law degree from Louisiana State University Law Center where he graduated Order of the Coif and was a member of the Louisiana Law Review. He represents clients in the areas of secured financing transactions, real estate transactions, real property and personal property leasing, maritime construction and finance and other commercial transactions. M...
Bret LeBreton is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the insurance coverage team. He has practiced in all facets of maritime, energy, and marine and non-marine insurance law. Bret has represented assureds, underwriters, and other industry participants in a broad range of disputes involving hull, cargo, builder's risk, P&I, MEL, CGL, control of well, and excess and umbrella policies. He has given opinions regarding coverage, prepared reservations of rights, and advised...
Scott Andrews is the 2024-2025 President-Elect of the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ). He is licensed to practice law in Louisiana (since 1996) and Texas (since 2006), and is admitted to practice in all Federal Courts in Louisiana, and before the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Since 2010, Scott has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Southern University Law Center teaching Advanced Louisiana Torts, Insurance Law, and Products Liab...
Scott Jenkins is a partner in and leader of the Maritime Practice Group and co-leader of the Maritime Industry Team. He advises clients on a broad range of maritime transactions, compliance, and litigation. Scott advises clients on coastwise trade, security, citizenship, manning, and vessel documentation issues; contracts; service agreements; charter agreements; disputes arising from commercial, construction, insurance coverage, and indemnity issues; personal injury and casualty litigation; a...
Bryant Gardner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Bryant, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bryant is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ms. Schovajsa joined the firm in 1998 and became a partner in 2003. Her practice focuses on the firm’s major casualty, personal injury and appellate dockets. Ms. Schovajsa is an experienced advocate with substantial experience in both Texas state court and federal court. She guides her clients through every stage of the legal process, from pre-litigation incident investigation, risk analysis and case evaluation to motion practice, discovery, mediation and, if necessary, trial. These cli...
Senior Counsel Georges Legrand is one of the founding members of MBLB. He has more than 44 years of experience as a litigator. As a leader of the firm’s Admiralty and Maritime law practice, he has been part of forging a team of attorneys who have developed a depth of expertise that rivals larger firms. His practice focuses on defense of maritime personal injury and property damage claims on the river and offshore, as well as insurance, transportation, and contractual matters. His experi...
Kathleen Charvet brings more than 25 years’ experience counseling and advocating for employer and contractor clients across admiralty, maritime law, Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation, and Defense Base Act matters. She has represented vessel owners, railroads, stevedoring companies, military employers, and insurers in complex litigation and regulatory matters nationwide. Kathleen’s collaborative approach involves expert witnesses, mediators, and courts to secure op...
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.