Best Lawyers in America for Admiralty and Maritime Law
Joshua Lee is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Joshua practices law in Houston, Texas Best Lawyers has recognized Joshua Lee since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Joshua Lee is held by other lawyers.
Richard Bertram is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group. Richard has more than 30 years of experience in admiralty and maritime law. He handles a wide range of domestic and international admiralty and maritime matters, including transactions, litigation, arbitration, appellate, regulatory, and administrative law, marine casualty investigations, regulatory compliance, and marine pollution and environmental matters.
Thomas Deen is a partner in SBSB’s Corpus Christi and Houston offices. Over a career spanning more than 40 years in maritime law, he has developed a reputation for client service. As a litigator, arbitrator and counsel, he represents clients in other areas including construction, energy, transportation, business transactions and more. A member of SBSB Eastham since September 2016, Tom is a certified arbitrator and is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Houston Maritime Arb...
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...
Jeff Tillery is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and co-leader of the maritime litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team. He helps maritime and marine industry clients prevent and resolve a broad range of disputes. For more than 35 years, Jeff has advised and represented clients in maritime personal injury and collision matters, commercial litigation, longshore matters, and marine insurance coverage disputes, and has tried, as lead counsel, complex marine multi-party casual...
Charles R. Lipcon earned his J.D. from the University of Miami in 1971 and has spent decades representing individuals and families in Admiralty and Maritime Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs matters. Based in Miami, Florida, Mr. Lipcon is a founding partner of Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman PA , where his practice includes claims involving cruise ship incidents, maritime injuries, wrongful death cases , and other serious personal injury matters. Throughout his career, Mr. Lip...
Richard D. Rusak is a partner in the Miami office of Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A and Board Certified in Marine/Admiralty Law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Education and Specialization since 2010. He is an accomplished trial lawyer with two decades of litigation and appellate experience in federal and state courts and primarily represents major insurance companies, ship owners and marinas in marine/admiralty defense cases. Mr. Rusak also practices in the areas of hospitality defense, tr...
As a member of Lugenbuhl's Admiralty & Maritime Group, Adelaida (Adi) Ferchmin focuses on advising clients in a wide variety of maritime, insurance, and energy matters. When working with her clients, Adi uses her knowledge of Spanish, Polish and Croatian to assist clients with international transactions and matters involving foreign entities or witnesses. Growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico Adi has a thorough understanding of not only the languages, but barriers that can be brought on by ...
Michael D. Williams is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Admiralty and Maritime Law and Litigation - Insurance. Michael D. practices law in Houston, Texas Best Lawyers has recognized Michael D. Williams since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Michael D. Williams is held by other lawyers.
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...
Kelly M. Haas is a partner in the Houston office. Her practice is focused on the areas of admiralty and maritime law and energy-related litigation matters in both state and federal courts. Her practice consists of defending vessel owners and operators, as well as offshore companies, from claims arising from collisions, property damage, personal injury, maritime pollution, environmental issues, cargo matters and contract disputes, and it regularly includes matters involving the Jones Act, the ...
George J. Fowler, III, is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group, where he focuses on litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. George Fowler is an internationally recognized trial lawyer known for his successful record trying hundreds of cases to juries and judges, including numerous high-profile matters, complex litigation, and cases of national concern. George has written and lectured extensively on private international law and world trade and is active in promoting trade and inv...
Robert Vining is a partner in SBSB’s Houston office. A seasoned attorney with expertise spanning more than a dozen practice areas, he is a respected figure in his field who is admitted to the State Bar of Texas, the Louisiana State Bar Association, The Mississippi Bar and in nine U.S. District Courts across the Gulf Coast. Mr. Vining arrived to SBSB in February 2018 and has overseen a prolific law career of more than 28 years. He primarily splits his practice between litigation and tran...
Teeto Graham represents parties in complex and/or commercial litigation in the Federal and State Courts throughout Mississippi and Alabama. His litigation experience includes business contract litigation, disputes involving trade secrets, non-competition/non-solicitation agreements and unfair trade practices, business torts, defense of state securities law claims, fraud, suppression and misrepresentation claims, product liability cases, warranty claims, construction disputes, construction def...
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.
