Best Lawyers in America for Admiralty and Maritime Law
David focuses on marine insurance coverage; marine finance and vessel documentation; bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; and international and cross-border law. He represents clients that own, operate, charter, or employ vessels, and helps them understand and manage their risks in the United States, Gulf of Mexico, and worldwide offshore maritime oilfield and alternative-energy markets. Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, David attended Tulane Unive...
Jim Wright is a partner in the Maritime and Litigation practice groups. He represents clients in a broad range of commercial disputes, regulatory investigations, and criminal cases. Jim has more than four decades of experience as a trial attorney in civil and criminal jury and judge trials in federal and state courts. His areas of practice include maritime, white collar crime, oil and gas regulatory enforcement, environmental, customs, gaming regulatory enforcement, commercial litigation, pro...
David A. Bowling is the managing partner of The Bowling Law Firm APLC , in New Orleans, Louisiana . After spending most of his career focusing on the defense of malpractice and other complex medical cases, Mr. Bowling has now transitioned to a plaintiffs' practice. He and his firm concentrate on the representation of individuals and families in medical malpractice , catastrophic injury (including brain and spinal cord injury ), and other serious personal injury litigation. Mr. Bowling has bee...
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...
Bill Riviere practices in the areas of collision, maritime personal injury, terminal/installation damage, pollution, fire, salvage, maritime lien matters, oilfield indemnity and insurance coverage disputes, and appellate matters. He represents maritime employers, vessel owners, energy interests and their underwriters in personal injury defense litigation, including Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act claims, and represents vessel owners, operators, dock and term...
Christopher M. Drury is an attorney with Drury Law Firm in Coral Gables, Florida. He graduated with honors from Davidson College and the University of Miami School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in Florida and South Carolina and is also a member of the Law Society of England and Wales. Mr. Drury currently serves as President of the Miami-Dade Trial Lawyers Association. His practice includes Admiralty and Maritime Law, serious personal injury litigation, wrongful death matters, and com...
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 ...
Conte Cicala is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Conte practices law in San Francisco, California Best Lawyers has recognized Conte Cicala since 2013. 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 Conte Cicala is held by other lawyers.
Stewart focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; marine finance and vessel documentation; asset-based finance; litigation, corporate and commercial law; and oil and gas. Stewart has been practicing law in New Orleans for more than 38 years. He is a 1974 graduate of Kenyon College, magna cum laude , where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated top in his class in 1977 from Tulane Law School where he was elected to the Order of the Coif...
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...
Steve Herman has more than 30 years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial, class action, and professional liability matters, and is often called on to provide expert testimony in these areas. His recent work includes submitting a series of declarations in support of class counsel’s successful fee petition in the multi-billion-dollar Aqueous Film-Forming Foam MDL settlements; serving as a special master to review litigation expenses and allocate awards t...
Nicholas Earles is a partner in SBSB’s Houston office and has been a knowledgeable resource in the maritime space for more than 20 years. While his practice focuses in admiralty, his experience also extends to general and premises liability, workers’ compensation, subrogation and transportation. Additionally, he has navigated difficult cases for energy companies and overseas defense contractors covered by the Defense Base Act. A member of SBSB’s original roster in February 2...
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.
