Admiralty Attorney

Admiralty Laws

Admiralty law refers to the regulations that apply to accidents, trade, commerce, business, and other activities that occur on the high seas. Admiralty laws also cover issues such as jurisdiction, since vessels enter and exit international waters frequently. This area of law takes into consideration the numerous scenarios that come into play during maritime activity. These scenarios could be vessels with foreign nationals aboard, an American vessel navigating in foreign waters, foreign workers on a foreign boat navigating through American navigable waters and other scenarios.

Admiralty laws also cover workers that are injured on the job off the coast. The United States Congress passed the Jones Act legislation in 1970 that expanded the current workers' compensation laws. This legislation protects injured workers where they were never uniformly protected before.

The Focus of Admiralty Attorneys

Admiralty attorneys have in-depth knowledge of the Jones Act and other rules that fall under the realm of admiralty law. Their focus is to understand how your injury has impacted your life financially, physically and emotionally. Injuries suffered by seamen can be quite devastating. An injury can be as simple as a slip and fall or as serious as becoming infected with an asbestos-related disease which can be fatal. Medical bills, loss of wages, and/or stress on family members can all be a result of a job-related injury. With this information an admiralty attorney can begin analyzing what compensation would be possible to recover and where liability of your injury lies.

Choose your admiralty attorney carefully. Some attorneys have knowledge of workers' compensation law but not maritime law. It's best to meet the attorney you are thinking about retaining. At Williams Kherkher we meet with a potential client first. This initial consultation is free. It gives us the opportunity to learn the details of your situation and therefore allows us to determine what legal options you have. This also gives you the chance to find out whether or not you have a viable maritime lawsuit or if you may not be able to prove negligence of your employer or vessel owner. Your injury would have to be the result of employer negligence in order to be a claim worth pursuing under the Jones Act and other applicable maritime law norms.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you have. We understand this is a very difficult time for you and your family. Call us today.