The Boating Barrister

The Rules of the Road (and I’m referring to both the Inland and International Rules) in conjunction with the United States’ Aids to Navigation system give us mariners a uniform system to navigate safely and avoid collisions.

The lore of a captain going down with the ship is well known, but what’s the legal consequence? Are civil, criminal or professional penalties meted out to the ship’s master who scoots clear leaving passengers and crew fending for themselves?

John K. Fulweiler, Esq. is a licensed captain and a Proctor-In-Admiralty. His legal practice is devoted to maritime law and he represents individuals and marine businesses throughout the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

John K. Fulweiler, Esq. is a licensed captain and a Proctor-In-Admiralty. His legal practice is devoted to maritime law and he represents individuals and marine businesses throughout the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

John K. Fulweiler, Esq. is a licensed captain and a Proctor-In-Admiralty. His legal practice is devoted to maritime law and he represents individuals and marine businesses throughout the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

All of which makes it worthwhile to know a little about the maritime law of tug and tow.

The bottom line is before you elect to pursue arbitration, sit down with your admiralty attorney and have a real chat about the arbitration process and the arbitrators that may rule on your claim. You may decide the arbitration forum is a good fit, you may have good prior experiences with arbitration, and you may favor its streamlined approach to decision making.

Admiralty attorney John K. Fulweiler, Esq. practices maritime law on the East and Gulf Coasts. As a former partner of a Manhattan maritime firm, John now helms his own practice located in Newport, Rhode Island where he helps individuals and businesses navigate the choppy waters of the maritime law.

What happens if someone finds your vessel, prevents it from sinking and gets it safely into port? This scenario invites the sailor to consider two maritime law considerations: the law of finds and the law of salvage.

Admiralty attorney John K. Fulweiler, Esq. practices maritime law on the East and Gulf Coasts. As a former partner of a Manhattan maritime firm, John now helms his own practice located in Newport, Rhode Island where he helps individuals and businesses navigate the choppy waters of the maritime law.