Maritime attorneys handle injuries and commerce on the water: Jones Act claims by seamen, longshore and harbour workers' compensation, unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure, offshore and rig accidents, cruise passenger claims, cargo damage, collisions, salvage and vessel documentation.
Admiralty is a separate body of federal law with its own remedies and its own deadlines, and it often gives an injured worker rights that ordinary state law would not. Whether you count as a seaman, and whose vessel you were on, decides which set of rules applies.
Before you hire
- Report the injury and get the accident report. Offshore cases are frequently decided by the first written account.
- Ask whether the attorney handles Jones Act and longshore claims specifically, not just personal injury.
- Cruise tickets typically impose very short notice periods and a specific court. Read the ticket before assuming you have time.
Personal injury and workers' compensation cover land-based equivalents.