Maritime & Admiralty.

Ships, cargo and the sea answer to their own law — old, exact and unforgiving of delay. We act for owners, charterers, cargo interests and the insurers behind them, moving at the pace a casualty demands, alongside our insurance and trade colleagues.

250+Maritime matters handled across the Great Lakes and beyond
95%Of cargo claims settled before arrest or trial
24hArrest and injunction response, day or night

Overview

On the water, the clock is the adversary — evidence, liens and jurisdiction all decay by the hour. Our first job is always to secure your position: the arrest or the release, the survey, the notice that preserves a claim. Everything else follows from that footing.

Charter parties and bills of lading, collisions and salvage, cargo damage and demurrage, limitation actions and marine insurance. We try cases and we settle them — and we know which is which early.

Great Lakes matters run through our Chicago headquarters; blue-water disputes reach our London headquarters and associated counsel in Singapore, two of the shipping world's natural courts, under a single instruction from day one.

A working vessel, the world of maritime and admiralty law

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The Maritime & Admiralty team

CH

C. Hargrove

Senior Partner · Lead, Maritime & Admiralty
NM

Nadia Marsh

Partner · Charter Party Disputes
EJ

E. Jacobsen

Counsel · Cargo Claims
WK

W. Kovar

Associate · Marine Casualty
See all people

What the record says

They arrested the vessel on a Friday night and had our cargo claim secured by Monday.
Cargo owner survey, 2025
A clear limitation-fund strategy that took the heat out of a collision claim.
Marine insurer survey, 2025

Recent work

Matters we're proud of

Arrest

Bulk carrier arrested and released against security within a week

Cargo

Contaminated grain cargo claim settled at mediation

Collision

Liability apportioned favorably after a harbor collision

Salvage

Salvage award negotiated for a stranded barge operator

Latest articles and knowledge

Article

Bills of lading: the three originals problem

Legal briefing

Limitation of liability after a casualty: filing fast

Article

Demurrage disputes: what charterers can still challenge

Steady counsel in rough water

A confidential first conversation with the maritime team — casualties answered around the clock.

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