At Cranfill Sumner, we know admiralty and maritime law.  From prosecuting or defending maritime fatalities, serious personal injuries and other marine casualties, we are prepared to assist you with your legal needs associated with commercial shipping and recreational boating.  We are also well-suited to advise insurers, marinas, terminals and other shoreside operations concerning various industry-related legal risks and advise to offer protection.

Our Network

Jason R. Harris is a Proctor Member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States where he currently serves on the Board of Directors.  He is also the Chairman of the MLA’s Salvage Committee and for many years authored the Salvage Case Law Update.  He is also a member of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Association.  Jason serves as Legal Counsel to the American Salvage Association and is a former member and General Counsel of the International Association of Marine Investigators. Jason frequently presents on admiralty and maritime topics to clients and insurers and at various legal seminars.  He has also taught the Admiralty and Ocean & Coastal Law courses at the Norman A. Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University for several years.

What We Do

Our admiralty and maritime law practice touches upon the following:

  • Commercial and recreational vessel traffic
  • Blue water commercial shipping
  • Cargo disputes
  • Jet ski, PWC, wave runner incidents and accident
  • Collisions, allisions and casualties
  • Wake damage and docking incidents
  • Marine salvage, wreck removal, decommissioning
  • Environmental disasters, cleanups and avoidance
  • Pollution, OPA90, and water quality
  • Ship mortgages, vessel re-finance, vessel foreclosure, and vessel arrest (“stickering”)
  • Maritime liens
  • Serious maritime personal injury and death including those of seamen (captains and crew, the Jones Act, maintenance, cure and wages), non-seafarer passengers, vessel owners and operators
  • Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act
  • The General Maritime Law of the United States
  • The Limitation of Liability Act (“LOLA”, “LOL”, “Limitation Act”)
  • Water skiing, commercial and recreational diving
  • Commercial and recreational sportfishing, charterfishing, shellfishing and gillnetting
  • Cabatoge, the Jones Act, vessel registration and flaggin
  • Vessel regulation and subchapter M concerning towing and towed vessels
  • State and federal investigations and violations by the USCG, OSHA, NTSB, MARAD, the Navy, NC Wildlife, etc.
  • Seaman’s manslaughter act and maritime crimes and offenses (misdemeanors and felonies)
  • Fisheries acts and violations
  • Warehouses, barge lines, fleeters, shippers, NVOCCs, freight forwarders, terminals
  • Marina owners and operators including dry docking, dry stack storage, winterization
  • Marine surveying, naval architecture, engine repairers and manufacturing, vessel, engine and component manufacturers and repairs, and other maritime professions and disciplines
  • Crewing, yachting and cruise ship claims
  • Inland marine
  • First and third party defense, coverage, bad faith, uberirmae fidei, utmost good faith
  • P&I and hull coverage disputes

For more information about our admiralty and maritime practice group, please contact Jason R. Harris.

Most Recent Posts

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Our Top 10 Resources of 2022

Throughout the year, Cranfill Sumner LLP’s attorneys work diligently to bring the most up-to-date information on North Carolina legal updates… Read More

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Peyton L. Derrow Joins Cranfill Sumner LLP

Cranfill Sumner LLP today announced that Peyton L. Derrow has joined the firm’s Wilmington office as an associate attorney. He focuses his practice in civil litigation with an emphasis on admiralty and maritime law and construction law.… Read More

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Alaina Burgess Joins Cranfill Sumner LLP

Cranfill Sumner LLP today announced that Alaina Burgess has joined the firm as a paralegal based in the firm’s Wilmington office. She will support attorney Jason R. Harris in the firm’s Admiralty and Maritime Law Practice Group.… Read More

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CSH Law Welcomes New Attorneys

Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) announced today that Coltrane Henderson, Kayla McDaniel, Austin Sistrunk, Ani Whittington and Ella Zulman have joined the firm’s Charlotte and Wilmington offices as associate attorneys.… Read More

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Jason Harris Presents at Admiralty Law Webinar

On April 21, Jason R. Harris co-presented a roundtable webinar entitled “The Devil is Always in the Details – The Limitation Act and Its Nuances.”  The co-presenter and moderator were South Florida maritime lawyers and the session was hosted by the Admiralty Law Section of the Federal Bar Association.… Read More

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CSH Law Attorneys Discuss Marine Salvage Claims in Webinar

Jason R. Harris and Ashley Coghill recently presented a webinar entitled “Defending Marine Salvage Claims in a Marine Casualty Environment.” The webinar, which was hosted by Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) for continuing education offered to a marine insurer, addressed salvage law, claims adjusting and maritime dispute resolution to an audience from a marine insurer. … Read More

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Ashley Coghill Joins Cranfill Sumner Wilmington Office

Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) today announced that Ashley Coghill has joined the firm’s Wilmington office as an associate attorney. Coghill focuses her civil litigation practice on Professional Liability, Admiralty & Maritime, and Construction Law.… Read More

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Jason R. Harris Presents at CLE for the Maritime Law Association of the United States

Jason R. Harris, Chair of the Admiralty and Maritime Law Practice Group at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was a featured speaker at the Maritime Law Association (MLA) CLE in New York City on May 3.  He offered comments on the Maritime Law Association Code of Professional Conduct including civility and stability for lawyers despite the occasional heavy seas associated with an admiralty and maritime law practice.… Read More

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Jason R. Harris Discusses “The Aftermath of Disaster”

Conference room

On Oct. 30, Jason R. Harris spoke as part of a panel discussion on “The Aftermath of Disaster.” The three-person panel addressed legal and insurance issues following marine casualties and natural disasters and the importance of using an experienced admiralty and maritime attorney.… Read More

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Jason R. Harris Joins Cranfill Sumner

Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) today announced that Jason R. Harris has joined the firm as a partner based in its Wilmington office. Jason will serve as Chair of the firm’s new Admiralty and Maritime Practice Group.… Read More