At Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog, 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.