Chris is a nationally recognized maritime and offshore energy counselor with deep experience in admiralty law, marine insurance, and offshore energy matters, whose practice spans both the blue and brown water industries and offshore infrastructure and operations. He has served as lead counsel in numerous high-profile cases involving the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), vessel collisions/allisions (commercial and recreational), oyster bed and other environmental damage claims, cargo and ocean shipping disputes (including before the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)), marine insurance coverage, and limitation of liability actions. Chris’ practice also includes advising on indemnity, insurance, and risk allocation in maritime contracts and representing clients in commercial disputes involving shipbuilding, coastwise trade issues, maritime liens, vessel arrests, and anti-indemnity statutes.
He has represented clients in multidistrict litigation (MDL), arbitrations before various tribunals, proceedings before multiple regulatory bodies (including the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, and the US Department of the Interior’s Interior Board of Land Appeals), and appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Chris' work has led to precedent-setting decisions in maritime law, including successful wrongful arrest in rem claims and constitutional challenges in foreign jurisdictions.
