Anyone can have a web site or advertise. Before hiring a maritime attorney or cruise ship lawyer to handle an admiralty or maritime case, ask the following questions: (Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A’s answers follow each question)
1. Have you ever represented a shipping company as their maritime lawyer?
No.
2. Have you or any family members ever worked for a shipping company as an employee?
No.
3. As a maritime lawyer how many cases have you handled while representing an injured seaman?
Approximately 1,000 cases or more.
4. As a cruise ship lawyer how many cases have you handled while representing an injured passenger?
Approximately 500 cases or more.
5. As a maritime lawyer have you tried a seaman’s or passenger’s case to a verdict?
Yes, numerous times. Our estimate is more than 100 trials in state and federal courts.
6. What is the amount of the highest verdict your client has received in a trial?
Approximately $25 million for an injured seaman. Our firm has recovered more than $300 million dollars for clients*.
7. Have you handled any landmark cases in the admiralty and maritime field?
Yes. Please take a look at our numerous landmark cases.
8. As a cruise ship lawyer how many of your cases have gone on appeal?
Approximately 30 to 40 cases.
9. How many years of maritime lawyer experience do you have in the admiralty and maritime area representing injured seaman and passengers?
One of our maritime lawyers has more than 40 years of experience. The combined experience of all of our maritime lawyers is over 200 years specifically in admiralty and maritime law.
10. Have you ever represented a seaman’s union?
We have worked with and are still working with some of the major seaman’s unions in the United States and out side of the United States.
11. Have you written any books or articles dealing with admiralty or maritime claims?
Yes. Seaman’s Rights in the United States When Involved in an Accident is available for download as are numerous articles regarding maritime claims. Also, we publish the Cruise Line Law Reporter, a monthly e-newsletter that you can sign up for free. Charles Lipcon has just released a new book called Unsafe on the High Seas.
12. Have you ever lectured on admiralty or maritime law?
Yes. The recording of a presentation made in Montreal at the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA) convention is available for download. Also, lectures have been given to various legal groups as well as law students at the University of Miami.
13. What is your maritime lawyer rating with Martindale Hubbel?
Martindale Hubbel rates attorneys both for ability and for ethics. Their highest rating is AV. Three maritime lawyers in this firm have achieved this rating, and one of our cruise ship lawyers has been AV rated for 25 consecutive years.
You Can Check An Attorney’s Results
You can find out a lot about a maritime lawyer by searching the web using his or her name. Check newspaper stories on line. Also you can go to Lexis Nexis and see copies of all opinions in which an attorney is mentioned and read directly about the results of cases that the cruise accident lawyer has handled. West Law has the same type of a data base.