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Transportation, trade, recreation — the ways in which humankind has depended on our oceans and rivers for the last several thousand years has varied remarkably. As our collective society has evolved over the centuries, our dependence on the waterways has only increased. Today, even with all of our advancements in flight and overland cargo transport, the United States relies heavily on irreplaceable seaborne trade for large parts of our modern economy. To help clarify and organize the massive variety of situations that can occur on the open waters, the United States government set up a number of admiralty and maritime laws to administer the hundreds of thousands of boats, ships, and other vessels registered in our country.

Any activity that takes place on a vessel flying the American flag is covered by the statutes of the admiralty and maritime laws, and invoked by maritime and admiralty lawyers. These laws originally covered inland water workers that were injured while working, crash victims of air vehicles that occurred over the open waters, and those who assist in the loading and unloading of ships at port. In recent years, however, the admiralty and maritime statutes have expanded to cover a startling number of other specialized situations, giving an admiralty lawyer a lot to learn and keep up with.

The Jones Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, and the Longshoreman and Harbor Workers Compensation Act combine to form the backbone of American maritime law. The Jones Act establishes who qualifies as a sailor or seaman, and under what conditions such a qualified person may litigate for compensation should they be injured while they perform their duties. The Death on the High Seas Act concerns itself with those who die, not just while performing duties on an American vessel, but also those who die in plane crashes over the open waters. Finally, the Longshoreman and Harbor Workers Compensation Act is akin to the Jones Act, but covers land-based workers who support ships at port. All three of these acts, and other aspects of maritime law, are invoked by admiralty lawyers who advocate for the workers covered by them.

Oil rig workers are one of the newest and most controversial areas of coverage that an admiralty lawyer must learn about. Not technically seaman or sailors, these workers nonetheless spend a lot of time on the water, on platforms that are not connected to the ocean floor — which makes them ‘vessels’. Particularly prominent in towns like Houston, TX, an admiralty lawyer who specializes in this new breed of maritime client find business booming.

Admiralty and maritime law is a vast and complex entity that is constantly expanding, but it’s vital to the support of our economy in a variety of ways. The United States has a reputation for treating its sailors and seamen well since the establishment of the Jones Act. Support your local admiralty lawyer, and help us keep it that way.

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