Crew reviewing paperwork beneath container cranes
HOME / PRACTICE AREAS / LITIGATION & CLAIMS

Litigation & Claims

Accidents, casualties, and commercial, employment, and insurance disputes, handled from first investigation through final appeal in the state and federal courts of Washington, Alaska, and Oregon.

Most of what we litigate happens on or near the water, and the rest comes from clients who already trust us there. We prepare every matter to be tried, which is usually what resolves it.

TALK TO THE PRACTICE Litigation & Claims

One address that reaches the partners in this practice directly. Defense and commercial work for businesses and their insurers.

EMAIL THE PRACTICE

New matters begin with a conflicts check. Please hold files until we confirm we can take the matter.
TALK TO THE PRACTICE
Joseph M. Browne
Joseph M. Browne PARTNER

Casualty, injury defense, and marine insurance litigation for vessel owners and their underwriters.

EMAIL JOE

New matters begin with a conflicts check. Please hold files until we confirm we can take the matter.
PRACTICE AREAS

Nine kinds of dispute. One way of handling them.

Each area has its own page with the detail. We represent businesses, vessel owners, and insurers, not individual plaintiffs.

01 Commercial disputes Contract, partnership, and business-to-business disputes across the maritime and transportation industries. LEARN MORE → 02 Personal injury and wrongful death defense Defense of vessel owners, employers, and their insurers in Jones Act, general maritime, and shoreside injury claims. LEARN MORE → 03 Collisions, casualties, and salvage Allisions, collisions, groundings, sinkings, and the salvage and limitation proceedings that follow. LEARN MORE → 04 Stevedore and terminal operations Claims arising from cargo handling, terminal operations, and longshore work on the docks. LEARN MORE → 05 Cargo claims Loss, damage, and delay claims under COGSA, the Carmack Amendment, and charter and bill of lading terms. LEARN MORE → 06 Employment practices Defense of wage, discrimination, and wrongful termination claims for maritime and shoreside employers. LEARN MORE → 07 Motor carriers Accident, cargo, and regulatory litigation for trucking and intermodal operators. LEARN MORE → 08 Real estate and construction claims Waterfront property, lease, and construction disputes for owners, terminals, and contractors. LEARN MORE → 09 Insurance Coverage disputes and defense under hull, P&I, cargo, and commercial liability policies. LEARN MORE →
NOT SURE WHICH APPLIES? Disputes rarely fit one box. Tell us what happened and we will sort out the rest. EMAIL THE PRACTICE →
CASUALTY RESPONSE

When something goes wrong on the water, the first call matters.

A grounding, a collision, or a crew injury sets several clocks running at once: Coast Guard reporting, evidence preservation, limitation deadlines, and the insurer’s notice requirements.

We take that first call, get to the vessel or the terminal, and manage the investigation so the defense is built from day one rather than reconstructed later.

RESPONSE Same day, Puget Sound and Alaska
COURTS Federal and state, WA, AK, and OR
TRIAL WORK

Prepared to try it. That is usually why it settles.

Our litigators have tried maritime, cargo, injury, and commercial cases to verdict in state and federal court and before arbitration panels.

Clients get a candid early assessment of exposure and a plan built around the outcome they actually need, whether that is a verdict, a defensible settlement, or a quick exit.

VENUES Jury, bench, and arbitration
APPEALS Ninth Circuit and Washington appellate courts
← →
Investigation alongside a container vessel EVIDENCE FIRST, ARGUMENTS SECOND
HOW A MATTER MOVES

From the first call to the last filing.

01 Investigation

Site visits, witness interviews, and evidence preservation while the facts are still fresh, with an early read on exposure.
02 Strategy & discovery

A plan built around your business goal, then the discovery, experts, and motions to get there.
03 Resolution

Mediation or settlement when it serves the client, trial and appeal when it does not.
PARTNERS IN THIS PRACTICE

The partners who handle it.

ALL ATTORNEYS →
Joseph M. Browne Joseph M. Browne PARTNER

Casualty, injury defense, and marine insurance litigation for vessel owners and their underwriters.

jmbrowne@bmjlaw.com 206.905.3249 FULL BIO →
Mark K. Conley Mark K. Conley PARTNER

Commercial, employment, and business disputes, and the matters that do not fit anywhere else.

mconley@bmjlaw.com 206.905.3217 FULL BIO →
Matthew C. Crane Matthew C. Crane PARTNER

Cargo, motor carrier, and transportation litigation, and appeals.

mccrane@bmjlaw.com 206.905.3223 FULL BIO →
Thomas G. Waller Thomas G. Waller PARTNER

Collision, salvage, and limitation proceedings for vessel operators and insurers.

tgwaller@bmjlaw.com FULL BIO →
Joseph M. Browne
Joseph M. BrownePARTNER

Casualty, injury defense, and marine insurance litigation for vessel owners and their underwriters.

Mark K. Conley
Mark K. ConleyPARTNER

Commercial, employment, and business disputes, and the matters that do not fit anywhere else.

Matthew C. Crane
Matthew C. CranePARTNER

Cargo, motor carrier, and transportation litigation, and appeals.

Thomas G. Waller
Thomas G. WallerPARTNER

Collision, salvage, and limitation proceedings for vessel operators and insurers.

Draft partner assignments and blurbs, pending confirmation from the partners.

GET IN TOUCH

Facing a claim or a dispute?

Tell us who you are and what happened, in general terms. Once conflicts are cleared, one of the litigation partners will set up a call.

We represent businesses, vessel owners, and insurers. We do not represent individual plaintiffs.