University Law School News

Michael J. Dumont started his tenure as interim president of California State University (CSU) Maritime Academy.Aside from service as a reserve military officer, Dumont was a senior executive in several agencies of the Federal government. Earlier in his career he was a litigation attorney with a private law firm representing aviation and maritime businesses, municipal governments, and institutions of higher education. He later served with the U.S. Department of Justice where he handled aviation and admiralty litigation before leading major white-collar criminal investigations.

Joe Biden could erase much of President Donald Trump’s four-year legacy of energy and climate deregulation with the stroke of his pen, according to regulatory experts, but replacing it with something new and durable may prove trickier.Trump’s rollbacks are on shaky ground because most were done not through Congressional lawmaking but via presidential executive orders that can be easily torn up by a new administration. That means signature measures ranging from the withdrawal of…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday Rear Adm. Melissa Bert has been invested as judge advocate general and chief counsel of the Coast Guard. Bert is the service’s first woman to hold that office.Bert was most recently the director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the Coast Guard, where she was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media and other inter-governmental entities.As judge advocate general and chief counsel, Bert will lead a group of legal professionals who are responsible for the delivery of all legal services in support of the Coast Guard's missions…

Harvey Gulf International Marine’s parent, HGIM Corp., has announced the appointment of a new Board of Directors to serve following the company’s emergence from Chapter 11 proceedings.The seven member Board includes two current members remaining on the Board and five new members, each with expertise in individual areas particularly suited to support the company’s operation and development and collectively, creating a leadership platform that will enable Harvey Gulf to adjust and thrive in an ever-changing market. Shane Guidry. Mr. Guidry remains the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for HGIM Corp. Mr. Guidry is the third generation in his family to lead Harvey Gulf. Mr.

Today, during a ceremony in Detroit, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that the next Arleigh Burke class destroyer, DDG 120, will be named Carl M. Levin in honor of the longest serving senator in Michigan history. During his 36 years in the Senate, Levin was a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and its chair for more than nine years. He also served as chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, as a member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He led the Senate in adoption of the Defense Authorization Acts from 2007 through January 2015 when he retired.

Former FMC counsel David Tubman has served in FMC Commissioner Doyle's office as counsel since 2013 at U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. After being cleared by the White House and U.S. Department of Transportation late last week, starting today (February 22, 2016), Mr. Tubman will be serving as Chief Counsel in U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). William Doyle, U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner, said in a statement, "David and I have been working together since the beginning of 2002. I know that David will succeed in his new role.

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced today that Kerri McClellan has been promoted to vice president and deputy general counsel for the corporation. McClellan, who is based in Jacksonville and reports to Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mike Roberts, joined Crowley approximately two years ago as senior corporate counsel and assistant corporate secretary and has excelled at corporate governance and transactional work among other legal areas, the company said. “Kerri has been a tremendous partner in the legal department…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) board of directors has elected Kellye Walker to serve as corporate vice president and general counsel and Charles R. “Chuck” Monroe Jr. to serve as corporate vice president, associate general counsel and secretary. These organizational changes are effective Jan. 12, 2015. As corporate vice president and general counsel, Walker will report to HII President and CEO Mike Petters and will have overall leadership responsibility for HII’s law department and outside counsel…

Ingram Industries Inc. announced the promotion of Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Eleanor McDonald to Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary, effective July 1. Orrin H. Ingram, President and Chief Executive Officer, commended Ms. She joined Ingram in 2006 as Assistant General Counsel, and before that was in private law practice in Nashville concentrating in mergers and acquisitions, commercial finance transactions and general corporate matters. Ms. McDonald received her juris doctor degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and earned her bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Ms. McDonald will succeed Bill Morelli, who will retire after 22 years with the company. Mr. Ingram thanked Mr.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced its 2014 board of trustees. Consisting of 117members, the Coast Guard Foundation Board of Trustees and Directors oversees management of the organization and helps to provide resources to advance the Foundation’s mission to support the service of men and women in the United States Coast Guard. This year, the board welcomes three newly elected officers and four new members to its executive committee, as well as three new board members. Robert J.

The Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), a member of the YCF Group of companies and exclusive administrator of the world’s largest quality ship register, has appointed Christian Mollitor to the position of vice president. This newly created role represents a return to LISCR for Mollitor. Having formerly held the position of Assistant Department Head of Seafarer Certification and Documentation, he left the registry in 2001 to further develop his career. This…

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that William R. Bennett, III has joined the Firm as Of Counsel in the International and Maritime Litigation and ADR group. Mr. Bennett is based in the Firm’s New York office. Mr. Bennett joins Blank Rome from Bennett, Giuliano, McDonnell & Perrone LLP where he was a Partner. He has extensive experience litigating and arbitrating all types of marine and shore based disputes throughout the United States involving personal injury, wrongful death…

Blank Rome LLP announce that William R. Bennett, III has joined the Firm as Of Counsel in the International & Maritime Litigation and ADR group. Mr. Bennett joins Blank Rome from Bennett, Giuliano, McDonnell & Perrone LLP where he was a Partner. He has extensive experience litigating and arbitrating all types of marine and shore based disputes throughout the United States involving personal injury, wrongful death, contract disputes, charter party disputes, insurance coverage issues, groundings, collisions, sinkings, strandings, salvage, fire, and cargo disputes.

Robert J. Flynn Elected Chairman of the Board. ADM Thad Allen and Clay Maitland among an impressive slate of of 11 others. The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that in accordance with its bylaws, a new slate of officers has been elected to serve on the Board of Trustees, beginning January 1, 2012. Robert J. Flynn was elected Chairman of the Board at the organization’s annual meeting in the fall. Joining Mr. Flynn as officers are Al J. Bernard, vice chairman; William E.

Fowler Rodriquez Valdes-Fauli announced that former Assistant United States Attorney Peter Thomson has joined the firm as a partner and will lead the firm’s maritime criminal defense division. Mr. Thomson brings an outstanding set of credentials and an impeccable record spanning twenty-three years of service with the U.S. Department of Justice. In this era of heightened criminal enforcement and government scrutiny, corporate leaders and businesses need a counselor of Mr. Thomson’s…

Seattle-based Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. announces that Nathan McLellan has joined the team as Contracts Administrator. He will be responsible for managing, interpreting, and providing counsel to project managers on contractual obligations while ensuring insurance obligations are properly met. McLellan earned his Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in January, 2011 while receiving a certificate in Maritime Law and serving as a member of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal.

Marine Petroleum Network Inc. (NYSE:ANW) announced that it has named George J. Konomos to its Board of Directors. With the appointment of Mr. Konomos, who will serve as Chairman of the Company's Audit Committee, Aegean will have a total of seven Directors, of which the majority remain independent. Mr. Konomos, 69, has approximately 35 years of financial experience. Currently, he is a Senior Advisor with Latigo Partners L.P., an alternative asset manager and serves on the Board of Directors for General Maritime Corporation. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Konomos was the Co-Portfolio Manager at Mellon-HBV Rediscovered Opportunities Fund. Mr. Konomos' experience prior to joining Mellon-HBV includes 11 years as an Investment Manager at Baker Nye Investments…

Harlan Doliner recently joined the Boston office of the law firm of Pepe & Hazard, LLP as a partner in the Corporate Financing and Transactions Department, practicing environmental, land use and maritime security law. Doliner brings over 30 years of experience in environmental and land use matters to Pepe & Hazard. Within the last five years he has extended his experience in environmental matters to a concentration in maritime security matters. Doliner has been a partner in several major Boston law firms, most recently Nixon Peabody, where he was the leader of the New England environmental practice group, and then Keegan Werlin. Doliner advises clients on the environmental aspects of transactions…

Blank Rome LLP announced that Conor T. Warde has joined the as an Associate in the maritime group. Warde brings experience in international maritime law and will be based in Blank Rome’s Washington, D.C. office. Prior to joining Blank Rome, Warde served as Associate General Counsel of International Registries, Inc., which administers the Marshall Islands Maritime Registry. In this capacity, Warde guided the Registry on the interpretation and enforcement of national and international laws and regulations affecting the maritime industry, including International Maritime Organization and International Labor Organization conventions. During this time…

The Pentagon is widely expected to clear the proposed $2.1 billion merger between the two remaining U.S. builders of nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, eliminating prospects of any future competition between former rivals. Defense Department officials recognize the peculiarities of the situation faced by General Dynamics Corp. and Newport News Shipbuilding Inc., according to antitrust lawyers, industry consultants and Wall Street analysts. With only one major customer -- the U.S. military -- and declining demand for nuclear submarines, there is simply not enough business to go around. "Let's face it, there's only one buyer in these kinds of situations," said Richard Steuer, chairman of the antitrust practices group at Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler in New York.