Law Practice News

Senator Wesley Livsey Jones gave his name to the famous “Jones Act” governing U.S. domestic maritime trade. But what do really know about him? It turns out that he was much more than a leading merchant marine policy maker. (i)Jones had a long career in the U.S. House of Representatives before he was a Senator, was an effective legislator, an astute politician, one of the hardest working legislators of his era, and always viewed as honest and forthright. His many maritime legislative successes included the Merchant Marine Act…

ZF Friedrichshafen AG's Supervisory Board has appointed Sabine Jaskula and Dr. Holger Klein to the company's Board of Management.Jaskula, an experienced HR manager and lawyer, will be responsible for Corporate HR and Legal functions from latest January 1, 2019. In this function, she will also be in charge of compliance. Dr. Klein has been appointed to ZF's Board of Management with effect from October 1, 2018. His responsibilities will include Car Chassis Technology and Aftermarket (service and parts business).

EDF LNG Shipping, a subsidiary of EDF group, signed a long term charter contract with the Japanese shipowner NYK on January 26th 2018. The vessel, with a capacity of 174,000 cbm, will be built by the shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries with delivery expected by spring 2020. Ince & Co supported EDF LNG Shipping in the negotiation and drafting of the time charter contract providing for an initial charter period of seven years which can be further extended to twenty years. This major operation has been made possible through the set-up of a dedicated team composed of legal experts from EDF group and lawyers from Ince & Co, dually qualified in England and France. The close cooperation of this team made the operation a success.

The Washington D.C., office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has welcomed Stephen Martinko as a government affairs counselor in the public policy and law practice. Martinko joins the firm from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission (PPC), where he served as executive director of one of the largest inland ports in the United States. Previously, Martinko spent 12 years as a congressional aide, including serving as deputy staff director for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I Committee) of the U.S. House of Representatives, which has broad jurisdiction over all modes of transportation – aviation, maritime, highways, bridges…

Environmental attorney and Long Beach resident Tracy Egoscue joined the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Tuesday as the first Commissioner appointed by newly elected Mayor Robert Garcia. She was approved by the City Council last week for a six-year term. Egoscue heads a Long Beach-based private law practice, and in the past was Executive Officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board – Los Angeles Region, and prior to that served as Executive Director of Santa Monica Baykeeper, an environmental advocacy group. She has also practiced environmental litigation as a Deputy Attorney General for the California Department of Justice, and worked on issues encompassing the Air Resources Board, the California Environmental Quality Act and the Federal Clean Water Act.

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.

Ince & Co. partner Jonathan Elvey, who was head of the law firm's Piraeus office, has returned to the London office after spending 17 years advising clients at the heart of the Greek shipping market as head of the Piraeus office. Partner Nick Shepherd, who spent five years in Greece in the 1990s and returned to Piraeus in 2010, takes on the role of head of the office. Ince inform that In 2013 their Piraeus office celebrated its 20th anniversary, having grown in size over time to 35 people.

Mr. Sjobring will join the company upon completion of the notice period with his current employer and will be based in Geneva, Switzerland. In the interim, Mr. Allen Katz will continue to serve as the company's Interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel. His qualifications include over 15 years of law practice in international settings, and he received his education in both Europe and the United States. Mr. Sjobring has been serving as the Vice President Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Autoliv, Inc., an automotive safety supplier, since 2007.

Roy Mease was appointed to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority by the City of Pasadena today. Port Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay. Mease was named to the seat previously held by Steve Phelps. Phelps had served as Port Commissioner since 1997. Mease has a private law practice in Pasadena. A member of the State Bar of Texas, he received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law. Mease serves as chairman of the Pasadena Second Century Corporation, which is the city's economic development entity.

Christine N. Piersall was appointed to this position by the City of Portsmouth Circuit Court Judges and replaces Bruce Cherry, who has been on the Board for more than 33 years. This nine-member board examines and licenses the pilots responsible for the safe passage of ships in Virginia's major shipping lanes and waterways. The Board was created in 1783 and was initially chartered by the King of England in the 1600's. Ms. Piersall is a partner with the law firm of Williams Mullen.

Connie Luncheon Held at The Newark Club, December 5; Stanley Sher Given Lifetime Achievement Recognition. Connie Award recipient is R. Kenneth Johns, former president of Sea-Land Service Inc. The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) presented the 2011 Connie Award to Robert Kenneth (Ken) Johns, former president of Sea-Land Service Inc., for his significant influence in containerization in worldwide trade and transportation. The Connie Awards luncheon was held Monday, December 5 at The Newark (NJ) Club and marked 40 years of Connie Awards. A Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Stanley Sher, a maritime attorney in Washington D.C.…

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar named current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich to lead the newly formed Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and current BOEMRE Senior Advisor Tommy P. Beaudreau to lead the newly formed Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Bromwich and Beaudreau have both been highly involved in the creation of the two new bureaus, as well as the Department’s efforts to strengthen the oversight of offshore oil and gas exploration and development. BSEE and BOEM will be officially established on Oct. 1, 2011. Bromwich has agreed to serve as the BSEE Director until a permanent director is selected.

It will surprise very few mariners or maritime executives to learn that legal issues pertaining to the Deepwater Horizon spill are front and center with maritime lawyers these days. In the course of developing an agenda for the upcoming meeting in Houston of the Maritime Law Association, the issues surrounding liability and/or immunity of spill response contractors has emerged. One driver for the discussion is the fact that several such contractors have found themselves targets for claims brought by individuals, businesses and municipalities affected by this spill, despite the fact that such responders have a degree of immunity under the terms of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended by the Water Pollution Act of 1990.

General Maritime Corporation announced that it has appointed Jeffrey D. Chief Financial Officer. Mr. 1, 2004. Mr. Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Treasurer and Secretary. Peter C. stated, "We are delighted to welcome Jeff to General Maritime. as a premier tanker company. Mr. markets, shipping and legal experience. Mr. the bank's shipping, offshore, logistics and energy clients. Mr. ABN AMRO Inc. America. Prior to that, Mr. Transportation and Logistics Investment Banking for ING Barings. of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy. Mr. and Political Science from Yale University. from Columbia University. Mr. reputation for delivering strong results to both shareholders and customers. disciplined manner.

While the U.S. commercial shipbuilding industry outperformed the U.S. economy between 1992 and 2001, this period witnessed the construction of barely a dozen large ocean going vessels for our U.S. domestic trades with an aggregate cost of not much more than $500 million. In contrast, U. S. national transportation needs for the current decade will require the construction of four to five dozen such commercial vessels which, taken together with the building of smaller vessels to meet our other domestic needs, will involve shipbuilding contracts in excess of $6 to $7 billion. The majority of this work is federally mandated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or involves the replacement of vessels in our U.S. non-contiguous trades that have reached the end of their useful lives.