Maritime laws or also known as Admiralty law is a complicated field in the law industry. In fact, this is a specialised type of law since not all lawyers engage in this field of law. As the name speaks, it is about maritime issues.
Maritime laws have a broad coverage. It is not just limited to cases on the passengers’ vessels. Maritime also covers everything that is related to any marine activities. This means that both nautical issues and private disputes are covered under this law. Regardless if it is domestic or international activities, anything that has marine operations and activities are covered under this law.
Maritime law can be about commerce meaning it covers vessels that are used in delivering goods. There are instances wherein the goods are damaged on board and during the navigation. It can be caused by nature or can be man made. The liabilities might not be charged to the owner of the vessel but it might be the case. If this happens, the importer can file a lawsuit. There are also cases wherein the exporter will be held liable but this should not always be the case. The exporter can file a counter against the importer especially if there are contracts signed. The middlemen, the vessel that delivered the goods, can also file because there are certain stipulations in the contract that speak about natural or man made incidents. Also, if they want to claim for insurance on damages, maritime law will also be involved.
If there are concerns on passengers or sailors, you can also rely on maritime laws. You can check on what grounds should be filed. There are many possible cases that both passengers and sailors get involved with. This is complicated if the problem arises due to negligence of the sailor or it might also be the negligence of the passenger. Even though passengers are favorable when it comes to maritime laws, there will still be proper hearing on this to ensure that all is fair under the law.
Another coverage of maritime law is to ensure the safety of people in waterways. Towage accidents are also involved.
Since maritime law is unique in terms of its scope, you need to hire a lawyer that specializes in this field. There might be accidents in waterways that are beyond the scope of law covering accidents in roads or lands. Since this is about the marine setting, certain laws will overlap that of which is applicable on land.
If you are involved in any maritime activities that require filing of lawsuits, find a lawyer that specializes in maritime laws. This way, you are confident that you are on the right track in winning your case. Poor background in maritime law will lead to a poor result, too. Again, look for a law firm that covers maritime laws. This will help you understand if your case is really covered by the law or should be filed in a different field of law. This will give you the right knowledge when it comes to issues involving maritime activities.