There’s a lot to be said for having a good attorney. After all, when you’ve got a legal dispute, be it maritime litigation or bankruptcy filings or a family court dispute or even a civil rights dispute, you want to have the right person for the job because ultimate you’re looking to have your legal dispute work out in your favor.
Let’s take a closer look at maritime lawyers and why it’s important to go to them if you’re involved in disputes involving maritime law.
What is a maritime lawyer you ask? A maritime lawyer deal with offenses, injuries accidents and all other legal disputes that involve nautical issues. This includes servicemen in the Navy. Maritime law and maritime litigation also includes folks who work at sea such as fishermen and sailors on commercial shipping vessels.
Let’s say for example you’re a commercial fisherman, who catches fishes that’s shipped all over the world. If you’re injured in the line of duty, you’re more than likely going to need a lawyer if you’ve got a legal dispute on your hands. For folks like commercial fishermen and servicemen and servicewomen, they are traditionally not covered for workmen’s compensation like say an office worker. Instead, the Jones Act covers maritime issues, so you’ll need a lawyer that knows all about maritime litigation and matters involving the Jones Act.
Injuries to maritime workers can happen all the time and often unexpectedly. Thankfully, the Jones Act helps provide for things like:
- Lost wages
- Physical suffering and pain
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Medical expenses and costs
In order to properly qualify for the above-mentioned provisions under the Jones Act, a maritime employee must prove the injuries or anguish they have suffered are the result of negligence on the job. An employee must have absolute proof in the likelihood that an insurance company questions the veracity of a claim.
Any kind of specialist attorney is adept at dealing with prickly insurance companies, but a maritime lawyer is well-versed in maritime matters and can help employees settle matters through maritime litigation rather than going through and dealing with a messy court case.
It’s estimated that a small percentage of civil cases reach Federal courts today (about 1%.) If you’re a maritime employee who has been injured on the job and you think you’ve got a strong case, don’t hesitate to contact a maritime lawyer. An experienced lawyer is going to go to bat for you and help you get the benefits you’re entitled to, whether you settle a dispute through maritime litigation or proceed with a court case.
