5/19/12 Meeting Minutes

7/31/2019 5/19/12 Meeting Minutes

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AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION

TORTS AND INSURANCE PRACTICE SECTION

ADMIRALTY AND MARITIME LAW COMMITTEE

Meeting Minutes

May 19, 2012, 1:00 p.m.Charleston Place Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina

In attendance:

Christopher Nolan, Holland and Knight LLP, AMLC Chair

Laurie Sands, Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP, AMLC Chair-Elect

Jessica Martyn, Troutman Sanders LLP, AMLC Vice Chair

Olivia Palmer, Charleston Law School, AMLC Vice Chair and Law School Liaison

Ryan Tennet, Charleston Law School

Alan Swimmer, National Maritime Services, Inc.Marygrace Schaeffer, DecisionQuest

Brian Miller, Royston Rayzor

Business meeting:

Christopher Nolan opened the meeting with introductions of those in attendance and began the

business meeting with a discussion of the Law Student Writing Competition.

Writing Competition

Laurie Sands advised that the AMLC had received 16 high quality entries for this years

Competition - an increase over the approximately seven entries the AMLC received in the 2011

Competition. Sands attributed the increase in entries to the AMLCs outreach to local law

schools during ABA meetings and to individual AMLC member outreach to professors and law

schools in members geographic areas. Competition application information was distributed in

Fall 2011 and the entry deadline was April 6, 2012. Competition entrants were asked to submit

an approximately 20 page paper, footnoted, discussing a hot topic in admiralty and maritime

law. The winner will be selected prior to the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. The winning

entry will be published in the AMLC Newsletter and the winner will receive $500.00 plus

$500.00 towards his or her attendance at an ABA meeting. The AMLC will also attempt to find a

forum for publishing the other higher quality Competition submissions.

Newsletter

The AMLC has established themes for individual Newsletters and published a special edition for

the anniversary of the Titanics sinking. The Newsletter has also adopted a section, Trade

Talk, featuring interviews with general counsel, discussing issues they encounter in the


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maritime industry. Upcoming Newsletters will feature views on piracy and arguments for and

against armed security aboard ships and arguments regarding what liability shipowners should

bear for incidents arising from the use of armed security. The next newsletter will publish in July

right before the ABA Annual meeting.

Continuing Legal Education

The AMLC is working on presenting a joint CLE program with the Maritime Law Association

during the MLA fall meeting in New York, New York. The proposed CLE will feature a panel of

Protection and Indemnity Club representatives, discussing legal issues they encounter. The

AMLC and MLA, through the ABA/MLA liaison program, are working together to identify

synergies and establish a robust collaborative relationship.

The AMLC presented a webinar in November 2011 regarding North American Emissions

Control Areas and partnered with West to provide admiralty content for Wests legal education

website. In addition, the AMLC participated in the Safe Ports program at the ABA TIPS Fallmeeting in Seattle, WA and West videotaped that program.

The AMLC is considering a March 2013 Webinar CLE regarding maritime bankruptcy or Jones

Act (cabotage) issues.

Prospective focus for AMLC: Membership

The AMLC will designate Vice Chairs to run specific projects. Membership building is currently

a major focus for TIPS and the AMLC. To that end, the AMLC is focusing on increasing

member involvement through Vice Chair positions and designated member roles. Over the pastyear, the AMLC has added 32 members and lost eight members. The AMLC is ranked seventh

out of thirty-two TIPS committees in the number of members added. Christopher Nolan

attributed some of that increase to international content and international authors published in the

Newsletter. Such content may have contributed to the increase in membership among

international attorneys.

The AMLC supports its members adding content to the member page and contributing to the

AMLC LinkedIn page. The AMLC will survey the membership to gauge member interest in

certain events and CLE topics and will pursue partnerships with the ABA International Law

Section. The AMLC will continue its regional outreach in conjunction with ABA meetings to

improve the AMLC memberships geographic diversity. AMLC Vice Chair, Raymond Waid,

proposed that the AMLC identify a person of year to acknowledge the successes of committee

members. The AMLC is considering the logistics for putting this recognition in place.

AMLC events during ABA TIPS Charleston meeting


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AMLC Vice Chair, Olivia Palmer, hosted a cocktail party for the AMLC and the Charleston

admiralty bar at her family home on the Battery overlooking Fort Sumter in Downtown

Charleston. It was very well attended by the local admiralty bar, ABA TIPS leadership, the

AMLC, and Charleston School of Law students. The AMLC thanks Olivia Palmer and her

family for their hospitality in hosting such an outstanding event.

The AMLC presented a panel discussion to Charleston Law School students regarding the

practice of admiralty and maritime law and a question and answer session to offer advice to law

students hoping to practice in that area of law.

Upcoming ABA/AMLC Meetings and Events

The AMLC will continue to seek out opportunities to host dynamic events in conjunction with

upcoming ABA meetings.

During the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, August 2-6, 2012, the AMLC will not host a lawschool event because classes will not be in session. The AMLC will host an event with the

Chicago admiralty bar and has invited Gavin OHare of CED Investigative Technologies, Inc. to

address the AMLC during its business meeting on Saturday, August 4 at 7:30 am at the

Sheraton Hotel, the local TIPS hotel during the conference. Registration is now open at:

http://ambar.org/annual

The AMLCs Scope Statement will not be revised this year, but will be broadened next year.

Industry Presentations

Marygrace Schaeffer of DecisionQuest and Alan Swimmer of National Maritime Services, Inc.

each presented to the AMLC, describing the services their respective companies offer.

DecisionQuest is a TIPS sponsor that offers trial consulting and research services, legal graphics

and courtroom technology, ADR strategic consulting, jury testing, and online jury research tools.

Arbitration is a new key focus. Additional information is available at: http://

www.decisionquest.com

National Maritime Services, Inc. handles the seizure, recovery, arrest, and custody of commercial

and pleasure vessels and aircraft. NMSs affiliate, National Liquidators, has handled thousands of

pleasure vessel recoveries and liquidations of those assets. Additional information is available at:

http://www.vesselarrest.com/index.php

The AMLC thanks Ms. Schaeffer and Mr. Swimmer for joining us at our business meeting and

for their presentations to the Committee.
http://www.decisionquest.com/http://maestro.abanet.org/trk/click?ref=zpqri74vj_3-15ab6x31691dx119198&http://www.vesselarrest.com/index.phphttp://www.vesselarrest.com/index.phphttp://www.decisionquest.com/http://www.decisionquest.com/http://www.decisionquest.com/http://www.decisionquest.com/http://maestro.abanet.org/trk/click?ref=zpqri74vj_3-15ab6x31691dx119198&http://maestro.abanet.org/trk/click?ref=zpqri74vj_3-15ab6x31691dx119198&


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* * *

Special thanks to Vice Chair Jessica Martyn

for preparing these comprehensive minutes.

Documents

5/19/12 Meeting Minutes