Whether you need an offshore injury lawyer or a knowledgeable team of maritime attorneys, we have the experience to handle your matter.

Lewis, Kullman, Sterbcow & Abramson, LLC enjoys a hard earned and well-deserved reputation as one of the finest maritime and admiralty law litigation firms in the country. We frequently present research papers and conduct lectures at continuing legal education seminars and law schools on a variety of maritime and admiralty law topics. Our attorneys have authored and presented over 100 scholarly papers to lawyers and judges. We have had articles published in the Tulane Law Review and the Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce. Our lawyers have chaired the Admiralty Law Sections of the Louisiana Association of Justice (LAJ) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). We frequently consult with AAJ lobbyists and members of Congress regarding federal admiralty statues and regulations. Perhaps the best measure of our ability is the large number of maritime and admiralty law referrals that we receive from other lawyers throughout the United States.

Managing member Paul Sterbcow was a member of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee representing thousands of individuals and businesses that suffered losses as a result of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP Oil Spill. Mr. Sterbcow was one of two attorneys who lead the team of lawyers that tried the case against BP, Transocean and Halliburton that resulted in a gross negligence finding against BP and played a significant role in achieving one of the largest civil lawsuit settlements in the history of the United States. Indeed, our attorneys have had a role in many, if not most, of the important maritime cases in the last 40 years – including those that defined the requirements for a person and a vessel to be governed by the Jones Act, those which determined the elements of recoverable damages under the general maritime law and those that have defined the availability of punitive damages to Jones Act seamen, longshore and harbor workers and recreational boating accident victims.

Examples of the types of maritime and admiralty law cases we have successfully handled include:

  • Ship collisions
  • Vessel/bridge collisions
  • Offshore drilling rig drill floor equipment malfunctions and negligent procedures
  • Offshore supply vessel loading and unloading accidents
  • Offshore oilfield vessel collisions with platforms and other structures
  • Vessel hazardous condition incidents such as defective decks and unsafe vessel equipment
  • Negligent vessel operation by captain and crew
  • Negligent failure to rescue man overboard
  • Lift boat and jack up drilling rig collapses
  • Vessel, drilling rig and production platform fires and explosions
  • Offshore well blowouts on drilling rigs and production platforms
  • Injury and death to cargo surveyors in the holds of ocean-going ships
  • Lifting injuries aboard vessels
  • Injury and death to commercial divers due to accidents and decompression illness
  • Commercial fishing and shrimping vessel defective equipment
  • Injury and death due to federal maritime regulations violations
  • Injury and death due to gross negligence and intentional conduct

We have also represented every type of maritime worker involved in all aspects of the marine industry, including:

  • Vessel captains and crew
  • Tugboat captains and crew
  • River pilots
  • Offshore Installation Managers
  • Toolpushers
  • Drill crew members (drillers, floorhands, derrickmen, roustabouts, mechanics, motormen, crane operators)
  • Riggers
  • Welders
  • Longshoremen and dock workers
  • Commercial oilfield divers
  • Ship builders and repairmen
  • Cargo inspectors
  • Marine surveyors
  • Commercial fishing crew members
  • Shrimp boat crew members
  • Production platform workers (supervisors, mechanics, pumper/gaugers, helpers)

If you, a loved one or a friend was injured or killed while working or playing on or near navigable water, contact Lewis, Kullman, Sterbcow & Abramson, LLC for a free consultation about your legal rights and remedies. A number of our cases have made or changed maritime law in favor of the injured as a result of our aggressive and innovative lawyering. Give us the opportunity to do the same for you.