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East Coast admiralty lawyer, John K. Fulweiler, spoke at the National Association of Marine Surveyor's Northeast Region meeting today. He received a warm welcome from the gathered yacht surveyors and cargo surveyors. Speaking on maritime law issues of interest to those undertaking boat surveys a...

What you say in a maritime lawsuit is important. Nay, what you say anytime is important. Words are your primary tool for conveying your emotions, positions and beliefs. Yea, I know body language (including the cocked arm) can convey things pretty well too, but words are the primary power plant. ...

Admiralty attorney John K. Fulweiler was asked to teach a maritime law course at Roger Williams Law School during the summer of 2014. Honored to receive the invitation, John has agreed to do so and is looking forward to the opportunity. An admiralty lawyer with 15 years of experience, John maint...

Full keel or maybe a catamaran. Ketch, sloop, schooner or center console. Old, new, used, fresh water only. Months, nay, years pass. You convinced your spouse and maybe a bank. The edge of spring came, and then brightened into summer. You launched. You drove and then you broke down. Not once, a ...

With summer coming into town sometime soon, Newport, RI based admiralty attorney John Fulweiler addresses Rhode Island's mandatory boating safety certification program. It is interesting to note the law's applicability not only to youth but to anyone operating a personal watercraft like a jet sk...

Building on a reputation for breaking down complicated maritime legal issues, John K. Fulweiler was recently interviewed by the New York Times. Identifying John as possessing unique maritime legal experience, the New York Times sought his input in connection with an article relating to the legal...

Jet skis are fun. I know the ruckus they can bring when they're in the wrong hands, but I challenge you to tell me a better way to explore the gin clear waters of the Bahamas. Gurgling along under a bright sky and with the freedom to cover scores of miles all without the confines of a vessel, wo...

I sometimes envy the medical profession. For the most part, under a doctor's care you're healed or you die within a relatively short time, and the doctor moves on to his next dance partner. With the legal profession, well, litigation takes a long time and so a single lawsuit may outlive an attor...

At the request of the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, admiralty attorney John K. Fulweiler spoke at the 2014 Providence Boat Show. John spoke about his authorship of a book about a maritime incident. John is a maritime claims attorney with an office in Newport, Rhode Island and practicin...

The Supreme Court of the United States issued a recent decision speaking to the options available to parties when their contract contains a forum selection clause. That's a clause included in an agreement specifying where a dispute must be resolved such as a court within a specific county or sta...

Law school teaches you broad concepts and fundamental theories as well providing some tools of the trade. With a law degree in hand and a few years of experience under your belt, I'd wager most attorneys' could successfully dabble in different practice areas except for a few niche areas, admiral...

Oh shoot, you think, why not just a handshake? The deal is closed and now they want me to sign a contract? Kids to pick up, meetings to make, bankers waiting and you figure you'll just sign and if there's a problem you'll get out of it by saying you didn't read all that "fine print." That'll wor...

Newport Rhode Island maritime lawyer John K. Fulweiler, Esq. is always contactable. Case in point, reached over a holiday weekend, John was able to muster his office's resources to prepare and promptly file pleadings with the Court. Being available on a moment's notice is not something new to Jo...

What? What's wrong with you, why 'd you want to sue them guys? And that's the kind of question you ask when you're sipping an IPA on the living room sofa blessed with a belly full of turkey. But I'd venture when things get raw and personal and the hurt of loss makes you crazy, you might think di...

As I'm apt to say, the maritime law is full of interesting barnacles that tend to keep me awake and alert. Most of what I write and talk about concerns the civil side of the maritime law, but lest you fear, this country has a lazarette's worth of written laws relating to maritime crimes. Some of...

A recent salvage case illustrates that all the pieces of the salvage puzzle have to fit together in order to qualify for an award. If you have any sea time, you could probably come up with the elements supporting a salvage claim yourself. But, by way of refresher, and aside from rendering a bene...

What's three pages in length, can be served on anyone in the United States and walks around with the power of the federal judiciary? Oh, and attorneys can shoot them out like bullets? Why, a federal subpoena of course and if you're the lucky recipient of a subpoena, or you could be in the future...

BREAKING, Newport, RI --- A principal of Fulweiler llc and Proctor-in-Admiralty John K. Fulweiler, Esq.'s book titled "A SWIM: The Rhode Islander Who Refused to Drown" received a review in SOUNDINGS Magazine's September, 2013 issue. The story, available via Amazon, recounts the tale of Joe Gross...

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, crewmembers are and must remain wards of the admiralty Court. I've read a few things lately urging a change of course on this point and that's flat-out boardroom talk, in my opinion. Oh, the platitudes begin, but sailors these days are in such a different spo...

Helped a yacht that's run aground? Given directions via the V.H.F. Marine Radio to a boater in distress in thick fog? Towed a boat with a mechanical issue into harbor? All of these instances might very well give rise to a salvage award. Under the general maritime law of the United States, anyo...

Ever been confused by the codes used to refer to different types of personal flotation devices ("PFD")? You know, the Type I, II and III PFD language that's thrown around in various Coast Guard literature? Apparently, you're not alone, or, at least that's what the Coast Guard wants you to believ...

Maritime Attorneys Credited As First To Bring Admiralty Into Wind Litigation BREAKING: Newport, RI / August 12, 2013: Maritime attorney John K. Fulweiler, Esq.'s litigation efforts received attention in a recent article in the Soundings publication. The article discusses Fulweiler and his fel...

When it comes to the maritime law, there seems to be a lot of attorneys who open their desk drawer and put on a captain's hat. That is, at Fulweiler llc we don't need to wear a captain's hat to convince someone that we know our admiralty law. Admiralty and maritime law is all we practice. No tru...

A collision between a boat and a barge. The maritime law has a word for the Hudson tragedy - an allision. An allision is a collision between a moving vessel and a stationary object such as an anchored vessel or a pier. The admiralty law has lots of unique words and lots of unique processes and p...

There are numerous navigational rules and regulations relating to the lighting and marking of moored vessels. These rules and regulations explain when lighting and marking is required, and the type of lighting and marking required such as the brightness and placement of the lights. For instance,...