Chambers Global 2018 Ranks Blank Rome Attorneys and Shipping Litigation Practice
Chambers Global
Chambers Global 2018 recognized Blank Rome LLP as a global leader in Shipping: Litigation — Global-wide, as well as Partners Grant E. Buerstetta, Anthony B. Haller and John D. Kimball for their industry knowledge and leading practices.
Regarding Blank Rome’s shipping litigation capabilities, Chambers Global notes the Firm is a “[w]ell-regarded shipping litigation practice, with considerable expertise in dealing with high-profile disputes, as well as maritime arbitration. Handles a wide range of issues, including casualties, charter party disputes, bankruptcy and environmental matters. Acts for a mix of owners, operators, charterers, financial institutions and shipyards. Respected both within the USA and internationally for its deep industry knowledge.” Chambers reports that “Sources highlight the firm's national strength in the USA, commenting that ‘they're one of the best in America, with offices in Houston and New York. I consider them to be the top shipping firm in the States.’
On Blank Rome’s recognized attorneys, Chambers Global states:
Clients praise the "open minded and creative" Grant Buerstetta for his accountancy background, saying, "He understands the financial mechanics; he can sit down with you and look at balance sheets and talk about cash flows in a way that most lawyers aren't comfortable with." He advises on a wide array of asset-backed and structured securitisation transactions.
Interviewees applaud Anthony Haller on being “An excellent litigator who is very talented in trade secrets work," whose "strong litigation practice sees him frequently defend against both single-plaintiff and class actions involving a range of employment law issues.”
Sources consider John Kimball to be "one of the best." He leads the firm's maritime and international trade group and has a wealth of experience in a variety of shipping disputes. Sources describe him as "a very notable lawyer" and "incredibly well known and connected."
Chambers & Partners, the UK-based publisher of Chambers Global, conducts research by speaking to a vast range of lawyers and clients. Greater weighting is given to the views of the latter, and any biased viewpoints tend to cancel each other out. All interviews are conducted purely for research purposes and are entirely confidential and un-attributed. The methodology has been approved by the British Market Research Bureau, which audits the research annually.
In-depth interviews with clients and lawyers are done over the telephone, each one lasting about half an hour. For the current Global directory, more than 6,500 of these interviews were conducted covering 170 countries. They were carried out by a team of 30 full-time researchers over a period of 12 months. The qualities on which rankings are assessed include technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities most valued by the client. Editorial comment is also derived from the research, with quotations used when they sum up the prevailing opinion of the market.
