Best Maritime & Admiralty Lawyers in Los Angeles

An injury at sea, on the docks, or aboard a vessel can turn your life upside down in seconds, leaving medical bills, lost income, and a claim governed by complex federal law. Choosing the right Los Angeles maritime lawyer is a financial decision that shapes how much compensation you may get and how fast you get your life back on track. This guide ranks the most experienced maritime and admiralty attorneys in Los Angeles by documented results, litigation approach, and responsiveness to injured clients.

Why Maritime & Admiralty Cases Demand Dedicated Legal Representation

A maritime injury claim is never routine. The hurt seaman, longshore worker, or cruise passenger is almost always outmatched from the start, facing a well-funded vessel owner or cruise line with an insurance team of adjusters, investigators, and defense attorneys already working to pay you very little for your injuries, or even nothing at all.

Federal maritime law only widens that gap: the Jones Act, the unseaworthiness doctrine, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) each carry distinct proof standards and deadlines, and adjusters bank on claimants not knowing the difference. A lawyer who has a significant practice in this area of law can level the playing field.

The stakes are real in Los Angeles. The Port of Los Angeles and neighboring Port of Long Beach form the largest container gateway in the Western Hemisphere, and where that much cargo moves, serious dockside and offshore injuries follow.

How We Evaluated the Firms on This List

We weighed each firm against a consistent set of standards:

• Presence in official directories. We started with firms listed in recognized legal directories (State Bar of California, Justia, Martindale-Hubbell) rather than pay-to-play ad placements.
• Bar standing and disciplinary history. We confirmed each attorney's active status and good standing with the State Bar of California and checked the public discipline record.
• Documented maritime results. We looked for a verifiable history of settlements, verdicts, and published decisions in Jones Act, LHWCA, and vessel-injury matters, not just general injury work.
• Independent client reviews. We weighed ratings and client feedback across third-party review platforms rather than a firm's own testimonials.
• Court and news records. We checked state and federal court records and local reporting for notable maritime cases, appellate decisions, and significant recoveries.
• Genuine trial readiness. We favored firms willing to take a case to court, since that leverage shapes settlement value against maritime insurers.
• Direct attorney involvement. We prioritized firms where a licensed attorney manages the case instead of handing it to non-attorney staff.
• Availability and access. We valued round-the-clock intake for victims who cannot wait until business hours.
• Contingency representation. We included firms that charge no upfront fees and collect only if they recover for the client.
• Local footprint. We gave weight to a real presence in Los Angeles County and the Port of LA and Long Beach corridor, where these injuries occur.

1. Cohen & Marzban Law Corporation

Credentials: $2 Billion+ recovered | Super Lawyers (top 5% in Southern California) | Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum | 50+ years of experience | Four Los Angeles County offices

For injured maritime workers who want courtroom firepower and an attorney who actually answers the phone, Cohen & Marzban stands out. Co-founder Michael M. Marzban counts Admiralty & Maritime Law among his primary practice areas and has earned Southern California Super Lawyers recognition year after year, an honor reserved for the top 5% of the region's attorneys. That pedigree translates directly into results at the negotiating table and in front of a jury.

The firm moves fast when it matters most, working early to lock down vessel logs, maintenance records, and video before any of it can vanish or be spun by the other side. Cohen & Marzban serves clients from four office locations across Downtown Los Angeles, the Westside, Encino, and Pasadena. All consultations are free, and the firm collects no fee unless we win money for you.

Reasons injured clients turn to Cohen & Marzban:

• A five-decade record topping $2 billion in recoveries
• Real attorney access from the first call, not a rotating cast of intake staff
• Case intake available any hour, any day
• A proven track record against major insurers and corporate maritime defendants
• Straightforward strategy and zero upfront cost

2. Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor

Credentials: Maritime practice since 1975 | $55.2M longshoreman wrongful-death verdict (2007) | AV-rated, CLAY Award (2008), Super Lawyers "top maritime attorneys in Southern California" | Jones Act, LHWCA, DBA, and Death on the High Seas Act

Serving the two-port region since 1975, Charles D. Naylor devotes his entire practice to maritime and admiralty work. The firm stands up for cruise passengers, seamen, longshoremen, and offshore workers in claims arising under the Jones Act, the LHWCA, the Defense Base Act, and the Death on the High Seas Act, as well as for commercial fishing injuries, boating crashes, shipyard accidents, and maritime wrongful death. In 2007, Naylor won a $55.2 million jury verdict for the wrongful death of a longshoreman, and he holds an AV rating along with repeated Super Lawyers recognition as one of Southern California's top maritime attorneys.

3. Rose, Klein & Marias LLP

Credentials: Serving California since 1936 | $5 Billion+ recovered across practice areas | Ten Southern California offices | Contingency fee

Founded in 1936 by Victor C. Rose, this downtown Los Angeles firm is among the longest-serving injury and workers' compensation practices in Southern California, with ten offices across the region. Its core work is personal injury and workers' compensation, and it lists maritime and admiralty injury, including Jones Act and LHWCA claims, among the case types it accepts for injured workers. By its own account, the firm has recovered more than $5 billion for clients and handles injury matters on a contingency basis.

4. BoatLaw, LLP

Credentials: Maritime injury focus | Offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco | Jones Act, unseaworthiness, general maritime law, and LHWCA

BoatLaw is built around one thing: representing injured seamen, longshoremen, dock workers, and defense base employees, with attorneys admitted up and down the Pacific Coast. The firm frames its claims around the Jones Act, the unseaworthiness doctrine, general maritime law, and the LHWCA. Trial lawyer Nicholas J. Neidzwski has taken Jones Act and general maritime cases to resolution against some of the biggest maritime companies in the country, litigating in state and federal courts across California, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.

5. Law Offices of Preston Easley, APC

Credentials: 40+ years in maritime law | U.S. Naval Academy graduate, former Naval officer | 13 published appellate decisions | Jones Act, LHWCA, and Defense Base Act

Few maritime attorneys bring Preston Easley's background: a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served five years as a Naval officer, then worked as a longshoreman and marine machinist at Todd Shipyards while in law school. From offices in San Pedro and San Diego, his firm devotes its entire practice to maritime law, representing seamen, longshoremen, and maritime construction workers under the Jones Act, the LHWCA, and the Defense Base Act. Over four decades, he has won landmark appellate decisions that expanded seaman status and the rights of injured maritime workers.

6. Law Office of Kevin S. Conlogue

Credentials: Los Angeles-based practice | Civil rights and personal injury, including maritime injury | Free consultations

From his Los Angeles office, Kevin S. Conlogue's practice centers on civil rights and personal injury, and it extends to maritime injury claims for longshoremen and Jones Act seamen hurt on the waterfront or at sea. Directory listings place his experience at roughly twelve years serving Los Angeles County clients. He offers free consultations to those weighing a maritime injury claim.

7. Jahani Law P.C.

Credentials: Long Beach maritime practice | Led by an attorney and licensed Master Mariner | Maritime law, civil litigation, and immigration

Jahani Law brings a rare perspective to maritime cases: founder Captain Masoud Jahani is both a licensed attorney and a Master Mariner with a background in international vessel trading, giving him firsthand insight into how vessels operate and where things can go wrong. Based in Long Beach, near one of the nation's busiest ports, the firm handles maritime disputes, civil litigation, and immigration matters. That seagoing background helps the firm read vessel operations, crew duties, and safety failures in a way few land-based attorneys can match.

How to Choose the Right Maritime & Admiralty Lawyer in Los Angeles

Plenty of Los Angeles injury firms advertise widely, but few genuinely practice maritime law. Five questions cut through the noise faster than any billboard or fancy website:

• Confirm real maritime experience. This is a specialized federal-based field of law. Ask directly how often the firm litigates Jones Act, LHWCA, or vessel injury claims rather than everyday auto cases.
• Probe their trial record. A firm that seldom steps foot in a courtroom tends to take the first, and usually lowest, offer to settle. Real trial experience and a reputation as a hard-nosed litigator give an attorney leverage that insurance companies respect.
• Get the contingency terms in writing. Reputable maritime lawyers work on contingency, but percentages and deducted costs vary, so pin them down on what the fee arrangement will be before you sign.
• Watch how fast they respond. The speed and care of that first reply usually previews how the firm will treat you for the life of the case.
• Respect the clock. Jones Act claims generally have a 3-year statute of limitations filing deadline, with many LHWCA claims having a 1-year filing deadline, and cruise tickets often cap you at a 1-year deadline for filing injury claims against the cruise line. Delay can end a claim before it starts.