Bernard LLP

At Bernard LLP Experience Counts, the Admiralty & Maritime Practice Group is one of Canada's oldest and largest. For almost 40 years, our marine lawyers have been involved in virtually every major maritime casualty on Canada's West Coast. Our firm represents clients in many industries in litigation and transactions. We represent clients in the United States and elsewhere worldwide, handling all phases of the maritime transport sector. We represent the full spectrum of clients, including shipowners, charterers, ferry operators, and cruise operators. Our clients also include tug-and-tow, salvors, and shippers. We represent virtually all International Group Protection and Indemnity Clubs and Defence Clubs on the litigation side. Moreover, our Marine Law Team is on-call 24/7. Our lawyers regularly represent both domestic and foreign underwriters of hulls and machinery and insurance companies. Also, we represent Canadians and Foreign Ship Owners, Charterers, Forwarders, Shippers, Terminal Operators, and others. Our Clients Encompass All Areas of Maritime Transport including Shipping, Ports, Marine Terminals, and Rail Operations Our highly experienced team of maritime lawyers regularly handles incidents arising from collisions, groundings, salvage, pollution, and other maritime activities. Our attorneys also handle cargo claims involving carriage by sea or multimodal transport, charterparty disputes, freight, demurrage, and lien claims. They also routinely defend against claims under Canadian regulatory statutes, such as the Canada Shipping Act 2001 and its regulations. Court Actions Marine law lawyers appear in all levels of court in British Columbia and federally. Plaintiffs think that we have an ocean of experience, facing a difficult situation on national matters is challenging. British Columbia Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada are the courts where our attorneys practice. Our clients are also represented in investigations conducted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada, and other regulatory bodies. Including the transactional perspective Lawyers in this group regularly assist clients by preparing and negotiating key transport documentation, such as charter parties, contracts of affreightment, passenger ticket contracts, and bills of lading. Our attorneys advise on all aspects of ship financing, purchase and sale, construction, repair and maintenance, and terminal service agreements. We have advised foreign companies regarding the formation of Canadian branch operations. The lawyers in this group have also provided detailed advice on the regulatory requirements for foreign insurance companies doing business in Canada. Professional Development and Involvement