Areas of Practice
Admiralty and Maritime
Remaining true to its roots, DeOrchis & Partners, LLP, has one of the largest, most experienced and most comprehensive maritime practices in the United States. The Firm handles all maritime matters including collision; casualty investigations, cargo; general average; charter party disputes; drafting of bills of lading and vessel sharing agreements; service contracts; marine terminal contracts; vessel financing, purchase and sale; crewing contracts; as well as vessel arrests and attachments.
Corporate and Commercial
Many of DeOrchis & Partners, LLP’s existing clients have found that our knowledge of their business operations and special needs makes our firm uniquely situated to handle their corporate and commercial needs. Consequently, we are routinely called upon to handle such matters as formation and dissolution of companies, mergers and acquisitions, purchase and sale of businesses, employee contracts, commercial real estate and commercial agreements and contracts of all kinds; as well as providing full litigation support and capability on all commercial matters from collections to defense of professional liability claims.
Government Regulation
With the ever increasing government regulation of maritime activities and commerce, the ability to effectively represent clients in dealings with the United States government, including the Coast Guard, Customs Service, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, Federal Maritime Commission and Interstate Commerce Commission, to name just a few, requires special expertise. DeOrchis & Partners, LLP has decades of experience.
Insurance
DeOrchis & Partners, LLP maintains a substantial insurance practice. Our attorneys are regularly retained by insurers, both foreign and domestic, to provide them with opinions on coverage, as well as litigating coverage disputes and declinations in court and arbitration. We are also retained by insurers to review policies and endorsements for interpretation, as well as drafting policy provisions and endorsements for issuance.
Personal Injury
Drawing upon its hard-won and successful experience in litigating the defense of maritime personal injury actions, DeOrchis & Partners, LLP offers a full range of representation to clients in any type of personal injury or death case. Our lawyers have represented underwriters, vessel owners and operators and other defendants in federal, state and administrative proceedings in which claimants sought damages under the Jones Act, LHWCA and common law for injuries sustained by vessel crew, longshoreman and passengers. We also represent terminals, truckers and other land based operators in motor vehicle and premises liability claims.
Products Liability
With the rise in litigation against manufacturers and sellers of products, DeOrchis & Partners, LLP has risen to the occasion. Our firm represents numerous manufacturers, repairers and sellers of maritime and mechanical products, including ships, recreational boats, engines, machinery and gear. Our attorneys have the technical expertise to provide the products liability defendant with a superior defense to the claim. Through our Marinelex Adjusters subsidiary, we are able to conduct casualty investigations and provide guidance for our clients through any potentially dangerous casualty or situation by undertaking a full incident investigation including the interviewing of witnesses and retaining of experts.
Surface and Air Transportation
As one of the leaders in transportation law, DeOrchis & Partners, LLP it is uniquely positioned to address any issue which may arise in connection with railroad or trucking matters. In addition to common carriers, our firm provides a full range of services to air and ocean freight forwarders, customshouse brokers, indirect air carriers and non-vessel owning common carriers. rounding out its expertise in transportation law, is the firm’s vast experience in handling international and domestic air cargo and related issues, including those arising under the Warsaw Convention and laws of the United States. Our expert legal staff can provide both defense and subrogation of transportation cargo claims, as well as advice and representation on the documentation, cargo security compliance and violation; and the drafting of carrier agreements, bills of lading, circulars and service contracts.
Toxic Tort Litigation
DeOrchis & Partners, LLP, has been involved in defending asbestos, benzene and other toxic tort claims for a wide variety of clients from the very beginning of this unique and highly specialized type of litigation. The Firm’s experience is available to its clients to protect their interests in any type of multi-party tort litigation.
Trainee Program
To apply, please fill out this online form, or, alternatively, print out this PDF version and mail it to our New York address.
The trainee program at DeOrchis & Partners, LLP, has been successfully operating for more than 25 years. It has permitted over 80 foreign lawyers (and a few P&I Club claims handlers) with an opportunity to observe firsthand the practices of maritime and transportation law. The trainees have come from more than 16 countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico and Israel.
The goal of our program is to provide trainees with a practical and realistic exposure to the operation of a litigation firm specializing in maritime and transportation laws. The program allows trainees to work side-by side with all of the lawyers in our office in much the same way as a new associate attorney. Trainees are taught how to perform legal research under the American Common Law system, including computerized research on Lexis. Trainees are also involved in investigation and factual research including analysis of documents and files. On occasion, there is an opportunity to assist in on-board ship inspections, at local or distant ports.
Trainees are encouraged to accompany lawyers to court for hearings, motions, trials and appeals. They are also invited to attend arbitration proceedings and mediations. Trainees are expected to assist the trial attorney wherever possible. We also arrange, when possible, for trainees to attend client meetings and negotiations with opposing lawyers and to sit in on strategy discussions.
Emphasis is placed on speaking and writing proper English. Consequently, trainees are normally required to draft letters, memos, legal pleadings, opinions, and reports.
Informal lectures are given from time to time by the legal staff on various subjects including evidence, procedure, jurisdiction and substantive laws. Trainees are also encouraged to learn about law firm management by participating in the general activities of the firm, including assistance to the managing attorney, library, accounting and filing departments.
All trainees are encouraged to attend legal forums and seminars outside the office, including those given by the Maritime Law Association, The Society of Maritime Arbitrators, and the Marine Insurance Claims Association. Furthermore, on a social level, trainees are invited to firm outings including various lunches and dinners; attend theater and sport functions, or simply grab a beer after work.
Period of Program
To accommodate the number of applicants to our trainee program, the period of the program is limited to three to six months. On occasion, in order to accommodate the number of applications, the period of the program may need to be limited to less than four months. Trainees may elect to stay for a period shorter than the full program length. The firm tries to limit the total number of trainees at any time to a maximum of 2 or 3 so as to insure that each trainee has the maximum exposure and attention of the firm and its resources.
Requirements for Application to the Program
- Applicants should have graduated from a law school outside the United States. Foreign students presently attending a law school outside the United States, or pursuing a Master of Law program in the United States, are also accepted in the program.
- Applicants must have an interest in maritime and transportation law, which can be established either through taking courses in maritime or transportation law, or by working for a law firm or company whose business is in the maritime or transportation field.
- Alternatively, the applicant must provide a letter of recommendation from an individual in the maritime or transportation field.
- Applicants must intend to return abroad after completing the Trainee Program.
- Applicants must obtain a proper visa for the period of the program.
Visa for the United States of America
Before entering the U.S. you are advised to obtain a visa for your stay in the country. We strongly recommend you to obtain an exchange visitor (J-1) visa or another appropriate visa for your training period, other than a tourist visa waiver.
Please be advised that we cannot issue visas for the applicants. You must contact an organization authorized to issue visas for exchange visitors (J-1). The applications for J-1 visas must be filed with the appropriate authorities approximately three months prior to starting an internship program.
To obtain a J-1 visa you have to contact the American Embassy in your home country for basic information on the procedure to obtain a proper Visa.
http://www.usembassy.gov/
We recommend you contact Interexchange for your visa application. We have been using them for several years and they are fast and effective. You should contact them approximately three months prior to starting an internship program. You can find additional information about Visas on the Inter Exchange web site in the “Career Training USA” Section:
http://www.interexchange.org/
You can also contact the American Bar Association which runs a program called the International Legal Exchange Program (ILEX). The American Bar Association can give you advice about the visa and provide you with the documents you need for your visa application.
http://www.abanet.org/
Insurance and Living Arrangements
All health, dental and life insurance must be obtained independently by the trainee and cannot be provided by the firm. Unfortunately no health coverage can be provided through the office.
Trainees are responsible for making their own arrangements to obtain an apartment or living quarters. It is recommended that applicants speak with existing trainees in our office to get suggestions on living arrangements in New York. There are local newspapers, like the Village Voice, which provide weekly listings of apartments for rent or to share. Please be aware that New York is a relatively expensive place to live, and even a shared apartment can cost over $1000 per month. Many listings can also be found at the following website:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/
We suggest that new trainees arrive in New York a few days before they start with our office so as to have the necessary time to become familiar with the City and search for an apartment. You may want to consider staying at the following places on a weekly rental arrangement until an apartment is located:
Men:
Vanderbilt YMCA
224 E 47th Street (2nd Ave.)
New York, New York 10017
Phone: 212-756-9600
Kolping New York
165 EAST 88 Street
New York, N.Y. 10128
Phone: 212 369 6647
http://www.kolpingny.org/
Women:
Webster Apartments
419 W. 34th Street (9th and 10th Ave.)
New York, New York 10001
Phone: 212-967-9000
http://www.websterapartments.org/
Chelsmore Apartments
205 West 15th Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 924-7991
http://www.chelsmore.com/
To apply or to request additional information, please send an e-mail with as subject “Your Name – DeOrchis & Partners, LLP – Trainee Program” attaching your resume to:
Vincent M. DeOrchis: vdeorchis@marinelex.com
Kaspar Kielland: kkielland@marinelex.com
Client Alert – Spring 2011
by M. E. DeOrchis