Practice Areas
Mr. Webster has decades of experience as trial counsel in state and federal courts throughout the west coast of the U.S. He is available to serve as lead or local counsel in maritime actions brought before the state and federal courts and arbitral bodies in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Mr. Webster is experienced and adept at effectuating prompt and efficient vessel arrests, maritime attachments, and petitory actions in the Federal Courts of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.
Mr. Webster has served as legal counsel to a broad array of maritime businesses, including marine transportation companies, tug and tow operators, shippers, port districts, marine terminal operators, shipyards, boatyards, yacht manufacturers, vessel brokers, seafood harvesters and processors, freight forwarders, world-wide fuel suppliers, chandlers, vessel owners, charterers, and marine lenders. Mr. Webster has also provided legal advice and representation on the business needs of his maritime and non-maritime business clients, including entity formation, corporate governance, contract negotiation and drafting, sales and acquisitions of businesses, financing, and effective dispute resolution. Mr. Webster is available on an hourly or flat fee retainer basis to serve as general counsel to maritime businesses, providing the services normally provided by full-time general counsel at a fraction of the cost.
Mr. Webster regularly represents the interests of yacht manufacturers, repairers, owners, and charterers with respect to contract negotiation and drafting, construction contracts, purchases and sales, charter agreements, employment agreements, NDAs, yacht flagging, registration and documentation, and the efficient and practical resolution of disputes.
Mr. Webster has served fishing industry clients from the beginning of his career, representing harvesters, tender operators, processors, material suppliers, seafood brokers, traders, and marine lenders from the days of open fisheries through the development of current state and federal fishery regulatory regimes. He knows the regulatory regimes, represents clients in various fishing rights transactions, and regularly defends stakeholders in state and federal enforcement proceedings.
Mr. Webster advises and represents vessel owners and operators regarding compliance with state and federal law affecting the ownership and operation of U.S. flag vessels engaged coastwise trade and the fisheries, including the Jones Act. Mr. Webster also represents clients in regulatory enforcement proceedings and forfeiture actions.
Mr. Webster has represented maritime businesses in the negotiation, drafting, and enforcement of a broad array of business transactions, including vessel construction and repair contracts, charters, fishing rights transactions, contracts of carriage, marine insurance, M&A transactions, employment, entity formation/structure, financing, and CCF Agreements (MARAD & NOAA). He also advises vessel owners and insureds in evaluating marine insurance coverage and pursues insurance recovery on behalf of his clients.