By Rachel Shafer. Once upon a time, there were ships with a captain and a crew sailing the ocean blue. Will this be how future generations remember that vessels were once manned? Are automated vessels really an innovation of tomorrow instead of something in the far-distant future? There is much current discussion concerning automated vessels […]

We are pleased to announce David Ventker was once again ranked in the “Top 100” list of lawyers by Virginia Super Lawyers magazine. He was also was selected again as a top lawyer in the Transportation/Maritime practice area. Super Lawyers magazine publishes a list of outstanding attorneys by practice area annually, based on peer reviews […]

We are pleased to announce firm managing partner, Dave Ventker, spoke on April 27, 2018, at the annual meeting of the American Harbor and Docking Pilots Association, held in Jacksonville, Florida.  Mr. Ventker drew on his extensive experience in defending the liability of docking pilots to speak on the topic, “Minimizing Exposure:  Legal Issues and Risks […]

By Rachel Shafer. Just as there is a general district court (“GDC”) in each city and county in Virginia, the same is true for the circuit courts in Virginia. The Virginia circuit court system is comprised of 31 judicial circuits with 120 circuit courts all across the Commonwealth. Circuit courts deal with all civil claims […]

By Rachel Shafer. Each city and county in Virginia houses a general district court (GDC). These courts deal with traffic violations, hear minor criminal cases (misdemeanors), and handle preliminary hearings for major criminal cases (felonies). These courts have exclusive control to hear civil cases with claims of $4,500 or less, whereas they share authority with […]

By Rachel Shafer. In the upcoming weeks, we will be posting a series on the quirks of Virginia procedural law, mostly in state courts but with some mention of federal practice in Virginia. Let’s put it this way–there are a lot of odd things in Virginia civil practice, and we’ve aimed to cover the most […]

Ventker Henderson lawyers Marissa Henderson and Jeanne Noonan enjoyed a tour of the Enviva Terminal along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, Chesapeake, in November with the Future Leaders program of the Virginia Maritime Association (VMA).  Operator Host Terminal provided informational tours, explaining that the terminal exports wood pellets overseas for use as fuel, […]

It’s not every day an 80-ton concrete caisson used to moor barge lines suddenly collapses into the water out from under you—but that was the fate of a tugboat mate at a grain terminal in Chesapeake, Virginia in 2014.  The mate brought several claims in state court against Perdue, the terminal operator, for negligence in […]

By Jeanne Noonan, Esq. A recent ruling in the Washington Supreme Court on punitive damages has maritime attorneys watching for fallout.  The Court found punitive damages are recoverable by a seaman on an unseaworthiness claim when the employer was “reckless” or “malicious.”  While we find the case to poorly reasoned, we can expect plaintiff’s lawyers […]

The largest container vessel to call on the East Coast called on the Port of Virginia on May 8, 2017.  Firm lawyers Marissa Henderson and Jeanne Noonan were there to see it. They boarded a cruise on the SPIRIT of Norfolk full of spectators applauding the arrival of big ships to the Port of Virginia. […]