Admiralty and Maritime Law Certification.

• Author: Eslinger, C. Ryan M.
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

This year the Admiralty and Maritime Law Certification Committee continued its work of preparing a comprehensive exam to test the knowledge, experience, and abilities of Florida lawyers striving to become certified in the area of admiralty and maritime law. This unique area of the law provides a challenge to test preparers and test takers. Recent court decisions related to the definition of a "vessel," punitive damages for maritime workers, and the employment status of cruise line doctors have added another layer of challenge to the exam. The certification exam covers 15 distinct areas of admiralty and maritime law, including admiralty jurisdiction, marine insurance, limitation of liability, maritime liens, and maritime personal injuries. Each area may contain as many as five or six subtopics, all of which are important areas of inquiry for the exam. The exam includes 100 mandatory multiple-choice questions and six fact patterns. The questions reflect the various specialties within the field, testing the applicant's broad knowledge of admiralty procedure and maritime law. One goal of the committee and the Bar is to increase the number of certified lawyers to 75 as soon as possible. The committee encourages certified attorneys and law firms to mentor younger lawyers who are practicing admiralty and maritime law and will soon be meeting the five-year minimum experience requirement for taking the exam. Presentations promoting certification have been made at admiralty and maritime conferences including the Southeast Admiralty Law Institute held every year in June, Mariner's Club conferences in Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee meetings, the ABA TIPS--Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee, St. Thomas University Maritime Law Society, and The...