Frederick B. Goldsmith

Fred Goldsmith is a Pittsburgh, PA-based admiralty & maritime and personal injury lawyer who represents individuals and families in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Texas, and Massachusetts in admiralty & maritime, towboat and barge, river accident, fishing boat, scallop boat, Jones Act, Railroad, FELA, motorcycle, ATV, oilfield & drilling rig/oil and gas well explosion, serious personal injury, and wrongful death lawsuits — including Dram Shop – liquor liability cases.

Fred is known for his tenacity and willingness to accept challenging cases. He is the managing member and co-founder of Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, LLC.

Fred is also a formally trained mediator, approved to serve as a mediator, arbitrator, and early neutral evaluator by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  He is also listed as a qualified mediator by the West Virginia State Bar and serves as a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the West Virginia State Bar, and the Arbitration and ADR Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the United States.

Over Three Decades of Legal Experience

Fred’s legal experience includes service as Law Clerk to a U.S. District Court Judge, Vice President & General Counsel of one of the country’s largest tugboat operators, and an attorney with large and medium sized law firms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Houston, Texas. He has tried cases to judges and juries in both state and federal courts. While for many years Fred represented corporations and their insurers, he now uses what he knows from representing defense interests to vigorously represent individual workers and their families.

Approved by the National Mariners Association

The National Mariners Association includes G&O attorney Fred Goldsmith on its list of “Approved Legal Assistance for Mariners.”

Rated AV Preeminent® in Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory

Fred is peer-rated AV Preeminent® in the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory, its highest rating. The Legal Ability rating “AV Preeminent” means “that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.” “V” denotes adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional responsibilities.”

Pennsylvania SuperLawyer®

Fred has also been included in the listings of “Pennsylvania Super Lawyers℠” by Philadelphia and Law & Politics magazines, from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2017 to 2024 (in the field of Admiralty & Maritime Law), a designation only 5% of Pennsylvania lawyers achieve.

Education and Post-Graduate Training

Fred obtained his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Tulane University in 1983 and 1990, respectively. After graduating law school, he worked as a law clerk to the Honorable Howell Cobb, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, learning valuable trial and legal writing skills from the judge (a former railroad defense lawyer) and the many talented civil and criminal trial lawyers from around the Gulf Coast who appeared before the Court. He is also a graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s intensive 8-day trial skills course.

Former Tugboat Company Vice President & General Counsel

While an in-house lawyer at the tugboat company, Fred was a member of the five-man management team which successfully busted “unbreakable” 28 and 43-year long tugboat monopolies at Port Canaveral and Port Everglades, two Florida seaports. He also oversaw all personal injury and property damage litigation involving the company’s fleet of forty harbor and oceangoing tugs in ports throughout the Great Lakes, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Florida.

Real World Work Experience

Fred grew up in Pittsburgh. Before finishing his formal education, he swept floors, stacked, and bound lumber at a building supply supercenter near Pittsburgh, drove a delivery truck in New York City, worked nights and weekends as a busboy and drive-up bank teller in New Orleans, tutored first graders in math and English in a Beaumont, Texas, public school, and in a Houston juvenile detention center counseled youths awaiting trial on felony charges.

For four years between college and law school, Fred worked in the TV news business, first as a general assignment and medical beat reporter, then chief photographer, in the news department of KAMR-TV, the NBC station in Amarillo, Texas. While working in the Texas Panhandle, he was often a one-man-band: videotaping, reporting, and editing feature stories on the rough-hewn men and women in the 26 counties of the Panhandle, including game wardens, farmers, and ranchers. His station allowed him to attend the National Press Photographers Association’s (NPPA) intensive News Video Workshop held in Norman, Oklahoma, on the University of Oklahoma campus.

Next, as a member of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) union, Fred worked as a cameraman and “live” truck operator for WLVI-TV’s “The News at Ten” in Boston, Massachusetts. Although a newcomer to big-market TV news, Fred was nominated for a New England TV News Emmy Award for video he shot of the tragic self-beaching of baby pilot whales on the Cape Cod coastline, their recovery in Boston’s New England Aquarium, and subsequent return to sea from a NOAA research vessel. He now calls on the reporting and video production skills he acquired working as a television news journalist and photojournalist to present his clients’ cases in an understandable and visually compelling manner in pre-mediation day-in-the-life videos, and at trial to judges and juries.

Background in Oilfield and Maritime Product Liability Law in Texas, Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico

Before returning to the northeast, Fred Goldsmith was a trial lawyer at two firms in Houston, Texas, where he represented, in state and federal courts, commercial vessel owners and operators, major and independent oil and gas companies, onshore and offshore drilling contractors, and oilfield service contractors and suppliers, in admiralty & maritime, personal injury and death, property damage, and commercial claims and disputes which arose in the oilfields of Texas, Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico. He also represented commercial and recreational vessel manufacturers in personal injury and death and product liability lawsuits involving propeller guarding of waterskiing boats, boat and marina fires, electrocutions, and assorted vessel design cases. Fred now brings to bear his substantial experience in oilfield and admiralty & maritime litigation to help injured workers and their families in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, and beyond.

Pittsburgh, PA, WV, OH, TX & MA Motorcycle Lawyer Who Rides Dirt Bikes and Street Bikes

Fred Goldsmith has been a dirt bike rider for over 17 years, and is the former secretary and newsletter editor of the western Pennsylvania dirt bike riding club, Three Rivers Competition Riders (Facebook page). He holds a Pennsylvania motorcycle operator’s license, has successfully completed the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program’s Basic Rider, Experienced Rider, BRC2, and Advanced Rider courses, and includes street bike riding on his list of passions (the photo below left shows Fred with his Honda CRF-250X — he’s since traded that 4-stroke for a KTM 2-stroke — and below right is while riding his BMW R1150R in the countryside of Washington County, PA — Fred also rides a Triumph Speed Triple). He has been a member of Pittsburgh’s Sport Bike Alliance, which promotes safe street bike riding. In his law practice, Fred and his partner, Rich Ogrodowski, handle claims and lawsuits arising from motorcycle (both street bike and dirt bike) accidents and ATV (all terrain vehicles, quads, 4-wheelers) accidents.

Someone Who Won’t Stop Learning and Asking Questions

Fred Goldsmith believes there’s always more to learn. When he moved his law practice from the “blue water” (oceangoing) port of Houston to the “brown water” (inland) port of Pittsburgh, to learn first-hand the challenges towboat pilots and captains face, he sat alongside them and successfully completed the River School’s U.S. Coast Guard-approved Radar Observer License Endorsement Course. Fred has also taken the sticks in his hands and experienced steering a towboat and its tow of loaded jumbo coal barges downbound between the bridge piers of the twisty Monongahela River. In his law practice, he routinely gets out of the office to meet with and get to know his clients and their families in their homes, visit the scene of accidents, interview witnesses, and see up close and lay his hands on the equipment involved in the lawsuits he brings.

Fred Goldsmith receiving his diploma at Pittsburgh Police Headquarters.

In December 2022, Fred graduated from the 10-week long City of Pittsburgh Citizen Police Academy, obtaining a fascinating, insider’s, eye-opening, unvarnished introduction to the operations of and the many dedicated women and men who comprise the PBP. His class, comprised of a broad range of community members, learned in a hands-on fashion from police and civilian personnel about topics ranging from Use of Force, SWAT, Bomb Squad, Homicide, Patrol, Graffiti, Intelligence, Major Crimes, to internal investigations/Office of Municipal Investigations.

Someone Who Shares His Knowledge to Help Others

Fred Goldsmith has authored numerous (see below) articles on admiralty and maritime law and courtroom tactics in legal and maritime industry publications including the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, Pennsylvania Law Weekly, WorkBoat, MarineNews, and Gulf Shipper. He also speaks frequently on these topics.  He is an advisory editor of the Loyola Maritime Law Journal, published by Loyola Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Fred has twice served as an invited brief judge for the Annual Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the University of Texas School of Law, and as a volunteer judge for the American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution “Representation in Mediation” competition, held at West Virginia University School of Law, Morgantown, West Virginia.

In November 2012, Fred Goldsmith launched the internet blog, Towboatlaw – Towboat & Barge Lawyer: Admiralty & Maritime Law on the Rivers, a continuation of a tradition he began with Marine Legal Update and Admiralty Update, e-newsletters he originated in 1997. You can view current posts on the blog and subscribe to e-mail notification of new posts by clicking the BLOGS link atop this website or by clicking here: https://golawllc.com/towboatlaw-blog/. Towboatlaw is intended to keep towboat and other commercial vessel crewmembers updated on state and federal court admiralty & maritime law decisions that impact their lives and livelihoods.

Active in Legal and Civic Organizations

Fred Goldsmith is an active member of the Allegheny County Bar Association (elected Chair for 2011-2012 of the Federal Court Section, 25+ year member of the (state) Court Rules Committee, ADR Committee), the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania’s Local Rules Advisory Committee (by appointment), the Maritime Law Association of the United States (elected as a Proctor Member in 1992, elected to the Board of Directors in 2024, and serving on the Inland River Practice, Marine Torts and Casualties (Vice-Chair, 2020-2022, Chair, 2022-present), Arbitration and ADR, and Recreational Boating Committees), the American Association for Justice (Admiralty Law Section), the West Virginia Association for Justice, and the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. Fred is a former member of the board of directors of both the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Maritime Club, and a former member of American Inns of Court chapters in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Houston, and New Orleans. He is a member of the Legal Committee of and a cooperating attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s Greater Pittsburgh Chapter and a member (and former member of the Board of Directors) of the Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee, a nonprofit human rights organization. Fred is a member of the ADR, or Alternative Dispute Resolution, Committee of the WV State Bar.

Licensed to Practice Law in PA, WV, OH, TX & MA

Fred Goldsmith is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Texas, and Massachusetts, and practices in other parts of the country on motion, often with local counsel.

Fred is also a member of the bar of several federal trial and appellate courts in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Michigan, and Illinois, and practices before federal agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Maritime Commission, and U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

Mediator to Mediate Cases in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Texas, and Massachusetts

Fred Goldsmith a formally trained mediator, approved to serve as a mediator, arbitrator, and early neutral evaluator by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  He is also listed as a qualified mediator by the West Virginia State Bar and serves as a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the West Virginia State Bar, and the Arbitration and ADR Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. For more information on Fred’s mediation services, please click here.

Admiralty & Maritime Law Articles & Publications by Fred Goldsmith

• “How to Stop Injured Vessel Crew from Calling My Law Firm,” MarineNews (August 2022)
• “A Primer on Admiralty and Maritime Actions and the Federal Courts,” co-authored by Eric A. Iamurri, Lawyers Journal (Vol. 23, No. 1, Jan. 1, 2021) (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association)
• “Towboatlaw – Towboat & Barge Lawyer: Admiralty & Maritime Law on the Rivers” (internet blog, see https://golawllc.com/towboatlaw-blog/) (November 15, 2012, to present)
• “The R.M.S. Titanic’s Positive Impact on the Law of Salvage,” MarineNews (October 2012)
• “The U.S. Supreme Court Weighs-In on the Consequences of Being a ‘Vessel in Navigation,'” MarineNews (June 2012)
• “Vessel Crewing: Operators Face Liability for Numerical, Task Assignment, Competency, Training, and Demeanor Deficiencies,” MarineNews (March 2012)
• “The Vessel Owners’ Limitation of Liability Act — An Anachronism that Persists, For Now,” MarineNews (November 2011)
• “Seaman’s Maintenance Rate Must Reflect Current Costs,” MarineNews (July 2011)
• “Utmost Good Faith: Marine Insurance,” MarineNews (May 2011)
• “U.S. Supreme Court to Scrutinize Statute on Seaman’s Personal Injury & Death,” MarineNews (April 2011)
• “When, Who & How to Test: U.S. Coast Guard Post-Accident [Drug & Alcohol Testing] Regs Explained,” MarineNews (February 2011)
• “What’s New in (and What is) Admiralty & Maritime Practice?,” The Advocate (published by the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association), Vol. 23, No. 2 (Winter 2011)
• “‘Immediately’ Means Now! – U.S. Coast Guard Marine Casualty Reporting Regulations,” MarineNews (November 2010)
• “Indemnity Provisions in Contracts & Charters,” MarineNews (September 2010)
• “Must-Haves for Vessel Repair Contracts,” MarineNews (August 2010)
• “Be Safe on the Water this Summer,” Naked Law by Avvo (online column) (June 30, 2010) (http://nakedlaw.avvo.com/2010/06/be-safe-on-the-water-this-summer)
• “Don’t Leave Port Without These Terms in Your Vessel Charter,” MarineNews (May 2010)
• “Foreseeable Emergencies: Operators Liable for Training Crews,” MarineNews (March 2010)
• “A Vessel Owner’s Warranty of Seaworthiness,” MarineNews (January 2010)
• “Congress Considers Two-Tug Escort Mandate,” MarineNews (November 2009)
• “Class Actions,” MarineNews (June 2009)
• “Maritime Contracts: Do I Have to Put it in Writing?,” MarineNews (June 2008)
• “The Difference between State and Federal Court,” MarineNews (April 2008)
• “Maritime Salvage: Ancient Origins, Modern Applications,” MarineNews (January 2008)
• “The Other Side’s Lawyer Wants to Take Your Deposition–Now What?,” MarineNews (November 2007)
• “Top Ten List of Claim-Related Mistakes to Avoid,” MarineNews (October 2007)
• “Act of God: A Difficult Defense to Float,” MarineNews (August 2007)
  “What Your Lawyer Will Tell You After a Barge Breakaway,” MarineNews (November 2, 2002)
• “River Pilot, Marine Surveyor, and Third-Party Inspector Liability,” Tulane Maritime Law Journal, Volume 26, No. 2 (Spring 2002)
• “Marine Surveyor Liability,” NAMS News, The Journal of the National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc., Volume 40, No. 1 (Spring 2002)
• “Legal Talk: Alternative Dispute Resolution: Part 2 (Arbitration),” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 7 (July 2000)
• “Legal Talk: Alternative Dispute Resolution: Part 1 (Mediation),” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 6 (June 2000)
• “Admiralty & Maritime Law: Questions & Answers for the Allegheny County Lawyer,” Lawyers Journal, Vol. 2, No. 10 (May 19, 2000)(published by the Allegheny County Bar Association)
• “Admiralty & Maritime Law: Questions & Answers for the West Virginia Lawyer,” West Virginia Lawyer (May 2000) (published by the West Virginia State Bar)
• “Legal Talk: Maritime Products Liability,” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 5 (May 2000)
• “Legal Talk: When are Vessels Liable for Wake Damage?” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 4 (April 2000)
• “Legal Talk: Filing a USCG Accident Report,” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 3 (March 2000)
• “Admiralty & Maritime Law in West Virginia: A Field Guide to Spotting the Issues,” The Advocate (published by the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association) (Winter 2000)
• “Legal Talk: How to be a Good Witness,” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 2 (February 2000)
• “Legal Talk: Vessel Injury Claims: The Basics,” WorkBoat, Vol. 57, No. 1 (January 2000)
• “Admiralty & Maritime Law in Western Pennsylvania: A Field Guide to Spotting the Issues,” The Advocate (published by the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association), Vol. 12, Nos. 2 & 3 (November/December 1999 & January/February 2000)
• “USCG Reopens S&R Actions Comment Period,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 12 (December 1999)
• “Legal Talk: Barge Breakaway Liability,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 12 (December 1999)
• “Report All Oil Spills, Attorneys Warn,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 11 (November 1999)
• “Legal Talk: Good Samaritans are Vulnerable to Lawsuits,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 11 (November 1999)
• “Legal Talk: Maritime Salvage: Large Rewards for Large Risks,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 10 (October 1999)
• “Legal Talk: When Does OSHA Have Jurisdiction?,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 9 (September 1999)
• “Legal Talk: Floating Casinos: What Duty of Care is Owed to Employees?,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 8 (August 1999)
• “Legal Talk: Rules of the Road,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 7 (July 1999)
  “Inland Insider: Big Changes in License Suspension Procedures Loom,” WorkBoat, Vol. 56, No. 6 (June 1999)
• “Admiralty and Maritime Law: More Rules of the Road for Practice in the Largest Inland Port in the Country,” Sole & Small Firm Practitioner (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association) (May 1998)
• “Admiralty and Maritime Law: Some Rules of the Road for Practice in the Largest Inland Port in the Country,” Sole & Small Firm Practitioner (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association) (February 1998)
• “The Limitation of Vessel Owners’ Liability Act: Third Circuit Holds This Anachronism Still Floats (and Can Sink a Plaintiff’s Case),” Pennsylvania Law Weekly, Vol. XX, No. 45 (November 10, 1997)
• “U.S. Supreme Court Narrows the Channel to Jones Act Seaman Status,” Pittsburgh Legal Journal, Vol. 123, No. 130 (July 11, 1997)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: Intravenous Drug Use and Other Exceptions to a Seaman’s Right to Medical Care From His Employer,” Gulf Shipper (September 1996)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: The Shipowners’ Limitation of Liability Act,” Gulf Shipper (April 1996)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: Texas Court Narrows Seaman Status Definition,” Gulf Shipper (January 1996)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Foreign Arbitration Clauses in Bills of Lading,” Gulf Shipper (October 1995)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: Punitive Damages No Longer Available in U.S. Fifth Circuit for Employer’s Failure to Pay Maintenance and Cure to an Injured Seaman,” Gulf Shipper (September 1995)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: Floating Dockside Casinos: Are Bartenders and Cocktail Waitresses Jones Act Seamen?” Gulf Shipper (August 1995)
• “Developments in Maritime Law: Carriage of Goods by Sea Act: Vessel Owner May be Liable for Cargo Damage,” Gulf Shipper (July 1995)

Other Publications by Fred Goldsmith

• “Can My Client Be Required to Reenact or Demonstrate the Incident at Their Videotaped Deposition?,” The Advocate, Vol. 36, No. 3 (Spring 2024) (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “Facilitating Settlement at Mediation,” newsletter of the Arbitration & ADR Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the United States (Spring 2023)
• “Mediation Preparation, Part Two: The Defense Perspective,” Lawyers Journal, Vol. 25, No. 8 (April 21, 2023) (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association)
• “Mediation Preparation, Part One: The Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Lawyers Journal, Vol. 25, No. 7 (April 7, 2023) (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association)
• “My Mediation Prep Checklist,” The Advocate, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Spring 2022) (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “Third Circuit Court Practitioners Guide to Twombly and Iqbal,” (co-author with Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Law Professor Rhonda Wasserman), Lawyers Journal, Vol. 12, No. 13 (June 18, 2010) (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association)
• “The Discoverability of Written Witness Statements in Pennsylvania State Versus Federal Court Litigation” (co-author with E. Richard Ogrodowski), The Advocate, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Fall 2009) (published by The Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association)
• “Law Firm Billing on Trial” (co-author with E. Richard Ogrodowski), Maritime Reporter & Engineering News/MarineNews (February 2009)
• “Preparing and Delivering an Effective Opening Statement,” For the Defense (March 2001) (published by the Defense Research Institute)
• “Bringing James Carville into the Courtroom: Trial and Litigation Techniques,” Trials & Tribulations (Spring 2000) (published by the Trial Tactics and Techniques Committee of The Defense Research Institute)
• “Allegheny County Gears Up for Electronic Filing,” Lawyers Journal (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association) (July 16, 1999)
• “Online Research: A Review of Westlaw PRO vs. LEXIS MVP Advantage,” Sole & Small Firm Practitioner (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association) (February 1999)
• “Bringing James Carville into the Courtroom: Trial and Litigation Techniques,” Sole & Small Firm Practitioner (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association) (November 1998)
• “Business Development: How to be a Unique Crawfish,” Sole & Small Firm Practitioner (published by the Allegheny County Bar Association) (November 1997)

Fred Goldsmith’s Speaking Engagements

• Moderator of Panel Discussion, “Is there a way certain bodily injury and property damage claims can be resolved faster and less expensively than how we all do it now?,” Joint Meeting of the Marine Torts & Casualties and Government Counsel Committees of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, New York, NY (May 2, 2024)
• Moderator & Panelist, “Maximizing Your Success in the Western District of PA’s Early Mediation Program,” continuing legal education program presented by the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Federal Court Section, Pittsburgh, PA (May 17, 2023)
• Speaker/Panelist, “Preparing for Allegheny County Mandatory Mediation,” continuing legal education program jointly presented by the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Civil Litigation Section and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Pittsburgh, PA (February 15, 2023)
• Speaker/Panelist, “Improving Your Mediation Strategy: Practical Tips from Mediators and Experienced Plaintiff’s and Defense Counsel,” West Virginia Association for Justice 2023 Mid-Winter Convention & Seminar, Charleston, WV (February 2, 2023)
• Speaker/Panelist, “The D/V CONCEPTION Casualty,” joint meeting of the Committees on Marine Torts & Casualties, Government Counsel, Marine Pollution & Maritime Crimes, and Regulation of Vessel Operations, Safety, Security and Navigation of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, Coronado, CA (October 27, 2022)
• Speaker/Panelist, “Ethics in Mediation,” annual meeting and CLE of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, New York, NY (May 5, 2017)
• Speaker/Panelist, “Recent Developments in Personal Injury and Death Case Damages,” presented during the Admiralty & Maritime Law Update segment of Transportation Law Update, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (Pittsburgh, April 6, 2016; Philadelphia, April 25, 2016)
• Speaker/Debater, The Argument for Mandatory E-Filing in the Civil Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Civil Litigation Section Meeting, Allegheny County Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference, Seven Springs, PA (June 21, 2013)
• Speaker, “How Not to Get Sunk When Representing Victims of Accidents on Navigable Waters: Admiralty Law for West Virginia Practitioners,” West Virginia Association for Justice 2011 Mid-Winter Seminar, Charleston, WV (February 18, 2011)
• Speaker and Moderator, “Drafting and Challenging Federal Court Complaints: Three Federal Judges and a Law School Professor Outline Pleading and Motion to Dismiss Practice Post Twombly and Iqbal,” continuing legal education program presented by the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (April 21, 2010)
• Guest Teacher, 9th Grade Civics Initiative, Taylor Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh, PA (March 25, 2010)
• “On the Road with Rocky,” ESPN Radio 1250 AM Pittsburgh (January 30, 2010, and February 13, 2010) (discussing proper insurance coverages for motorcycle riders and what to do after a motorcycle accident)
• Co-Moderator, “Plain Talk on Depositions: Four Judges Speak to State and Federal Court Deposition Practice and Strategy in Discovery and Trial in Western Pennsylvania,” continuing legal education program jointly presented by The Allegheny County Bar Association’s Federal Court Section, the Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Federal Practice Committee (July 14, 2009)
• Co-Moderator, “Choosing the Best Venue for Your Civil Case: Strategy Considerations Between Litigating in Federal Versus State Courts in Western Pennsylvania,” continuing legal education program jointly presented by The Allegheny County Bar Association’s Federal Court Section, the Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Federal Practice Committee (April 2, 2009)
• “Evaluating and Attacking Questionable Modalities in Treatment of Back Injury — Is Surgery Really Necessary?” Complex Medicine Seminar, continuing legal education program presented by the Defense Research Institute, Coronado, California (November 13, 2008)
• “‘Equitable’ or Ambiguous Words Now, Can Sour Business and Insurer/Insured Relationships Later: Indemnity Agreements and Insurance Clauses in Maritime Contracts,” Viewpoints 2007, Association of Average Adjusters of the United States, St. John’s University, New York, New York (October 3, 2007)
• “Improving Your Trial Advocacy: How to Effectively Navigate the New Electronic Courtrooms,” continuing legal education seminar jointly presented by the Federal Court Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (September 18, 2007)
• Speaker & Panelist, “New U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals Civil Pattern Jury Instructions,” continuing legal education program presented by the Federal Court Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association (March 29, 2007)
• Panelist, “Demystifying the Federal Grand Jury,” Federal Court Sound-Off/Workshop, 44th Annual Allegheny County Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference (June 16, 2006)
• “Why You Really Want to Avoid a Barge Breakaway,” Annual Barge Breakaway Seminar, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (September 20, 2005)
• “After the Barge Breakaway: Questions For and Answers From an Admiralty & Maritime Lawyer,” Annual Barge Breakaway Seminar, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (September 30, 2004)
• “After the Barge Breakaway: Questions For and Answers From an Admiralty & Maritime Lawyer,” Annual Barge Breakaway Seminar, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (September 18, 2003)
• “What Your Lawyer Will Tell You After a Barge Breakaway,” Huntington (WV) District Waterways Association (October 16, 2002)
• “What Your Lawyer Will Tell You After a Barge Breakaway,” Annual Barge Breakaway Seminar, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (September 26, 2002)
• “Liability of River Pilots, Marine Surveyors, and Third Party Inspectors,” 2001 River and Marine Industry Seminar, Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association, New Orleans, Louisiana (December 12-14, 2001)
• “Legal Aspects of Barge Breakaways: The Terminal Operator’s or Fleeter’s Duty of Care,” Annual Barge Breakaway Seminar, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (October 27, 1999)
• Civil Rules Update panel member, Allegheny County Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference (June 18, 1999)
• “Admiralty & Maritime Law: A Primer on Inland Marine Practice,” continuing legal education program presented by the Community College of Allegheny County (November 17, 1998)
• “Legal Aspects of Barge Breakaways: Some Words to Remember,” Annual Barge Breakaway Seminar, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (October 21, 1998)
• “Communicating with the Media After a Casualty: the Experiences of Ashland Inc. and Buffalo Marine Service,” Mariner’s Club of Pittsburgh (March 30, 1998)
• “Legal and Practical Aids to Navigation Before and During a News Conference,” Pittsburgh Maritime Club (February 19, 1998)
• “Highlights of the Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association’s 1997 River & Marine Industry Seminar and other Recent Developments in Maritime Law,” Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (October 8, 1997)

This page is for informational purposes only.  Case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case.  Case results in prior cases do not predict similar results in any future case.