In this CLE course we will discuss maritime law as it touches on both property damage cases, such as a towboat hitting a pier, and personal injury cases such as a small boat hitting a pier with resulting injuries. We will discuss the underlying theories of liability, comparative fault, the personification of the vessel and "in rem" liability, and the flip side of in rem liability the ability of a boat owner to limit liability for property damage and personal injury to the value of the vessel.

The purpose of the course is to help the non-maritime lawyer get an idea of the legal issues such a case presents so he can give good advice to a client as to the law and how to proceed with the case. Like many legal specialties, it is not maritime law that is complex but rather the inter-weaving of the facts with the law and the specialized knowledge of ships, boats and navigation that is often necessary.