You may be home from the vessel with a stack of medical paperwork and no clear answer about your next hitch. You want to know whether you can work again, how the bills will get paid, and what hiring a lawyer would actually involve.
At VB Attorneys, a maritime injury case begins with your account of what happened. We review which law applies, investigate the evidence, and explain the options. If I accept your case, I lead the legal work with my team. You participate in preparing the case, and the decision to accept a settlement belongs to you.
Here is what that relationship looks like, from the first conversation through a resolution.
The first call starts with you
You do not need to know whether you have a Jones Act injury claim before contacting us. Figuring that out is part of the review.
Start with the work you did, the vessel or worksite, and what happened. Explain your injuries and the treatment you have received. Tell us what concerns you most now, whether that is surgery, missing income, or the possibility that you cannot return to the career you built.
You may speak with a member of our staff first. The case review is free. We will explain whether the matter is one we can help with and what information we need next.
For that conversation, gather what you already have:
- The names of your employer and the vessel, along with the date and location of the injury.
- A short description of your regular duties and what you were doing when you were hurt.
- Medical paperwork, work restrictions, and information about upcoming treatment.
- Photographs, incident reports, witness contact information, and relevant messages already in your possession.
- Any paperwork you have been asked to sign or any offer you have received.
Do not postpone the call because your records are incomplete. Tell us what is missing. Get needed medical care promptly; collecting paperwork should never delay treatment.
You know who handles your case
When you are considering hiring me, ask what I will handle personally and how the team will support the work. Those are reasonable questions to settle before signing a representation agreement.
I am a founding partner of VB Attorneys, and I am Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Our firm accepts a limited number of serious cases so the lawyers responsible for them can stay involved. The lawyer you hire leads your case, and you can speak with your lawyer directly.
My maritime work includes representing crew members of the Maersk Alabama after the hijacking portrayed in Captain Phillips. The litigation against Maersk Lines Limited and Waterman Steamship Corporation ended in confidential recoveries for the crew members I represented. You can read the public history of that case. Each case depends on its own facts, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The experience matters in practical ways: understanding vessel operations, identifying the applicable maritime remedies, and knowing which records and witnesses may explain an injury.
At the beginning, discuss who your contacts will be, how to reach them, and how updates will work. During the case, tell the team about changes in your treatment, work status, or contact information. Bring us your questions when they arise.
For a client’s perspective, our testimonials page includes accounts from injured maritime workers, including Stephen, a tugboat engineer.
Early work protects your claim
The first priorities depend on your injuries and the available evidence. Several kinds of work may proceed at the same time.
We determine which law applies. Your job title alone does not answer that question. We look at your actual duties, your connection to a vessel, and where and how the injury happened.
The Jones Act allows qualifying seamen injured through employer negligence to pursue a claim against their employer. Maintenance and cure is a separate maritime obligation that can provide an injured seaman with basic living expenses and medical care during recovery, generally until maximum medical improvement. An unsafe vessel or its equipment may also raise an unseaworthiness claim. Each remedy has its own requirements.
Some maritime workers instead fall under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act or another legal framework. We explain the distinction as it applies to your work. You should understand why a particular claim is being pursued.
We investigate what happened. Depending on the incident, relevant evidence may include vessel logs, maintenance records, photographs, equipment, work instructions, electronic communications, and witness accounts. We identify what needs to be preserved and pursue the records needed to evaluate responsibility.
Your role is to give an accurate account. If you do not remember something, say so. Preserve materials you already possess without editing them, and ask us how to handle requests for statements or signatures. We can explain what a document means before you decide whether to sign it.
We document the effect on your life. The medical diagnosis is part of the picture. We also need to understand your work restrictions, lost income, future treatment needs, and the activities the injury has changed. Decisions about medical treatment belong with you and your treating professionals. Our job is to understand that treatment and how the medical evidence affects your claim.
You make informed decisions
We prepare cases for trial. That preparation also gives us the evidence needed to evaluate settlement offers.
If a lawsuit is filed, you may help answer written questions, provide documents, and give a deposition. A deposition is testimony under oath taken before trial. Before you participate, the purpose and process should be explained so you understand what is being asked of you.
A settlement discussion should cover more than the headline number. You need to understand the offer, the evidence supporting your claim, the disputed issues, and the costs and risks of continuing. Attorney fees, case expenses, and any applicable liens or reimbursement obligations can affect the amount you receive.
I give advice about those choices. You decide whether to accept a settlement.
Timing depends on medical recovery, the issues in dispute, the evidence, and the court’s schedule. A useful update tells you what has happened, what we are waiting on, and what comes next. An exact finish date or recovery amount cannot responsibly be promised at the first call.
Practical questions before you hire us
What does the first consultation cost?
The case review is free. VB Attorneys handles these matters on a contingency fee, meaning the attorney fee depends on a recovery. Before hiring the firm, review the written agreement so you understand the fee and how case expenses are handled.
Do I have to live in Houston?
VB Attorneys is based in Houston and handles maritime and serious injury matters across Texas, the Gulf Coast, and nationwide, with local counsel or court admission where needed. Where you live, where the incident happened, and the parties involved can affect where a claim belongs. We address that during the review.
Can my family help with the first call?
A family member can contact the office to explain the situation and ask about next steps. Representation, authorization to share information, and who can make legal decisions must be addressed for the particular circumstances.
What if my loved one died?
The firm also handles wrongful death matters. Maritime deaths require a separate review of the applicable law, who can bring the claim, and what remedies may be available. We can begin with the information your family has and explain what additional records are needed.
The same attention to evidence, communication, and client decisions guides our work on serious personal injury cases. The legal rules differ, and we explain those differences before recommending a course of action.
You can start with what you know. Call VB Attorneys at (877) 724-7800 or request a free case review. We will help you understand whether we can take the case and what the next step would be.
General information only. Reading this article or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.