Transportation

The attorneys of Lewis Brisbois' Transportation Practice are extensively involved in the defense of the trucking industry, representing freight carriers, transportation brokers, truck insurers, public entities, school bus operators, long and short haul truckers, and waste management groups engaged in both intra-state and interstate transportation. We have considerable litigation and trial experience and have dealt with a broad variety of issues that are pervasive in the industry, including negligent hiring and retention, hours of service, Engine Control Module (ECM) data, messaging and positioning data, DOT compliance, and accident reconstruction. Our clients have enjoyed excellent case results through our handling of their matters.

Members of our Transportation Practice are on call 24/7 with freight carriers, transportation brokers, insurers, and third-party administrators. When called upon, members of our team manage on-scene accident investigations to assure the preservation of evidence and to maintain attorney-client privilege. We work with groups of seasoned investigators and experts who specialize in collecting and analyzing accident evidence. Together, we evaluate the physical and human factors that contribute to the cause of an accident.

In addition to defending our clients in litigation and at trial, the attorneys who comprise Lewis Brisbois’ Transportation Practice regularly handle transactional work for clients. These lawyers have extensive experience drafting, revising, and consulting on a wide array of documents and contracts generated throughout the transportation industry, including freight broker, motor carrier, shipper, and warehousing agreements. Our attorneys also assist clients with creating internal documents, such as safety and operation manuals, for owner operator, fleet-based model motor carriers and other transportation entities.

The Transportation Practice is actively involved in an array of organizations such as ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates), TIDA (Trucking Industry Defense Association), Defense Research Institute, and the Transportation Lawyers Association. We are committed to continuing education and keeping abreast of developments that affect large fleets, small fleets, and owner-operators.

Cargo & Logistics

Lewis Brisbois’ Cargo & Logistics Practice represents clients operating in every transportation sphere, touching all points of the supply chain across the globe. With deep and extensive experience developed over decades of handling matters within the cargo and logistics arena, our attorneys consistently achieve the business objectives of our clients. Our attorneys routinely serve as national counsel for clients, providing ongoing consultation services and spearheading litigation across the country.

Working with clients worldwide, the attorneys who comprise our practice provide an array of services to all aspects of the supply chain, from ground transportation – including trucks and trains – to airfreight and ocean carriage. Our attorneys represent entities that are facing intrastate, interstate, and international cargo-related issues, such as shippers, brokers (3PL), motor carriers, freight forwarders, marine and energy companies, intermediaries, NVOCCs, warehousers, ocean vessels, and consignees/consignors. We work with clients that maintain in-house fleets, outsourced/third-party fleets, or both. We also commonly assist clients with a combination of multi-modal issues that arise during transport.

Visit our Cargo & Logistics Practice page for more information on our capabilities in this area.

Autonomous Vehicles

Lewis Brisbois' specialized autonomous vehicles (AV) team assists clients with the novel issues related to the rapid emergence of AVs. Our attorneys counsel businesses on a range of topics, including:

  • Conflicts between state and federal transportation laws;
  • Government relations and public policy;
  • Regulatory enforcement, oversight, and compliance;
  • Accident investigations;
  • Product liability counseling and defense work;
  • Privacy and data protection (as smart vehicles capture/record increasingly more data that can be used in litigation);
  • False advertising (when features don’t live up to expectations);
  • Insurance and risk management;
  • Employment matters, including misclassification and class actions;
  • Intellectual property, trade secrets, and commercialization; and
  • Logistics.

Visit our Autonomous Vehicles Practice page for more information on our capabilities in this area.

Chairs

  • Todd Gray (Managing Partner) - Todd.Gray@lewisbrisbois.com, 412.567.5596 | 216.344.9463
  • Gregory Katz (National Managing Partner) - Greg.Katz@lewisbrisbois.com, 212.232.1378
  • Joelle Nelson (Partner) - Joelle.Nelson@lewisbrisbois.com, 832.742.6712

Vice Chairs

  • David Avakian (Partner) - David.Avakian@lewisbrisbois.com, 702.693.1720
  • Al Durrell (Partner) - Al.Durrell@lewisbrisbois.com, 346.241.4952
  • Wm. Daniel Floyd (Partner) - Daniel.Floyd@lewisbrisbois.com, 404.567.6578
  • Michael Franz (Partner) - Michael.Franz@lewisbrisbois.com, 312.463.3329
  • Amy Johnson (Partner) - Amy.Johnson@lewisbrisbois.com, 720.292.2034
  • Ashley Rodgers (Partner) - Ashley.Rodgers@lewisbrisbois.com, 412.752.7254
  • Adam Schwartzstein (Partner) - Adam.Schwartzstein@lewisbrisbois.com, 646.666.7691
  • Kristopher Stockberger (Partner) - Kris.Stockberger@lewisbrisbois.com, 832.460.4634