Origins of Maritime Law

Admiralty, or maritime law, is one of the oldest bodies of law in  the world.  Many experts believe it began in the various countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.  A special body of law had to be created to deal with the many problems which developed between different countries. 

A typical problem in ancient times went like this:  Ship from Country A has seafarers from Country A and B and Cargo from Countries C and D.  Some of the Cargo is damaged while being offloaded in Country E.  The other Cargo is held by seafarers from Country B who haven't been paid for 6 months.   Five countries are involved with people speaking 4 different languages.  How do we get justice?  Who do we sue?  Where?

These problems led to the establishment of special courts in coastal cities to try to resolve these disputes.  These substantive rules were eventually codified in those courts.  Some of these codes were recognized in other ports.  As these codes developed, there eventually developed a body of general maritime law which was in many ways uniform among the seafaring nations.

This area of law eventually spread to England, which established maritime courts in English ports.  Eventually, these courts were replaced by courts under the jurisdiction of the Lord of the Admiralty.  The British then established in the American colonies vice-admiralty courts to which it granted power over maritime disputes.  This is how maritime law originally got to the United States.

When choosing a maritime lawyer in Corpus Christi or throughout Texas, you need an attorney like Scott Nelson who understands the history of maritime law.