Liskow Expands Practice into New England, Welcomes Three Attorneys

Liskow announced the firm’s expansion into New England and the growth of our maritime practice with the addition of three attorneys: Samuel P. Blatchley, Patrick J. O’Connor, and Michael J. Pluhowski. The addition brings an established fisheries litigation and maritime regulatory practice to Liskow and adds a new office in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the nation’s highest-grossing commercial fishing port for 23 consecutive years, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The New Bedford office gives Liskow a base in New England and, together with the firm’s New York office, extends its maritime and casualty response coverage along the Northeast coast. The addition also strengthens the firm’s practice in the New York area, where two of the three new attorneys are licensed. O’Connor and Pluhowski both have Merchant Mariner Credentials, experience that reinforces the firm’s practical approach to maritime matters.

Maritime casualty response is central to Liskow’s Maritime Practice Group. The group’s casualty lawyers are on call 24 hours a day, work alongside the emergency response teams of national and international clients, and have handled claims arising from major incidents, including the DEEPWATER HORIZON, the GOLDEN RAY capsizing, and the SEACOR POWER sinking. Most recently, the firm served as lead maritime counsel for the State of Maryland in its claim arising from the M/V DALI’s allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The claim resolved in the largest single maritime property damage settlement in U.S. history. The group also handles maritime transactions ranging from operational contracts to vessel and fleet acquisitions. Several of its attorneys worked in the maritime industry before becoming lawyers, and that experience shapes how they respond when an incident occurs.