Holland & Knight Partners James T. Shirley, Jr. and Brian D. Starer have been selected for The Best Lawyers in America 2005-2006 (Copyright 2004 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) a publication widely regarded as the definitive legal referral guide in the United States.
As a follow up to their bi-annual survey in which 16,000 leading attorneys are asked to cast votes on the legal abilities of their colleagues, Best Lawyers in America recently conducted a special telephone poll of the New York City legal community. This new poll identified Shirley and Starer as top maritime lawyers in the U.S. They join colleagues Randolph DelFranco, Charles Gibbs, Nancy Hengen, William Honan, Chester Hooper, James Lurie, Lance Myers, John Pritchard, Robert Taisey and Barry Vasios, who were selected for this honor in October 2004.
The publication has named a total of 128 Holland & Knight lawyers throughout the U.S. as best lawyers in their practices. This is a distinctive honor because lawyers must be nominated by their peers and no lawyer is listed in exchange for a payment of a fee.
Brian D. Starer has practiced maritime law for more than 30 years and focuses primarily on marine casualties including groundings, sinkings, fires, collisions and environmental pollution. He is an honors graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and earned his law degree from Union University, Albany Law School.
James T. Shirley, Jr. represents clients in maritime casualty matters and has participated in a wide range of both marine casualty and pollution response cases, both in the U.S. and abroad. He is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and earned his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law.
About Holland & Knight LLP: Holland & Knight is a commercial law firm with more than 1,250 lawyers in 26 offices in the United States. Internationally, offices are located in Mexico City, Tokyo and Beijing, with representative offices in Helsinki, Caracas and Tel Aviv, and strategic alliance relations in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Holland & Knight is among the 15 largest firms worldwide, providing representation in all major areas of law. www.hklaw.com