Adam Davis – Of Counsel

Adam brings a rare and deeply personal connection to maritime law, having worked on vessels in nearly every capacity — deckhand, ordinary seaman, mate, and pilot — before ever setting foot in a courtroom. He grew up watching his father work the river as a captain, and he and his brothers all went on to earn merchant mariner credentials of their own. That firsthand experience on the water gives Adam a rare, practical understanding of the industry he now represents, one that few maritime attorneys can claim. He carried that connection with him through law school at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he worked weekends on the Mississippi River while excelling academically, graduating cum laude and in the top 11% of his class.

At Loyola, Adam served as Managing Editor of the Loyola Maritime Law Journal and as brief writer and oralist for the Loyola Admiralty Moot Court team, and completed an internship with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges, focusing on issues arising under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. He earned his B.A. from Texas A&M Maritime Academy in 2010. Following graduation, Adam was hired by one of Louisiana’s oldest and most prestigious law firms, where he spent nearly a decade investigating, defending, and litigating claims arising from virtually every type of marine casualty — from collisions and allisions to shipboard explosions and oil pollution claims. He has also defended vessel owners and mariners in investigations and enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Coast Guard, the NTSB, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Justice, including contraband, “magic pipe,” and missing crew member investigations.

Adam’s excellence in the field has been widely recognized: he was selected by Super Lawyers to the 2022 Louisiana Rising Star List, a distinction awarded to only 2.5% of Louisiana attorneys. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on maritime issues, having presented at the Loyola Maritime Law Journal Symposium on navigation rules and the future of seamen, spoken on a Marine Industry Day panel addressing USCG sexual reporting requirements, and been interviewed by the Waterways Journal on best practices for responding to marine casualties and on a nearly $4 million salvage verdict he obtained in New Orleans federal court. Adam is admitted to practice in Louisiana, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and in federal district courts throughout Louisiana and Texas. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the New Orleans Federal Bar Association, and The Maritime Law Association, and brings this depth of maritime litigation experience and industry credibility to NSLF’s clients.