James W. Bartlett III
Counsel
Experience
James W. Bartlett III has been a litigator for over forty years, with his areas of concentration being civil litigation, maritime law, products liability, construction litigation, professional liability, premises liability, insurance coverage, commercial litigation, asbestos litigation, and appellate practice. He argued before the United States Supreme Court in 1995.
James was Secretary of The Maritime Law Association of the United States from 2004 to 2008. He served on its Board of Directors from 1998 to 2001 and was the Chair of its Committee on Practice and Procedure from 2000 to 2004. He is a past Chair of the Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee of the Section of Tort and Insurance Practice of the ABA, a past Chair of the Admiralty and Maritime Litigation Committee of the Section of Litigation of the ABA, and a member of the Federal District Court Liaison Committee of the Maryland State Bar Association.
James is a permanent member of the Judicial Conference of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was an Associate Editor of American Maritime Cases, a subscriber of the Association of Average Adjusters (United Kingdom), a resident associate of the Association of Average Adjusters of the United States, and a past President and Director of the Propeller Club of Baltimore. He serves on the Boards of Directors of the Baltimore Maritime Exchange, and the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
Admitted
- 1995, U.S. Supreme Court
- 1992, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- 1992, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- 1984, U.S. Court of Claims
- 1976, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- 1975, U.S. District Court of Maryland
- 1975, Supreme Court of Maryland
Education
- Vanderbilt University (J.D., 1975)
- Washington & Lee University (B.A., 1968)
Affiliations, Associations & Special Achievements
Bar Association/Organization Memberships
- Board of Directors, Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Inc.
- Delegate of The Maritime Law Association to the ABA House of Delegates (2010-2014)
- Editorial Board of the Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce (2010-2019)
- American Bar Association
- Section of Litigation
- Chair, Admiralty and Maritime Litigation Committee (1997-1998)
- Section of Tort and Insurance Practice
- Chair, Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee (1989-1991)
- Section of Litigation
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Section of Litigation, Federal District Court Committee
- Maritime Law Association of the United States, Proctor
- Secretary (2004-2008)
- Board of Directors (1998-2001)
- Chair, Committee on Practice and Procedure (2000-2004)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI) (1988-2016)
- Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Permanent Member
Other Activities
- American Maritime Cases
- Associate Editor (1997-2019)
- Association of Average Adjusters (United Kingdom)
- Propeller Club of Baltimore
- President (1989-1990)
- Board of Directors (1983-1989, 1994-2003)
- Director, Propeller Club Charitable Trust (2003-2015)
- Baltimore Maritime Exchange
- Director (2001-present)
Special Achievements & Honors
- Listed in Who’s Who in America
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Admiralty and Maritime Law, 1995 – 2024
- Insurance Law, 2013 – 2024
- “Lawyer Of The Year,” Baltimore, Admiralty and Maritime Law, 2013 and 2019
- Maryland Super Lawyers®: 2007-2022
- Listed as Top 100 “Super Lawyer”, 2017
- A/V® rating from Martindale Hubbell®
Publications
- Admiralty Practice and Procedure, Chapter III, 8 Benedict on Admiralty (7th Ed. 2011)
- “Recreational Boats: The Evolution of Jurisdiction and Choice-of-Law Issues from the Constitution Through the Calhoun Decision,” 75 Tulane Law Review 1247 (2001)
- “Supreme Court Applies ‘the Proportionate Share Rule’ to Marine Settlements,” Lloyd’s List (London) (May 13, 1994)
- “Supreme Court Decision May Cause a Stir on London Market,” Lloyd’s List (London) (April 15, 1994)
- “When Is a Boat Not a Vessel? – Recreational Boats Navigate Through the Jurisdiction and Limitation Quagmire,” Recreational Craft: Jurisdiction Claims, and Coverage I (ABA Tort and Insurance Practice Section 1990)
- “In re Oil Spill by the AMOCO CADIZ – Choice of Law and a Pierced Corporate Veil Defeat the 1969 Civil Liability Convention,” X The Maritime Lawyer I (1985)
Speaker
- 2014 ACI Admiralty & Maritime Claims and Litigation Conference
- 2001 Tulane Admiralty Law Institute
- 1997 Tulane Maritime Law Seminar
- 1996 Defense Research Institute Annual Meeting
- 1996 ABA Annual Meeting
- 1991 ABA Annual Meeting
- 1989 ABA Annual Meeting
- 1980 ABA Annual Meeting