Attorney J. Geraghty, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, Roseland, New Jersey

James Patrick Geraghty
Roseland, New Jersey

Shareholder
phone	(973) 618-4169
fax	(973) 618-0685
email	jpgeraghty@mdwcg.com

James Patrick Geraghty ("Patrick"), a shareholder at the firm, concentrates his legal practice on commercial transportation with a focus on maritime and admiralty law.

Patrick got his "sea legs" while attending Boston College, where he worked as an Ordinary Seaman on ferries traversing the Long Island Sound.

After receiving his J.D. at Seton Hall University, School of Law, where he was a member of the Legislative Law Journal, Patrick was a Law Clerk in the Appellate Division and Law Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey for the Honorable Martin J. Kole, J.A.D. and the Honorable Benedict E. Lucchi, J.S.C..

Upon entering private practice in New York City, Patrick worked as a litigation associate, handling cases pertaining to commercial transportation. Patrick then worked as a lawyer for the Maritime P&I Club, Assuranceforeningen Skuld in Oslo, Norway. While working in Norway, Patrick earned a Diploma in International Maritime Law at Oslo University.

Patrick returned to the U.S. and worked at a large firm in New York City as a maritime lawyer before joining his father to open their own law firm. Patrick handled, among other things, commercial transportation cases and commercial transactions and drafted and negotiated complex international agreements and domestic contracts.

He is a Proctor of Admiralty in the Maritime Law Association and is a member of the maritime committees. He also teaches Admiralty Law as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Seton Hall University School of Law, and at Rutgers University School of Law, Newark.

Patrick is admitted to practice law in state and federal courts of New York and New Jersey.

Significant Representative Matters

Patrick works on major marine casualty cases involving personal injury under the Jones Act and LHWCA, among other statutes. He also handles significant cargo claims brought under COGSA and related laws. He litigates multimodal cases involving trucks and other forms of commercial transportation. While working for Skuld in Norway, Patrick directed the US asbestos litigation.

Hoogland v. Transport Expressway, Inc., et al, 24 A.D.3d 191, 808 N.Y.S.2d 160, 2005 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 1390 (N.Y. 1st Dept. 2005). An ocean-freight container dislodged from a truck chassis on the New York Thruway causing a death and severe injuries to the passengers of another vehicle. The defense successfully changed venue from the Supreme Court of New York, New York County, to the Supreme Court of New York, Orange County, where the court dismissed the case on a subsequent summary judgment motion.

The Banana Connection v. Maersk San Juan, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30612, 2006 AMC 1408 (S.D.N.Y. 2006). Plaintiff-consignee claimed an ocean marine terminal did not properly secure an ocean freight container to a chassis, later causing the container to separate from the chassis and roll onto Interstate-95 near Bridgeport, Connecticut. Defense argued Plaintiff offered insufficient proofs the container was actually shipped through the client's ocean marine terminal.

Year Joined Organization:: 2006

Areas of Practice:: Admiralty Law; Maritime Law; Commercial Transporation

Bar Admissions:: New York; New Jersey; U.S. District Court District of New Jersey; U.S. District Court Southern District of New York; U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1996

Education:: Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey, 1995
J.D.
Honors: Best Oral Advocate, Appellate Advocacy, 1995; University of Oslo, 1999
Diploma, International Maritime Law; Boston College, 1991
B.A.
Major: English

Representative Cases:: Hoogland v. Transport Expressway, Inc., et al, 24 A.D.3d 191, 808 N.Y.S.2d 160; (2005 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 1390 (N.Y. 2d Dept. 2005) ); The Banana Connection v. Maersk San Juan, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30612, 2006 AMC 1408 (S.D.N.Y. 2006)

Classes/Seminars Taught:: International seminars for Skuld insureds on the topic of Maritime Law in the United States, 1997 - 1999; Adjunct Professor, Admiralty Law, Seton Hall University School of Law, and Rutgers University School of Law, 2007 - present

Professional Associations and Memberships:: Maritime Law Association of the United States: Proctor of Admiralty; Stevedores, Marine Terminals and Vessel Services Committee; Marine Torts and Casualties Subcommittee

Past Employment Positions:: Geraghty Law Firm, Hackensack, New Jersey; Thacher Proffitt & Wood, New York, New York; Assuranceforeningen Skuld, Olso, Norway; Kirlin Campbell & Keating, New York, New York