Tulane Law School is widely acknowledged to have the strongest maritime law program in the world.
Tulane's location in New Orleans, one of the largest ports in the world, near the mouth of the Mississippi River and the outlet to the Gulf of Mexico, is a natural link to the maritime industry. New Orleans has the second largest admiralty bar in the United States. As a result of the natural focus on maritime issues in New Orleans, Tulane Law School has become a significant center for the study of maritime law.
In addition to its extensive curriculum of admiralty courses, Tulane was the first law school in the United States to publish a student-edited maritime law review, The Tulane Maritime Law Journal, and it is the home of the Maritime Law Center.
Maritime Law Center
The Maritime Law Center was established as a division of the Tulane Law School in 1986 to provide a focus for Tulane's many activities in the field of admiralty and maritime law. The Director of the Maritime Law Center is Martin Davies, who also holds the Admiralty Law Institute Professorship. The Director Emeritus of the Center is Robert Force, who holds the Niels F. Johnsen Chair in Maritime Law. The Assistant Director is Professor Martin Davies.
The Maritime Law Center:
Invites distinguished scholars of maritime law to Tulane each semester.
Organizes continuing education programs and conferences in the US and abroad on special aspects of international maritime law.
Organizes the biennial Admiralty Law Institute held at Tulane, attracting hundreds of maritime attorneys and shipping executives from throughout the world. Recent Admiralty Law Institute topics include damages in maritime law; towage, salvage, pilotage, and pollution; maritime insurance; and terminal operations.
Funds Maritime Law Fellowships each year for one or two students pursuing the LLM in Admiralty.
Is responsible for the production of scholarly research.
Oversees a regular exchange of visiting faculty from throughout the world.
Invites a senior practitioner to spend time at Tulane each year through the Sims Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence program.
LLM in Admiralty Degree Requirements
Candidates for the LLM in Admiralty must fulfill the General Degree Requirements and must also complete at least 13 of the 24 credits required for the degree in admiralty courses.
Typically, the following admiralty courses are offered:
Admiralty I
Admiralty II
Carriage of Goods by Sea
Charter Parties
Collision Law & Limitation of Liability
Law of the Sea
Marine Insurance I
Marine Insurance II
Personal Injury & Death
Marine Pollution
Regulation of Shipping & Commerce
Admiralty Seminar
Tugs & Towage
Vessel Documentation & Finance
Additional admiralty courses, including month-long minicourses, are offered each year by visiting professors from throughout the world. In recent years, these courses have included Comparative Carriage of Goods, International Jurisdiction in Maritime Cases, Maritime Liens, Law of the Sea, and International Conventions.
For LLM application materials, please click here.