Fighting for the Underdog

Founded by attorney William Gee in 1991, Gee Law Firm provides legal services to injured maritime workers, commercial truck crash victims, and those hurt by dangerous products.

Through real life experience Gee has a true understanding of commercial maritime injury events. As a youth, Gee became interested in maritime activities. While in prep school Gee raced sailboats in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and large lakes, and at age 18 Gee became a certified scuba diver. Sailing and scuba have given Gee a passion for maritime and admiralty law. Over the years, Gee has also worked on numerous commercial vessels performing heavy labor. To prepare for trials, attorney Gee visits and photographs numerous maritime worksites – in the Gulf of Mexico and inland waters – to physically inspect accident/injury scenes on vessels, drilling rigs, and production platforms. Today, Gee Law Firm currently handles cases for numerous seriously injured maritime clients.

With continuous research on the rulings and developments related to the Jones Act, Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act, and general maritime tort law, Gee works diligently to stay current on maritime law. His commitment to ongoing education ensures that he can help clients seek maximum dollar recovery for offshore injuries.

The legal system surrounding offshore workers is complex and often difficult to navigate without the help of a dependable maritime attorney. This is why Gee Law Firm advises victims injured in a maritime incident to contact Gee’s firm as soon as possible following an injury. Proper medical treatment should always be the first priority, but once immediate medical needs have been addressed, it is important to focus on legal issues.

Importantly, a U.S. federal law referred to as the “Jones Act” provides remedies to injured seamen when they are injured while working in the service of a vessel. Under the Jones Act, the employer of a seaman may be liable for substantial monetary damages, including pain and suffering, if it fails to furnish an injured seaman with a safe place to work. Because the Jones Act does not literally define the term “seaman,” determining who a legal seaman can often be a complicated question.

Generally, a “seaman” is a member of a vessel’s crew who is exposed to the “perils of the sea” as part of his or her employment. A seaman is a worker who contributes to the mission of a vessel or watercraft, and who has a substantial connection to a particular vessel or fleet of vessels. One rule of thumb test for whether an individual is a Jones Act seaman is whether the person has worked 30% of his time aboard a “vessel in navigation.” Employers often fight Jones Act seaman status in litigation because seamen are considered protected “wards of the court” and potentially are entitled to greater amounts of financial compensation, which are not available to other workers. For example, most workers are not entitled to pain and suffering damages from their employers.