Adams and Reese LLP

The Adams and Reese Transportation and Logistics Team regularly advises clients regarding transportation and logistics issues relating to the entire supply chain.  The team offers a unique service: end-to-end understanding of your business.  Team members understand the particular demands and complexity of the industry and focus on maintaining real-time knowledge of statutory, regulatory, and legal decisions that impact our clients’ businesses.  Our team’s practice is unique in its scope, because we service multiple modes of transportation – highway, water, air, rail, and pipeline.

Core Practice and Clients

Adams and Reese represents every type of business involved in the supply chain: motor carriers, shippers, freight and passenger air carriers, airports, rail carriers, capital providers, consulting companies, freight forwarders, brokers, third and fourth party logistics providers, customs brokers, warehouse operators, insurers, pipeline manufacturers, oil and gas companies, cargo ships, and component part manufacturers.

Our core services include:

Highway Transportation:

The Transportation and Logistics Team represents motor carriers, shippers, bus lines, household goods carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, third and fourth party logistics companies, and warehouse operators in all transactional, regulatory and litigation matters facing the industry.  The team’s representative matters include:

• Serving as outside general counsel for a national and regional motor carrier;
• Defending motor carriers in Fair Labor Standards Act class action, including claims involving the Motor Carrier Act exemption;
• Representing clients in Federal court for Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration-initiated procedures;
• Counseling and defending motor carriers and shippers regarding environmental issues;
• Defending cargo claim litigation, specifically claims arising under Carmack Amendment standards of liability;
• Drafting, negotiating and litigating transportation agreements between motor carriers, shippers, freight forwarders and third and fourth party logistics providers; and
• Representing buyers and sellers in mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, sales and roll-ups.

Water Transportation:

The Transportation and Logistics Team represents the interests of operators, employers, contractors and joint venturers as well as their underwriters and affiliates. This includes but is not limited to oil and gas operators, marine transport, offshore supply companies, drilling contractors, barge lines, shipyards and vessel manufacturers, owners and operators. The team’s maritime practice encompasses four main areas:

• Providing legal counsel and critical communications for collisions, allisions, spills, explosions and other incidents that may or may not include personal injury, property damage or environmental hazard;
• Representing clients in the negotiation of a variety of marine vessel sales and vessel construction contracts for major shipyards, owners and operators;
• Assisting with necessary communications between the client and state and federal governmental agencies and tribunals. We also support reporting and documentation required for licensing and certain labor and union issues as well as public financing and incentives; and
• Arbitrating, mediating and litigating disputes associated with claims for oil pollution, charter parties, oil well liens, cargo loss or damage, salvage, limitation of liability, marine and energy insurance coverage issues, disputes arising from drilling, construction and financing agreements, federal compensation claims (USL&H), maritime liens, vessel mortgages, towage, general average, collisions and allisions, personal injury and death, property damage and economic loss.

Air Transportation:

The Transportation and Logistics Team represents airlines, airports, indirect air carriers, aircraft owners, and aircraft and component manufacturers.  Our lawyers represent these parties in matters including:

• Representing the company with respect to a purchase, sale, or lease agreements;
• Drafting, negotiating and litigating transportation agreements between air carriers and shippers;
• Assisting aviation clients and their customers with litigation relating to air cargo loss and damage claims, pricing disputes, and negligence claims; and
• Advising aviation clients on taxation, environmental and regulatory compliance issues.

Rail Transportation:

The Transportations and Logistics Team assists rail carriers with a variety of counseling and litigation matters, including:

• Handling employment and discrimination lawsuits;
• Litigating personal injury disputes involving the Federal Employers Liability Act;
• Managing contract disputes, including the interpretation of the rail carrier’s Rule Circular;
• Defending cargo loss and damage claims;
• Handling personal injury and property damage claims asserted by third parties;
• Representing railroads and their insurers in connection with personal injury claims brought by employees under the Federal Employers' Liability Act; and
• Representing railroads in contract disputes between railroads, third party logistics providers, and other modal carriers.

Industry leadership: The Transportation and Logistics Team members keep up-to-date on relevant legal issues and developments through membership and leadership in the following industry organizations: Transportation Lawyers Association, Tennessee Trucking Association, Conference of Freight Counsel, ABA Transportation Law Committee, American Trucking Association, North American Transportation Employee Relations Association, Memphis World Trade Club, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, Trade Capacity Building Institute, and the World Trade Center of New Orleans.