Society Of Maritime Arbitrators
An internationally recognized leading forum for the arbitration of maritime and commercial disputes
SMA luncheon Wednesday, March 11
Seward & Kissel NYC Offices (Buffet Lunch)
Speaker - John Weale, Retired VP & Director of Fednav Limited, will discuss "Letters of Indemnity: A Missed Opportunity?"
The December 2025 issue of
THE ARBITRATOR
has been published. You may retrieve it
by clicking on the following link:
THE ARBITRATOR - Volume 55, No.2 - December 2025
Luncheon Schedule
The Society of Maritime Arbitrators (SMA) was proud to co-host our Annual Joint Luncheon with the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) on February 11 at 3 West Club. The event was exceptionally well attended and filled with energy, collegiality, and meaningful industry dialogue.
We were honored to welcome Carleen Lyden Walker as our featured speaker. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the Maritime Accelerator for Resilience, Co-Author of Zero Point Four, and IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador, Carleen brought deep expertise and insight to her presentation, “Revitalizing the US Maritime Industry: Where we ARE and where we NEED to be.”
Her remarks offered a thoughtful assessment of the current state of the U.S. maritime industry and a forward-looking perspective on the investments, collaboration, and strategic focus required to strengthen and sustain our maritime leadership.
We extend our sincere thanks to our speaker, our CMA colleagues, and all who joined us for making this year’s luncheon such a memorable and successful gathering.
On January 14, 2026, the SMA held its first luncheon of 2026 at the midtown Manhattan offices of K&L Gates. SMA Member Mark Newcomb gave a presentation regarding "Arbitration and the Shipping Act: A Course Forward" and discussed the prospects of expanding the use of SMA arbitration in the container ship market in the U.S. The luncheon was attended by approximately 60 people and Mark's presentation sparked a lively discussion.
The next SMA luncheon will be held on February 11, 2026 at the 3 West Club and will be jointly sponsored by the SMA along with the Connecticut Maritime Association. The luncheon speaker will be Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Maritime Accelerator for Resistance, Co-Author Zero Point Four, and IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador. She will discuss “Revitalizing the US Maritime Industry: Where we ARE and where we NEED to be.
On December 10, the SMA hosted our annual Holiday Luncheon at 3 West Club in NYC. It was a well attended event, full of cheer to welcome the upcoming holidays. We thank all who joined us, and wish everyone a happy holiday season ahead!
The SMA hosted a luncheon at 3 West Club on November 13th where SMA Member and former General Counsel of Eagle Bulk Shipping, Mike Mitchell, along with Aleck Burrell, Managing Director of Crisis24, and Paul Cox, also of Crisis24 and a retired FBI Hostage Negotiator, discussed their experiences and lessons learned from recent piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea and attacks on merchant vessels by the Houthis off the Yemeni coast. Over 60 people attended the luncheon.
Happy Thanksgiving and we look forward to seeing everyone at the SMA Holiday luncheon, scheduled for Wednesday, December 10th at 3 West Club.
SMA Vice President George Tsimis and SMA Member Mark Newcomb attended the Maritime Law Association of the U.S.'s Fall Meetings from October 15-18 in Washington, D.C. They joined over 200 lawyers for committee meetings and panel discussions on recent U.S. trade policies, legislation, regulations, Federal Maritime Commission rulings, and federal court decisions, and their impact on the shipping industry.
We congratulate the MLA on a successful and informative conference, which provided insightful perspectives from federal officials and policymakers despite the government shutdown. It was also a great opportunity for maritime lawyers to connect and network.
It was announced that a special Arbitration and ADR program, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Federal Arbitration Act, will be held at the May 2026 MLA Spring meetings in New York. The SMA will be a key partner, contributor, and organizer for this program. We look forward to our collaboration with the MLA.
Picture 1: SMA Vice President George Tsimis and SMA Member, Mark Newcomb.
Picture 2: MLA Second Vice President, Lynn Krieger, George Tsimis, Casey O'Brien of Amazon Logistics and MLA Arbitration & ADR Committee Secretary, Daniel Tadros of Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., and MLA President, Grady Hurley of Jones Walker
Picture 3: George Tsimis with William Fennell, Esq., MLA Board Member and conference co-organizer
Picture 4: MLA Multimodal Committee Chair, Andrew Kehagiaras of Roberts & Kehagiaras LLP, Mark Newcomb and George Tsimis
The SMA had its Members only luncheon on September 10th, a telltale sign that the summer has ended and it is time to roll up our sleeves and get back to our usual day to day. It was our first luncheon since our Annual Meeting in May. SMA President Bob Meehan emphasized that he is looking forward to spearheading the continuing efforts of the SMA to increase its footprint in maritime dispute resolution through future arbitral appointments for all sectors of the maritime industry, especially the containership, tug and barge, offshore & wind, and salvage industries, as well as through the mediation of disputes. The next SMA Luncheon will take place on October 8th at 12 noon at 3 West Club. Annie Lespérance, Jus Mundi's Head of Americas will present on the topic of "Signal in the Storm with Jus Mundi: AI-Powered Maritime Arbitration on Legal Seas." We hope to see you then.
The SMA Member Annual General Meeting was held on May 14, 2025
Robert (Bob) C. Meehan was elected President and George J. Tsimis was elected Vice President.
Please see PRESS RELEASE for further details and election results.
Note: Speaker luncheon meetings will resume on Wednesday, October, 8, 2025.
WEBINAR RECORDING: Learn about the SMA’s collaborative relationship with Jus Mundi, an AI based search platform for international law and arbitration. Through Jus Mundi, our library of over 4,500 reasoned decisions is now easily accessible globally, offering insights into the unique features of SMA arbitration that we believe are distinctive. This marks a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance access to maritime arbitration resources.
Yesterday we held our monthly Speaker Luncheon where SMA member Charles Anderson made a fascinating presentation about "Sinking the United States: The Battle to Save the World's Fastest Ocean Liner and America's Flagship." The lunch was well attended and we thank Charles for captivating the audience with a history lesson rich in classic sea stories!
The Tulane Maritime Law Journal recently published articles by SMA President LeRoy Lambert and SMA member Dr. William Moore. President Lambert’s article (which he co-authored with Brian McEwing of Reeves & McEwing of Philadelphia) is titled: “Enforcement of Arbitration Agreements in Seafarer Employment Contracts: May State Law Arbitration Statutes Apply?” . Dr. Moore’s article is titled: “Sustainability and Greener Technologies: A Protection and Indemnity Club’s Perspective”.
The SMA hosted our monthly speaker luncheon on March 12 where Christina Liviakis Gianopulos, Director of Business Development, ASR (American Ship Repair) Co., Inc. and President, WISTA USA, discussed "WISTA USA: Powering Shipping’s Future Through Strong Networks." We thank Christina and all who attended for joining us at another excellent lunch!
On January 14, 2025, a cold day in NYC, the SMA was pleased to welcome 40 guests to our SMA monthly luncheon held at the NYC offices of Winston & Strawn LLP. Charlie Papavizas, (featured second from left with SMA members George Tsimis, SMA VP Bob Meehan and Muge Anber-Kontakis), Partner and Chair of the Maritime Law Practice at Winston & Strawn, spoke eloquently about his book, “Journey to the Jones Act-U.S. Merchant Marine Policy 1776-1920,” which was published in April 2024. The SMA is grateful to Winston & Strawn for providing its offices as a venue for the luncheon.
Also recognized and warmly welcomed were newly admitted SMA members Mark Newcomb (featured far left) and Bruce Richards (featured second from right below with SMA Membership Committee Chair Gil Landy and SMA VP Bob Meehan).
On December 11, 2024, the SMA was pleased to welcome 70 guests to its annual holiday luncheon, held at the 3 West Club, at which Raymond Burke, Jr. (featured below with SMA President LeRoy Lambert) was honored with the first SMA Achievement Award in recognition of his storied 50 year career at Burke & Parsons. Ray and his colleagues supported the SMA and maritime arbitration from the beginning. During his career, Ray appeared as counsel of record in many published SMA Awards, was often appointed as arbitrator or selected as chair, and sat as a panelist in six published awards.
Also recognized was Jan Gisholt, Vice-President/Senior Lawyer at Skuld North America, Inc. (featured below with SMA President LeRoy Lambert and Membership Chair Gil Landy), who has recently been welcomed into the ranks of the SMA.
On October 16, 2024, the SMA was delighted to co-sponsor, together with the Admiralty and Arbitration Committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the MLA, NYMAR, and Jus Mundi, a reception marking the publication of the 2d edition of "Navigating Maritime Arbitration", edited by SMA member David Martowski (pictured at the lectern) and John Kimball, a partner at Blank Rome LLP. In addition to Mr. Martowski and Mr. Kimball, speakers included Clay Maitland, Allison Skopec (pictured on the left of the group photo) of Holland & Knight LLP and NYC Bar Association Admiralty Committee Chair, and Gretta Walters (pictured on the right of the group photo) of Chaffetz Lindsey LLC and NYC Bar Association Arbitration Committee Chair. SMA members who attended included Charles Anderson, Louis Epstein, David Gilmartin, Anne Summers, George Tsimis (pictured in group photo) and Soren Wolmar.
SMA board member and past President Robert Shaw participated in a debate at the New York International Arbitration Center’s Grand Central Forum on September 24, 2024. The debate topic was: Preliminary Dispositions in Arbitration. In attendance were SMA members George Tsimis, Ilarion Marr, Bob Meehan, Jack Warfield and David Martowski (not pictured).