The course surveys the special trial procedures and substantive rules which govern liability for injuries to ships, cargo, or persons afloat or otherwise involved in marine commerce. Much of maritime law is private international law applied in a unique legal context defined by the U.S. Constitution. The law of the admiralty courts reflects, but in a distorted mirror, the stuff of Torts, Contracts, Personal Property, Civil Procedure, Environmental Law, and Constitutional Law.
Procedural rules differ just enough so that admiralty feels like a foreign jurisdiction.
Admiralty Law also covers some peculiar, salty subjects like sunken treasure, ships lost at sea, and sailors swept overboard. For their grades, students are invited to produce an appellate brief or a research paper, or else to present themselves for an oral examination.