Overview
Vincent M. DeOrchis serves as senior counsel and is the former chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Maritime and Transportation Industry Group. He has handled many of the leading cases in U.S. maritime law involving cargo, charter party, limitation of liability, and hull claims, and has tried numerous cases, appeals, and arbitrations throughout the United States.
Vince also serves as a consulting expert to the U.S. State Department on the UNCITRAL project to draft a new international cargo liability instrument, known as the “Rotterdam Rules.” In addition, he runs the firm’s Maritime Law Trainee Program, which gives foreign lawyers and P&I Club claims handlers the opportunity to observe U.S. maritime and transportation law practice firsthand.
In Depth
Vincent M. DeOrchis is a partner and former chair of the firm’s Maritime and Transportation Industry Group. He also runs the firm’s Maritime Law Trainee Program which provides foreign lawyers (and P&I Club claims handlers) with an opportunity to observe the practices of maritime and transportation law in the United States.
Prior to joining Montgomery McCracken, Vince was a founding partner with DeOrchis & Partners. He has handled many of the leading cases in U.S. maritime law involving cargo, charter party, limitation of liability and hull claims.
Vince is a consulting expert to the U.S. State Department with respect to the UNCITRAL project to draft a new international cargo liability instrument. He has tried numerous cases, appeals and arbitrations throughout the United States during his career.
Vince received a J.D. degree from Fordham Law School in 1974. He graduated from Fordham University in 1971.
How Vincent Helps
- Cargo and charter party disputes
- Limitation of liability proceedings
- Maritime trials, appeals, and arbitrations
- International cargo liability and treaty matters
The Record
Credentials
Admitted to Practice
- New York
- Second Appellate Division (Second Judicial Department)
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Selected Representations
- Appointed to assist the U.S. Department of State in respect to negotiations in UNCITRAL regarding the “Rotterdam Rules Convention.”
- Lord & Taylor v. Zim Integrated Shipping Services, 13 Civ. 3478 (SDNY): Defended Act of God defense upheld in a case involving Hurricane Sandy.
- In the Matter of Rationis Enterprises Inc.– MSC CARLA, 325 F. Supp. 2d 318 (SDNY): Served as lead counsel in Limitation of Liability proceeding and subsequent indemnity case against Korean shipbuilder for a vessel that broke in half at sea.
- Bally, Inc. v. M/V ZIM AMERICA, 22 F.3d 65 (2d Cir. 1994): Defined new law regarding the burden on a cargo owner to prove that the missing weight of cargo exists at the time of delivery from a carrier.
- O’Connell Machinery Co. v. M/V AMERICANA, 797 F.2d 1130 (2d Cir. 1980): Upheld Peril of the Sea defense for a container that fell during a storm, and an arrest proceeding vacated due to sovereign immunity of a ship owner only partly owned by a foreign government.
Selected Speaking Engagements
- June 2017 Speaker “Hot Topics: what’s new in the sectors?” International Bar Association’s Maritime and Transport Law Conference: Shipping, energy and commodities – Legal challenges in offshore, ports and sea carriage
- January 2016 Moderator “Admiralty & Maritime Claims & Litigation” American Conference Institute’s Annual Forum
- October 2015 Speaker “A Witches’ Brew of Bananas and Oil, Naphtha and Crude, brings Hurricanes and Bankruptcy and Low- Sulfur Fuel: Current Trends in U.S. Maritime Law” International Maritime Law Seminar
- Organizer and Moderator International Maritime Law Seminar
- September 2012 Speaker “Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments and Arbitral Awards in the United States” International Maritime Law Seminar
- October 2011 Speaker “Where Have Settlements Gone? The Settlement Scene as Viewed From the 19th Floor Above Manhattan” International Maritime Law Seminar
- October 2011 Speaker “Carriage of Goods” International Legal Training (ILT) Conference, Association of the Bar of the City of New York
- October 2010 Speaker “Management of Large Casualties: Practical Thoughts and Suggestions” International London Seminar
- October 2010 Speaker “The Rotterdam Rules: Rough Seas or Smooth Sailing Ahead?” IBA Vancouver
- August 2010 Speaker “UNCITRAL and the Rotterdam Rules: A Change in the Sea for Carriage of Goods” Liberty International Underwriters
- March 2010 Speaker “Reefer Containers: A New Generation But Still Encountering Problems” Mediterranean Shipping Company (USA) Inc.
- November 2009 Speaker “Applying The Rotterdam Rules: A Comparison of Maritime Case Law Under COGSA and the Rotterdam Rules” Maritime Law Association Fall Meeting
- October 2009 Speaker “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going – A Carrier’s Tough Job in a Tough Economy” International London Seminar
- November 2008 Speaker “Analysis of the Rotterdam Rules, Ministry of Justice”
- October 2008 Speaker “Rule B Attachments and Rule C Arrest: A Side-By-Side Comparison” Maritime Bar Association
- March 2008 Speaker “Discussion of Punitive Damages in Maritime Law” Finnish Maritime Law Society
- November 2007 Speaker “Arrest of Vessels” International London Seminar
- November 2007 Speaker “Has The Time Come For Anonymous Cargo To Come Out Of The Box?” Iberio Americano Institute
- October 2006 Speaker “Third Party Practice Under United States Law” International London Seminar
Selected Publications
- February 2026 Co-Author
- 2021 Author “The Pilot Fish” Trimark Press
- 2020 Author “Devil’s Eye” Trimark Press
- March 2020 Author
- May 2016 Quoted “Left flat by abandoned tires” American Shipper
- April 2016 Quoted “US imports set to face little VGM scrutiny from Coast Guard” The Journal of Commerce
- February 2016 Author
- 2016 Author “A Young Man Sent to Sea” Trimark Press
- November 2015 Quoted “TOTE seeks exoneration or limitation of liability in El Faro sinking” American Shipper
- June 2015 Quoted “Judge Says Terminal Not Liable for Sandy-Soaked Sweaters” New York Law Journal
- May 2014 Author “Validation Principle May Increase Number of Future Arbitrations” MEALEY’S International Arbitration Report
- April 2014 Author “Party is Sanctioned for Destruction of Electronic Documents After Receiving a Claim” Signals Newsletter
- March 2013 Mentioned “ICC Issues Award For Sweeteners Plus In Dispute Over $7 Million Escrow” MEALEY’S International Arbitration Report
- Co-Author “Negotiation – An Attorney’s Manual and Inside the Minds: Founding a Law Firm”
Honors & Awards
- Selected to Chambers and Partners USA – Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Litigation (New York) list in 2009 and from 2017-2026. The award is issued by Chambers USA and a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the highest court of any other state.
- Selected to The Best Lawyers in America® – Admiralty and Maritime Law list in 2006-2027. This list is issued by Best Lawyers® and a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the highest court of any other state.
- Honoree, Who’s Who Legal, Shipping & Maritime, 2010 and 2015
- Selected to the New York Super Lawyers list in 2011-2023 and awarded Metro Editions, The Annual List – The Top Attorneys in the New York Metro Area. These awards are issued by Thomson Reuters and a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the highest court of any other state.
- Selected to the New York Super Lawyers Metro Edition, Article – Sea Change, How Vincent DeOrchis Helped Update 80-Year Old Maritime Law in 2010. This award is issued by Thomson Reuters and a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the highest court of any other state.
- Martindale-Hubbell “AV” Rated. The “AV” rating is issued by Martindale-Hubbell and a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the highest court of any other state.
- Nominated by GlobalLawExperts for the position of Legal Adviser for Maritime Law in America, September 2011
Professional Activities
- Editorial Advisory Board Member, Journal of Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy
- Titulary Member, Comitè Maritime International (CMI)
- Member, Italian American Bar Association
- Former Member of Board of Directors, Maritime Law Association of the United States
- Former Chairman of the Committee on Carriage of Goods
- Former Vice Chair of the Committee on Maritime Fraud
- Former Member of Board of Directors, New York Maritime, Inc. (NYMAR)
- Former Briefing Judge, Judge John R. Brown National Moot Court Competition
- Visiting Professor, John Simms Distinguished Admiralty Practitioner in Residence, Tulane University (2006)
Education
Law School
- Fordham University School of Law
Undergraduate School
- Fordham University
Insights
Shared Thinking
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Talk With Vincent
New York 212-551-7730 vdeorchis@mmwr.com