Maritime Liens: Creation, Enforcement, and Priority

Mr. Robinson brings with him extensive experience in the maritime and transportation sectors. During his two decades as an active-duty officer in the Coast Guard, he served in both prosecution and defense roles and handled matters from the earliest stages of investigation through the appellate level. Notably, Mr. Robinson served as the Coast Guard’s Deputy Chief of the Environmental Law Division, where he was the service’s subject matter expert in maritime environmental crimes, maritime pollution liability, and environmental regulatory matters. He began his Coast Guard career as a vessel inspector with leadership experience in both the port state control and flag state vessel inspection missions. Mr. Robinson also led Coast Guard maritime accident investigations and litigated merchant mariner credential suspension and revocation proceedings. Immediately before joining Chalos & Co., he was an attorney adviser with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency charged with the economic regulation of rail, motor carrier, pipeline, and domestic ocean shipping transportation.

Ms. Sanchez is a partner in the firm's Maritime and Offshore Energy practice group as well as the firm’s Finance practice group. She has a broad practice in maritime transactions, energy, and finance. Ms. Sanchez has represented both domestic and international clients in maritime financings, leasing and restructurings involving maritime assets such as drillships and drilling rigs, tugs, barges, cargo vessels, supply vessels, cruise ships, yachts and related collateral. She has also represented clients in a variety of maritime industry and fisheries transactions, joint ventures, acquisitions, operational contracts, charters, shipping contracts, fuel supply agreements, port development agreements and leasing, involving vessels, ports, and maritime assets.