Admiralty law, which includes collision and salvage amongst other instances, is colloquially known as the law of 'bumps and scrapes', but it is the scrapes of one English Admiralty solicitor, representing parties around the world over thirty five years, that is the focus of this paper. Those practising in shipping law in the City of London have the rare pleasure of attaining a high level of specialisation in their field, and the privilege of sharing that with their clients. This is thanks to the prevalence of English law in trade, and shipping in particular, as well as the enduring choice of London as a venue for the resolution of disputes. The breadth of practice is narrow, the law is highly developed and sometimes arcane and complex, but every case is different, and for those who fall into shipping law, there is often no return as the author found, sometimes to his near peril.
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