Christopher Raleigh

Christopher Raleigh focuses his practice on the litigation and arbitration of disputes which involve the maritime, aviation, and energy industries, and the analysis and litigation of insurance coverage issues that touch upon every aspect of these industries.

Christopher has litigated hundreds of disputes arising from vessel casualties, including losses involving fires, collisions, and catastrophic container losses; defended airlines against death and catastrophic injury claims; and litigated disputes for Fortune 500 energy companies that involve the transportation and sale of oil, natural gas, and electricity.

EXPERIENCE :

• Reviewing and negotiating terminal lease agreements, equipment lease agreements, equipment interchange contracts and liner service agreements.
• Representing a terminal operator and its employees at administrative proceedings before the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.
• Litigating whether a cracked pipeline used to transport natural gas constituted force majeure under an industry contract form promulgated by the North American Energy Standards Board.
• Resolving disputes between a French insurer and a U.S. logistics company arising from a complex, multimillion dollar claims program that involved thousands of intermodal losses.
• Defending an oil refinery against claims by a vessel owner that a catastrophic engine loss was caused by defective bunker fuel.
• Defending a classification society against a charterer which claimed that negligent class inspections resulted in the sinking of the ship transporting its cargo.

EDUCATION :

• Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1980
• St. Michael’s College, B.A., cum laude, 1974

BAR ADMISSIONS : New Jersey; New York

COURT ADMISSIONS :

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court — Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court — New Jersey
• U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York
• U.S. Supreme Court

AFFILIATIONS :

• Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• Maritime Law Association of the United States
• New Jersey State Bar Association
• New York County Lawyers Association