Jim Kuhne is a Partner based in the Walnut Creek and Orange County offices of GRSM. For nearly twenty years, Jim has represented maritime transportation industry-leading vessel owners, operators, charters, marine terminal operators, and underwriters in civil litigation and emergency casualty response matters. Jim’s practice is focused on defending personal injury and wrongful death claims brought under the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Death on the High Seas Act, federal general maritime law, and state law, including occupational disease and toxic tort claims arising from alleged exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of major domestic shipping line in maritime personal injury claim brought by Jones Act seaman
- Successfully defend multi-national shipowner, equipment owners, and marine terminal operator against wrongful death and survival claims brought by surviving wife and daughters of freeway trucking fatality
- Emergency response to and investigation of marine oil spill during bunkering operations on behalf of leading national tug and barge company
- Defend client, interview vessel’s officers and crew, and liaise with United States Coast Guard investigators on behalf of shipowner and Club in connection with incident and subsequent litigation involving crewmember lost at sea in the North Pacific
- Negotiate “six figure” settlement for shipowner at less than 50% of client’s anticipated liability reserve
- Manage pre-litigation investigation and subsequent discovery during litigation to develop clear evidence of injured crew member’s malingering, resulting in favorable settlement for vessel owner and its Club
- Advise Charterer and Club with respect to vessel attachment arising from charter party dispute
- Defend marine terminal operators and shipowners against mesothelioma claim brought by terminally ill longshoreman
- Represent property ownership in $7 million sale of prestigious bayfront commercial real estate to prominent regional developer
- Form Special Purpose Entity and negotiate lease terms for successful Los Angeles restaurant’s expansion into new Class A development
- Recent Trends and Developments in the U.S., International Group of P&I Clubs Occupational Diseases Committee, September 24, 2024
- The Cruise Passenger Protection Act, Sea Venture, Issue No. 28, Steamship Insurance Management Services Limited, November 2017, at 64
- Maintaining Privilege During a Casualty Investigation, Marine Underwriters of Southern California, March 23, 2017
Admissions
- California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Central, Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of California
Education
- J.D., with distinction, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 2007
- B.A., Political Science, University of Connecticut, 1994
Honors
- Super Lawyers® Rising Stars distinction in Transportation & Maritime, Civil Litigation, Real Estate, 2010, 2012
- Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Admiralty and Maritime Law, 2023-2026