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Christopher
W. Nicoll
Member
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Practice
Areas
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Maritime Litigation and Transactions |
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Insurance Coverage |
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Marine Insurance Defense |
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General Commercial Litigation |
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Appellate |
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Personal
Narrative
A father of three, Chris
received his B.A. degree from Boston College and his J.D.
from the University of Idaho College of Law where he was a
law review author and editor and was inducted into the Order
of Barristers. Prior to entering private practice, Chris was
a prosecuting attorney in Sun Valley, Idaho and a Judge
Advocate in the U.S. Navy, attaining the Rank of Lieutenant
Commander. While a Judge Advocate, Chris handled several
noteworthy cases, including the 1984 collision of the USS
KITTY HAWK with a Soviet nuclear submarine, an underwater
allision involving a U.S. submarine, and the Iraqi missile
attack on the USS STARK in 1987.
Chris began his private practice, focusing on maritime law
and insurance in 1988, working for Vinson & Elkins in
Houston, Texas. While there he represented vessel owners,
oil rig owners and operators, and Underwriters. Chris moved
to Seattle in 1991 to join the maritime practice at Bogle &
Gates, where he continued to represent vessel owners and
insurers and was elected to the partnership in 1993. Chris
left Bogle & Gates in 1997 to join the maritime practice at
Lane Powell Spears Lubersky, continuing to handle litigation
in cargo matters, collisions, sinkings, groundings, fires,
marine insurance coverage, tug and tow, ship construction
and repair, personal injury, wrongful death, arrests and
appeals. Chris left Lane Powell with many of his colleagues
and joined Cozen O’Connor as a Senior Member in 1999 where
he continued his maritime, energy and insurance practices.
In 2004, Chris left Cozen O’Connor to form Nicoll Black
where his marine and insurance practice has continued to
grow.
Chris is licensed to practice in Washington, Texas
(inactive) and Idaho (inactive), is a Proctor of Admiralty
in the Maritime Law Association of the United States, and is
a former Vice-Chair of the Admiralty and Maritime Law
Committee of the Tort & Insurance Practice Section of the
American Bar Association. Chris is a regular lecturer and
author on maritime and insurance topics, has been featured
in the National Law Journal and selected as a “Super Lawyer”
multiple times by Washington Law and Politics. Chris has
tried hundreds of cases to successful conclusion in the
course of his career.
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Representative Published Decisions |
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Certain
Underwriter’s at Lloyds, London v. Inlet
Fisheries, Inc.,518 F.3d 645, 2008 A.M.C.
305 (9th Cir. 2008) (vessel pollution
insurance coverage case establishing utmost
good faith as controlling rule for marine
insurance in the Ninth Circuit) |
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Bordeaux Wine
Locators Inc. v. Matson Navigation Co., 185
F.3d 865 (9th Cir. 1999) (COGSA package
limit case for carrier) |
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Certain
Underwriter’s at Lloyds, London v. Inlet
Fisheries, Inc., 389 F. Supp. 2d 1145 (D.
Alaska 2005) (published summary judgment in
favor of Lloyds, enforcing utmost good
faith) |
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Seaspan
International Ltd. Limitation Proceedings,
172 F. Supp. 2d 1314, 2001 AMC 2366 (W.D.
Wash. 2001) (limitation of liability case
for owner) |
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Moe v. Key
Bank, 2000 AMC 2651 (W.D. Wash. 2000)
(summary dismissal of vessel owner’s suit
against lender for damages under Jones Act
and general maritime law) |
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Fireman Fund
Insurance Co. v. Alaskan Pride, 1994 AMC
2369 (W.D. Wash. 1994) (hull coverage
litigation arising from sinking of crabbing
vessel) |
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Strok v. F/T
Northern Jaeger, 1992 WL 503590, 1993 A.M.C.
1290 (W.D.Wash.1992) (dismissal of Jones Act
claims for failure to provide expert
evidence of causation)Glover v. State of
Alaska, 142 Wash. App. 442, 174 P.3d 1246,
2008 A.M.C. 177, (Wash. App. 2008)
(dismissal of Jones Act case against State
of Alaska on constitutional grounds) |
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Coast to
Coast Seafood v. Assurances Generales, 112
Wash. App. 624, 50 P.3d 662 (2002) (cargo
insurance coverage related to fraud by cargo
seller) |
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Kimta AS v.
Royal Insurance Company, 102 Wash. App. 716,
9 P.3d 239 (2000) (cargo insurance coverage
litigation involving the FC&S Clause) |
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Wolstein v.
Yorkshire Insurance Co., 97 Wash. App. 201,
985 P.2d 400 (1999) (marine builder’s risk
coverage litigation) |
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Education
Boston
College, B.A. 1977
University
of Idaho College of Law, J.D. 1980
Professional
Experience
Vinson & Elkins, Houston,
1988-1991
Bogle & Gates, Seattle,
1991-1997
Lane Powell Spears
Lubersky, Seattle, 1997-1999
Cozen O’Connor, Seattle,
1999-2004
Nicoll Black & Feig,
2004-Present
Bar Memberships
Washington, Texas
(inactive) and Idaho (inactive)
U.S.
District Court, Western District of Washington
U.S. Court
of Appeals, Ninth Circuit |
