John W. Merriam
Member
Email: john@merriam-maritimelaw.com

Practice Areas: Admiralty Law; Cruise Ship Injuries; Jones Act; Maritime Personal Injury; Maritime Products Liability; Seamens Claims; Diving and Offshore Injuries.

Admitted: 1982, Washington and U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; 1983, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1987, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

Law School: Lewis and Clark College, J.D., 1982

College: University of Washington, B.A., 1978

Member: Seattle-King County and Washington State Bar Associations; Washington State Trial Lawyers Association; Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.

Biography: John Merriam was an unlicensed seaman in the U.S. merchant marine for 12 years before becoming a lawyer, working his way through college and law school. He served aboard 17 freighters and tankers in 12 different job classifications for the deck, engine and steward departments. Other employment included 19 full-time jobs in eight states ranging from carpenter to cab driver, from roustabout in the oil fields to factory hand on the line. John paid law school tuition with a scholarship from the Seafarers International Union. Passing the bar in 1982, John practiced with a small firm through 1995 - first as associate, then as partner. Cases handled ran the gamut of general practice with an emphasis on maritime personal injury. In 1993-1994 John was the Chairman of the Maritime Section for the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Starting his own firm in 1996, John now restricts his practice to maritime wage and injury claims.

Military: With U.S. Merchant Marine, 1970-1982

Reported Cases: Lundborg v. Keystone Shipping Co., 1999 AMC 2635 (Wash. 1999); Jones v. Reagan, 748 F.2d 1331 (9th Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1029; Rowell v. Tyson, 1999 AMC 2277 (W.D. Wash. 1999).

Born: Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1951

ISLN: 904848739