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Transport/Admiralty/Intermodal
Daniel R. Warman
Private practice
by Marjolijn Bijlefeld
Daniel R. Warman |
Conflicts
that start on the high seas eventually wash up on shore.
If two ships bump in the night or a merchantman skips
out on his fuel bill or a shipment of food arrives spoiled,
who’s at fault? Transportation,
admiralty and intermodal law has its own peculiarities.
“It’s
different from straight Virginia law or federal law,”
says Daniel R. Warman of Norfolk. Untangling the disputes
can be interesting work, but it’s not typically
the stuff of high drama. “None of the cases involve
bereaved widows,” he says. “It’s moving
money around.”
Even
so, Warman’s been involved in several standout
cases that almost always involve history and intrigue.
He helped represent Columbia University’s claim
that its technology, in part, helped lead to the salvage
of the S.S. Central America, which sank in 1857 off
North Carolina. The case was hotly contested because
the wreck contained 21 tons of gold and gold coins with
a face value of $2 million.
Another
case sent him around the world investigating how cocoa
beans are processed. It began when the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration seized a $12 million shipment of
cocoa beans, claiming the product was contaminated.
Warman won a settlement by arguing that his client,
the terminal company that received the beans, shouldn’t
be liable for their condition.
Still
another case involved 50,000 tons of coal that somehow
spontaneously combusted on board a ship. On such cases,
Warman usually turns sleuth and tracks shipments from
one vessel to another, examines the ships’ logs
and tries to pinpoint the moment when things started
to go wrong.
John
Y. Richardson worked with Warman for more than 15 years
before leaving four years ago to become deputy city
attorney in Norfolk. “He’s meticulous and
encyclopedic in his knowledge. He has the ability to
synthesize voluminous complicated facts,” Richardson
says.
Warman
literally sailed his way into this specialty. After
he graduated from the State University of New York Maritime
College in 1969, he became a third mate aboard tankers
and freighters. In the post-Vietnam era, however, the
government was downsizing the merchant fleet so he followed
in his father’s footsteps and went to law school.
After his 1975 graduation from George Washington University
Law School, he worked for the Federal Maritime Commission
in Washington, D.C., before coming to Norfolk.
Not
surprisingly, most of the maritime attorneys in the
state are clustered in the Hampton Roads region. Warman’s
background as a merchant marine, however, adds a little
spark, says Mark Coberly, a colleague. “He has
sea stories to tell,” he says. Coberly says one
of Warman’s most engaging qualities is his dry
sense of humor. “He has a spin on current events
and legal matters that is humorous,” adds former
law partner Richardson. “He looks at things through
different glasses than most of us.”
His
wry humor helps break the tension at the negotiating
table or helps an opponent understand his errors. “Dan
will look for the most efficient way to resolve a case,
even if that means his services won’t be needed
as much,” says Roger Peterson, in-house counsel
for Norfolk Southern, an occasional client of Warman’s.
“He’s shown a good balance between knowing
when to fight and when to resolve a case. Plus, he knows
his bow from his stern.” That’s important
because most cases are heard before federal judges —
who sometimes needs the terminology explained.
Away
from his work, Warman’s favorite recreations keep
him on land more than at sea. He is a European sports
car enthusiast who, Coberly says, “has owned virtually
every old European sports car there is.” Warman’s
current ride is a blue 2002 Audi A4. But don’t
let that give you the wrong impression, says Coberly.
Warman is no speed demon but navigates a steady course,
for himself and his clients.
Return
to Virginia Business - December 2002
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