Edward J. Powers

Ed concentrates his practice in transportation law with a focus on the representation of ship owners, charterers, and their underwriters, including domestic and international insurance companies and P&I Clubs. Ed also has significant experience in railroad casualty litigation, having represented one of the largest Class I railroads in North America.

A seasoned litigator with experience in international arbitration and litigation, Ed has represented clients throughout the United States in courts and arbitration tribunals on a broad spectrum of matters, including maritime collisions, personal injury defense, cargo claims, maritime liens, and contract disputes.  He has participated in numerous casualty and port state control investigations ranging from pollution incidents to occupational safety issues.

Ed is licensed by the Bars of New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.  He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the First, Second, Fourth, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Ed is active in many professional organizations, including the Maritime Law Association of the United States, for which he served as a member of the Board of Directors, the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, the Virginia Maritime Association, and the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.  He also served as an associate editor for American Maritime Cases from 2000 to 2021.

Ed is a multiple recipient of Best Lawyers in America® “Norfolk Lawyer of the Year” for Admiralty and Maritime Law, and he is recognized in Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” and the International Who’s Who of Maritime Lawyers.

After receiving two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Ed received a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, where he was associate editor of the Law Review.  Upon graduation from law school, Ed spent a year as a law clerk for a United States District Judge in Norfolk, Virginia, before joining Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black.