David Weil has a background unique among attorneys, with considerable practical experience as a maritime and business attorney, a former commercial mariner, a yachtsman, and as a financial professional.
Mr. Weil is the managing attorney at Weil & Associates in Long Beach, California. He is certified as a Specialist in Admiralty and Maritime Law by the State Bar of California, a “Proctor in Admiralty” Member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, and a former Adjunct Professor of Admiralty Law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and Chapman University Law School in Orange, California. He has been awarded the “AV Preeminent” Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, signifying the highest level of professional excellence in the legal field,
Mr. Weil is very active in the California yachting, workboat and charter boat communities, having served as a Judge Advocate (volunteer attorney) at Long Beach Yacht Club under 14 different commodores, for eight years as the Judge Advocate for Southern California PHRF (the organization that establishes handicaps for racing yachts), and for seven years as legal counsel to the California Yacht Brokers Association. And, he has been an affiliate member of the National Association of Marine Surveyors and the National Marine Lenders Association.
Prior to attending law school, he worked for many years as a commercial mariner. During that time, he worked as a commercial crab and salmon fisherman in Alaska for ten years, including serving as captain of the 100 ft crab fishing vessel “Viking.” And while in law school, he worked as a professional yacht and workboat captain under a 200-ton Masters License, on boats ranging from 36 to 215 feet. He draws on that unique background to provide legal representation to an extensive list of maritime clients.
Mr. Weil’s practice is focused on the California Yachting and Workboat Communities, and in connection with that work he has been the proud author of the “Ask a Maritime Attorney” column in The Log Newspaper and Sea Magazine since 2006, with over 300 installments of the column. His clients include marine lenders, yacht brokers and other maritime businesses, recreational boaters, commercial fishermen, marine surveyors, passenger vessel and workboat operators, and licensed mariners. The scope of his legal representation for these clients over the past 30 years covers a wide range of maritime legal issues, as well as conventional business law.
He may be reached through his web site at www.weilmaritime.com or by email at dweil@weilmaritime.com