News & Events

NBAF attorneys provided significant support to the Pacific Admiralty Seminar (“PAS”) held in San Francisco on October 8 – 9, 2026. The PAS is a biennial legal event focused on maritime and admiralty law, featuring speakers from the law, industry, and academia. NBAF attorney Forrest Booth chaired a panel discussing “Taiwan and Threats to International Trade. “NBAF attorney and PAS Treasurer Pamela Schultz chaired a panel addressing “International Practice & Procedure.” NBAF attorney Deniz Tuncer (Perkowski) chaired a panel session titled “From Port to Policy: The Evolving World of Marine Insurance.” The below images show Deniz with her panel participants and Pamela with her panel participants.

NBAF is celebrating its one-year anniversary of opening its California office and welcoming the wonderful team of Forrest Booth, Pamela Schultz, Jonathan Thames, Brad Pace, Deniz Tuncer (Perkowski), Camille Zuber and Juli Carter as colleagues. It has been a remarkable year and the future is bright. 

NBAF attorny Camille Zuber will be co-presenting at the upcoming MLA Fall Meeting on the topic of Charting risk: Navigating regulatory challenges and vessel-owner liability in the shift to alternative marine fuels — ammonia, hydrogen, LNG, nuclear, and biofuels at the IMO and US regulatory helm.

NBAF attorneys Camille Zuber and Jonathan Thames spent the week of September 14th in London, meeting with P&I clubs, Lloyd’s market underwriters, and brokers at the heart of the international marine insurance market. Over a full week of coffees, lunches, office visits, and dinners, they reconnected with longtime friends of the Firm and made many new ones.

Camille’s and Jonathan’s numerous meetings addressed an array of topics relevant to their audiences. Clubs were especially interested in a U.S. perspective on the regulatory and liability landscape, including for nuclear-powered vessels, a topic Camille will take up at the upcoming MLA Fall Meeting. Underwriters continued to be interested in the US jurisdictions’ various treatments of stock throughput policy wordings, and gained further understanding of the differences in taking evidence in US versus UK proceedings, such as the need for oral depositions.

Camille then continued on to Paris, where she met with fellow maritime and transportation lawyers, strengthening NBAF’s ties with our European counterparts.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who welcomed Camille and Jonathan so warmly. NBAF looks forward to keeping the conversations going, and to being back in London next year!

NBAF attorney Rod Fonda has been recognized by the Washington State Bar Association for his 50 years as a member. Lest one get the wrong impression, we should point out that Rod is a spry 75 and a forceful advocate. Congrats Rod!!!!!

This handsome crowd attended the recent NBAF firm picnic on scenic Bainbridge Island, WA. A good time was had by all, young and less young. 

Exciting News: Nicoll Black Expands to Hawaii

Late last year, we shared the news of our new San Francisco office and the addition of several fabulous attorneys who joined our practice.   Nicoll Black Altenbrun & Feig, P.S., is now very pleased to announce the opening of our new office in Honolulu, Hawaii. This expansion marks an exciting step in the firm’s continued growth and strengthens our ability to serve clients throughout the Pacific Coast and the broader Pacific region.

Our Hawaii office will be located at:

     Nicoll Black Altenbrun & Feig, P.S.
     500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7400
     Honolulu, HI 96813
     Phone: 808-707-8695

The Hawaii office will be supported and jointly led by partners Brad Pace and Pamela Schultz, both of whom are licensed to practice in Hawaii. Brad, who lives and works in Hawaii, brings a distinctive maritime background to the firm’s presence in the islands. Before practicing law, Brad served as a captain and seaplane pilot and developed extensive firsthand experience in the yachting and recreational boating industries. He also earned a Maritime Law Certificate from Tulane University Law School, one of the nation’s leading maritime law programs. That combination of legal training and practical, on-the-water experience gives Brad a direct understanding of the operational, commercial, and legal issues facing maritime clients.

Pamela brings additional depth to the Hawaii office through her extensive legal experience and her lengthy licensure in the state, further strengthening the firm’s ability to provide local representation and responsive service to clients with matters in Hawaii. Together, Brad and Pamela will help guide the firm’s continued growth in the islands and throughout the Pacific region. We are excited that our Hawaii office will allow us to better serve our existing clients, expand our reach across the Pacific, and continue building the firm’s maritime, transportation, insurance, and litigation practices.

We are also very pleased to welcome attorney Jackson Adams to the firm. Jackson adds further depth to our maritime and litigation practice and is licensed in Florida and Idaho, with admission in Washington forthcoming. Having grown up on the Florida coast, Jackson has been around boats his whole life, including hands-on experience working on boats. His background gives him a practical understanding of recreational boating, marine operations, and the issues that arise for vessel owners, operators, insurers, and maritime businesses. His experience, education, and coastal boating background will be a strong asset to our clients and to the firm as we continue to grow.

We are excited for this next chapter and look forward to continuing to provide the high level of service, responsiveness, and practical legal counsel our clients have come to expect.

For any questions about our firm and its growth, please contact Larry Altenbrun

NBF attorneys Christopher Nicoll, Rivers Black, Curt Feig, and Larry Altenbrun were selected as 2026 Seattle Super Lawyers, which is a rating service identifying outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

From NBAF attorney Camille Zuber:

On April 28, 2026, I had the pleasure of presenting at the second 2026 Joint Marine Claims Committee (JMCC) market presentation, hosted jointly by the International Underwriting Association (IUA) and the Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA), on one of the maritime industry’s most pressing emerging issues: alternative fuels.

Alongside Lawrence Malizzi of CTEH, LLC, I presented on “Charting Risk: Navigating Insurance and Vessel-Owner Liability in the Shift to Alternative Marine Fuels,” addressing the evolving legal (IMO and U.S. level), operational, and insurance risks associated with the maritime industry’s transition to cleaner fuel alternatives.

As vessel owners and insurers adapt to decarbonization efforts and emerging regulatory frameworks, alternative fuels present not only opportunities, but also significant casualty, liability, environmental, and coverage challenges that require careful navigation.

Grateful to the JMCC and all market participants for the opportunity to contribute to this important discussion, and for the thoughtful engagement from attendees across the international marine insurance market.

NBAF attorneys Larry Altenbrun (Seattle), Jonathan Thames (San Francisco), Pamela Schultz (San Francisco) and Rivers Black (Seattle) represented the Firm at this year’s 42nd River and Marine Industry Seminar sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association (GNOBFA) during April 22-24. The annual three-day seminar is held in New Orleans and is one of the largest and most informative educational seminars and CLE’s focusing on legal issues faced in the brown water, barge, towing and offshore energy sectors. NBAF again joined with a maritime firm in the New Orleans area, the Scialdone Law Firm, to co-host an after-hours party following seminar events.  The annual party, held at Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar on Bourbon Street, has grown to be a favorite late-night gathering of the marine industry, and is well attended by underwriters, brokers and claims adjusters from across the U.S. and abroad.

Pictured L to R:  John Scialdone (Scialdone- Gulfport), Pamela Schutz (NBAF – San Francisco), Katherine Halliday (Scialdone – New Orleans) and Rivers Black (NBAF – Seattle).