Julia M. Haines
Partner
Overview
Julia Haines is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Houston office and a member of the firm's Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group, Transportation & Infrastructure Industry Group and Maritime Team. Ms. Haines trial and arbitration practice encompasses a wide variety of complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters, with a focus on energy, marine and insurance disputes and counseling.
For more than 40 years, Ms. Haines has handled complex energy and marine litigation. She has extensive onshore and offshore energy experience in matters involving downhole losses, break-away rig cases, pipeline breaches and failures, oil field product liability issues, hydraulic fracturing litigation, pipeline failures, midstream disputes, environmental claims, property damage, defense of personal injury and death actions, complex contract issues, business interruption and defense, indemnity and insurance claims.
Ms. Haines' marine experience includes all aspects of traditional maritime litigation and arbitration, including collision cases, limitation actions, pipeline loses, maritime seizures and attachments, contract and charterparty disputes, cargo losses, Oil Pollution Act (OPA) claims, hurricane losses, terminal and dock facilities liabilities and losses, marine product liability cases, lien and enforcement claims, dock and stevedore liabilities, bunker issues, demurrage claims, marine construction issues and recreational boating losses. Ms. Haines is often called upon to analyze insurance, indemnity and defense provisions in marine, terminal and off shore energy contracts, as well as complex issues arising under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).
In addition, Ms. Haines handles a wide variety of commercial arbitration and litigation matters, ranging from arbitration of financial disputes to defense of industrial products and construction litigation. She counsels domestic and international clients on a breadth of complex indemnity and insurance coverage issues, along with marine contract issues. She also has extensive trial experience in handling insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, as well as broker errors and omissions litigation.
Representative Experience
- Successful representation of an operator with regard damage resulting from the negligent directional drilling of multiple horizontal wells
- Successful representation of an operator with regard to failed downhole casing, resulting in substantial damage to a well
- Successful jury trial representation of an operator with regard to catastrophic failure of equipment during hydraulic fracturing operation, resulting in a multimillion-dollar judgment
- Representation of insurers with regard to offshore hurricane damage claims and related litigation, including deepwater facility claims, claims for rig and pipeline damage, and loss of production income claims
- Successful defense of energy companies involved in demands and lawsuits arising out of knock for knock indemnity and defense agreements, additional insured requirements and waivers of subrogation
- Successful representation of excess insurers with regard to subsea pipeline damage and coverage litigation
- Successful representation of excess insurer with regard to alleged failure of an injection well and claim for reservoir damage
- Representation of a vessel owner with regard to protection from charterer's efforts to violate U.S. sanctions and seizure, and sale of cargo of 100,000 barrels of gasoline to recover vessel owner's damages
- Representation in litigation and on appeal of international owners and operators of an offshore facility with regard to a damages arising from a vessel allision
- Successful representation of offshore rig owner and underwriters in trial and on appeal, resulting in a multimillion-dollar recovery for a vessel allision
- Successful defense of motion to dismiss case based on forum non conveniens and successful defense of multiple related appeals
- Successful representation of Japanese shipyard with regard to complex personal injury products liability action
- Defense judgment in trial of bad faith coverage case for constructive total loss of a vessel and successful defense of appeal
- Defense judgment in trial of bad faith coverage case for alleged hurricane damage to a vessel
- Successful summary judgment of personal injury action based upon lack of admiralty jurisdiction and successful defense of appeal
- Regularly counsel and advise clients regarding indemnity, defense and insurance provisions and maritime contracts
- Successful declaratory judgment action upholding the application of the crew sublimit in a protection and indemnity (P&I) policy
- Successful declaratory judgment action arising out of claim for coverage for a vessel stranded and a barge lost off the coast of Cuba
- Successful summary judgment on demands for indemnity, defense and additional insured status under charter agreements and successful defense on appeal
- Representation of excess underwriter with regard to deep water blowout and related indemnity and insurance coverage and policy stacking issues
- Representation of commercial general liability (CGL) insurer with regard to coverage issues arising out of pipeline loss and resulting fatality
- Representation of professional liability insurer with regard claims arising out of environmental cleanup operations
- Representation of domestic and international insurers regarding review and issuance of coverage opinions under the following policy forms: Energy Package Policy; Operators Extra Expense; Commercial General Liability; Marine General Liability; Bumbershoot/Umbrella/Excess; Marine Hull, Protection and Indemnity, Cargo and Builder's Risk Policies; Property Policies; Homeowner Policies; Professional Liability; Environmental; Employer's Liability; Marine Containers
Credentials
- South Texas College of Law Houston, J.D., cum laude
- University of Dayton, B.A., with honors
- Texas
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section
- The Bar Association of The Fifth Federal Circuit
- American Bar Association
- Maritime Law Association of the United States, Proctor
- Houston International Seafarers' Center, Executive Board 2012-2023; Corporate Board Member, 2006-Present; President, 2016-2017; Maritime Gala Committee, 2012-2018; Maritime Gala Chair, 2008, 2009
- Judy's Mission, Board 2011-2016; Advisory Board, 2016-Present
- University of Texas Admiralty and Maritime Law Conference, Planning Committee, 1999-Present
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, Board Member, 2019-2020
- Houston Maritime Center, Board and Advisory Board, 2009-Present
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel, 2011
- Houston Propeller Club, former President and Board Member
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Admiralty and Maritime Law, 2018-2025
- The Legal 500 USA, Transport: Shipping - Litigation and Regulation, 2021, 2022, 2024
- Bronze Anchor Award, Houston International Seafarers' Center, 2021
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
- Person of the Year, Houston Propeller Club, 2010
