Logistics and transportation law

Counsel that understands how the industry actually works

Freight runs on a chain of parties and a stack of documents. A shipper has goods to move. A freight broker or other 3PL arranges the transportation. A motor carrier, whether asset-based or an owner-operator, accepts the load under a rate confirmation and moves it under a bill of lading. Each link is governed by operating authority, federal regulation, carrier-broker agreements, and tight margins, and a dispute can turn on any one of them: a conditional safety rating, a double-brokered load, a reefer that fails in transit, a fictitious pickup, or a load that simply never arrives. The firm represents parties across that chain, from the shipper filing a cargo claim, to the freight broker defending a negligent-selection suit, to the motor carrier chasing unpaid freight.

Jim has worked within the logistics and transportation industry for years. He has served as outside general counsel and litigation counsel to companies in the freight and expedited-transport sector through periods of significant growth and an eventual sale of the business, and has handled matters across the industry, from cargo and Carmack claims, to carrier-broker contract disputes, to the day-to-day legal needs of a transportation company. The firm represents shippers, freight brokers, 3PLs, and motor carriers.

Past results and prior matters do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Every matter depends on its own facts and law.

A shifting liability landscape

Broker liability after Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II

In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, No. 24-1238 (U.S. May 14, 2026), a unanimous United States Supreme Court held that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) does not preempt state-law negligent-selection claims against freight brokers, because those claims fall within the statute's safety exception, the carve-out that preserves a state's safety regulatory authority with respect to motor vehicles. The practical effect is significant. Freight brokers can no longer rely on FAAAA preemption to dispose of these claims at the pleading stage, and negligent-selection and negligent-hiring claims are now far more likely to proceed into discovery.

The case arose from an accident on an Illinois interstate, and the Supreme Court reversed the Seventh Circuit, the federal court of appeals covering Illinois, which had held such claims preempted. The decision therefore changes the liability landscape directly in this jurisdiction. At the same time, the Court signaled that the ruling does not impose automatic liability: a concurring opinion emphasized that brokers that act reasonably and select reputable motor carriers should be positioned to defend these suits. The firm counsels freight brokers, motor carriers, and shippers on what the changing standard means for carrier vetting, FMCSA safety-rating review, contracts, insurance, and litigation exposure on both sides of these claims.

This is general information about a legal development and is not legal advice. The application of any decision depends on the specific facts and law of a given matter.

Outside general counsel

The full legal side of a transportation business

Beyond disputes, transportation companies need ongoing counsel for the business itself. The firm has served in an outside general counsel capacity for companies in the sector, handling the internal and operational legal work a growing company depends on.

• Serving as outside general counsel to motor carriers, brokers, and 3PLs, handling day-to-day legal needs across the business
• Driver and owner-operator classification, including employee versus independent contractor questions
• Owner-operator lease agreements, independent contractor agreements, and internal company documentation
• Internal disputes, personnel matters, and human resources counsel and policies
• The ongoing contracts, agreements, and dispute work a growing transportation company relies on counsel for