by Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Straub, PLLC
Press Release • Posted August 1, 2014
Years of service, experience and knowledge merge to better serve clients
PADUCAH, Ky. – Two seasoned veterans of law are now one. E. Spivey Gault, an admiralty and maritime attorney with more than 40 years of practice, has partnered with Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Straub, PLLC, a Paducah firm serving the region since 1929. Gault, a recognized leader in admiralty and maritime litigation throughout the four-river region and beyond, sees the merger as a perfect fit for continued service to both firm’s clients.
"Being able to partner with a firm that has the prestige and talent that Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Straub has is both an honor and an opportunity," said Gault. "The honor is that I am joining a firm where seven of the 12 actively practicing attorneys have an AV peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The opportunity is to work on a daily basis with partners, associates and staff who collectively have recognized experience in almost every area of law, which is an invaluable asset. The firm's commitment to not just continue, but to grow, the maritime practice insures that high quality and responsvie legal representation for the inland river industry will continue to be available for many years to come."
Managing partner E. Frederick (Rick) Straub, Jr. also noted the opportunity for even greater service to clients. “Paducah is at the heart of the inland waterways system of the United States. It is only fitting that the firm improve its readiness to serve maritime clients through this partnership with Spivey Gault.”
The merger also allows the firm an expanded presence within Paducah to better serve its clients. Gault’s long-time Water Street location inside the Seaman’s Church Institute is now an annex to the firm’s main location on Broadway. Gault has been joined there by firm member C. Thomas (Tom) Miller and additional staff. “The great thing about working with Tom," explained Gault, "is that, with over 20 years of litigation experience in federal and state courts, he is already able to provide significant assistance to me as we develop his knowledge of maritime law and of the practices and procedures of the real life of working on the inland river system.”
Prior to joining Gault, Miller gained maritime experience as a law clerk at Ingram Industries and to United States Chief District Judge Edward H. Johnstone, and has represented maritime litigants in private practice, including the Pier 99 marina fire disaster at Warsaw, Kentucky. He brings two decades of federal litigation experience to this added practice area, and has served as co-counsel with Mr. Gault in a major barge construction dispute and an allision case, while assisting with various Jones Act matters and commercial vessel transactions.
Whitlow, Roberts, Houston and Straub’s Maritime Annex is located at 129 S. Water Street, by the floodwall, in downtown Paducah, Kentucky. Mr. Gault and Mr. Miller can be reached by calling (270) 443-4516 or, after hours, by calling (270) 442-1900.