Robert Phelan has been appointed lead panel counsel by United States District Judge James Bredar for all property damage and subrogation claimants in the litigation arising from the devastating Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. Phelan, a Procter in Admiralty, has extensive experience litigating maritime, inland marine, and other transportation cases involving shipping law, international trade law, and private international law throughout the domestic United States.

The March 2024 bridge collapse was one of the deadliest in U.S. history. As a result of the collapse, six bridge workers were killed and two were injured. In addition, an estimated 10,000 jobs were impacted, with billions of dollars in economic losses. The bridge collapse has resulted in a myriad of claims against the owner and operator of the MV Dali, including personal injury and wrongful death claims, property damage claims, economic loss claims and claims by several government entities, including the city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and the United States.

Robert handles claims and recoveries for domestic and international clients arising from air, land or sea losses occurring in the United States, Central and South America, Europe, the CIS, and Asia. He regularly handles complex losses involving failures in yacht design, construction, and maintenance. He represents seawall, pier or bridge claimants in allision cases, either as a subrogating plaintiff or as a defendant in maritime limitation actions. Robert also frequently handles Carmack inland marine transportation cases throughout the United States for clients regularly insuring domestic freight in interstate commerce.