THE HISTORY OF FOSTER, MEADOWS & BALLARD
Founded in 1940 by Sparkman Foster, Foster, Meadows & Ballard, P.C., remains the pre-eminent transportation firm in Michigan. The Firm spent its early years engaged primarily in the representation of domestic and foreign ship owners specializing in admiralty and maritime defense litigation.
The Firm continues to expertly litigate admiralty and maritime cases of every type, covering a wide range of claim areas including personal injury, property damage, collision, allision, cargo loss, environmental damages, passenger injury, Limitation Act matters, salvage claims and immigration issues. With the expansion of intermodal transportation of goods in the 1970’s, the Firm’s expertise expanded to representing the interest of parties involved in every step of cargo transportation property losses, including freight forwarders and non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCC). Within its admiralty practice, the Firm represents 12 of the 15 English, Scandinavian and Japanese Protection & Indemnity Clubs as well as a host of domestic Ocean Marine underwriters and numerous Great Lakes shipping companies directly.
By virtue of the proliferation of registered pleasure crafts throughout Michigan, Ohio and the Great Lakes the firm has handled countless significant personal injury, death and property loss cases arising from pleasure craft, offshore race boat, and personal watercraft calamities.
In the early 1970s, the Firm’s transportation practice grew further to encompass railroad and aviation litigation. Like its natural counterpart in the maritime setting, Foster, Meadows & Ballard, P.C. represents railroad companies in a wide range of areas including employee personal injury litigation, crossing accidents, derailments, property damage and cargo claims.
The Firm’s transportation practice reaches beyond Michigan’s boarders including matters for our clients in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Members of the firm are specifically licensed to practice in Ohio and multiple Federal courts including the United States Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Beyond its unparalleled transportation litigation expertise, Foster, Meadows & Ballard, P.C. has significant experience litigating insurance agent errors and omissions matters, No-Fault auto cases, marina injury and lien enforcement, warehouse liabilities, ecclesiastic negligence, and toxic tort matters, including a high volume of asbestos product liability cases, as well as marine asbestos cases defended on behalf of merchant vessel owners and operators.
Over the course of the last decade, the firm has expanded its services to assist individual and family estate planning including wills, trusts, and special needs planning.
Because of its size, Foster, Meadows & Ballard, P.C. takes pride in its ability to take a practical, efficient approach to handling matters for clients. Where warranted, dismissals are sought at the earliest point in litigation that the merits will allow. Our philosophy is to build an attorney/client relationship by communicating the case status and our analysis every step of the way to assure our clients are informed and their ongoing concerns and requirements satisfied.