Barbara is an experienced advocate for businesses involved in the international and domestic maritime industry and the shoreside companies that support it. She advises cargo, passenger, fishing and towing vessel owners and operators, shipyards, marine underwriters, terminal operators, freight forwarders and other businesses involved in marine transportation on many of the central issues and transactions affecting their marine operations and strategic planning.  Her practice includes vessel acquisitions, coastwise trade issues, shipyard contracts, vessel arrests, casualty response, contracts of carriage, commercial disputes, risk management, and environmental issues. Barbara also advises clients in connection with Coast Guard investigations, regulatory compliance and legislative initiatives. She has provided advice and defense to a variety of maritime clients facing potential civil and criminal liability for oil spills and other marine pollution incidents. Barbara is active in issues

affecting the maritime industry and has filed several amicus curiae briefs on behalf of industry interests in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. She also serves as General Counsel to a well-known Northwest shipyard.

In May 2022, Barbara was named President of The Maritime Law Association of the United States.  She is a Titulary Member of the Comité Maritime International, and has spoken at numerous venues around the world.  Barbara received her law degree from Harvard Law School. She has been recognized for many years in The Best Lawyers in America, and was named "Lawyer of the Year" in the area of Admiralty & Maritime Law in 2013, 2017 and again in 2020. She has been repeatedly recognized for inclusion in The International Who's Who of Shipping & Maritime Lawyers, Washington Super Lawyers, and the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers.