Robert “Chip” Birthisel is a founding partner in our Tampa office. He practices transportation and maritime law, personal injury and wrongful death defense, marine pollution, general liability defense, and insurance law. His practice includes international and domestic litigation and transactions. He is a retired Coast Guard officer, who spent his final years on active duty as a law specialist and trial attorney assigned to the U.S. Department of Justice, Aviation and Admiralty Litigation Section.
Chip represents a wide range of transportation, maritime, and general litigation clients, providing a myriad of services including litigation of maritime and land-based wrongful death and personal injury, maritime lien, bunker, P & I, cargo, and hull and machinery claims. He represents many of the world’s largest insurers and has provided coverage opinions and defense, and litigated declaratory judgment actions on behalf of numerous insurers. He also handles contractual matters (charters, bills of lading, sales, brokerage and finance agreements, concession agreements, franchise and license agreements, vehicle lease and purchase agreements, owner/operator agreements), from drafting to litigation.
His practice includes rendering advice on all marine regulatory matters, including coverage placement, flagging of vessels, classification society compliance, and U.S., flag state, and international (i.e. SOLAS, IMO, and Law of the Sea Conventions) regulatory compliance. In addition, he has provided counsel regarding the establishment of a variety of maritime businesses including cruise line operations, cargo lines, Ocean Transportation Intermediary licensing and compliance (VOCC, NVOCC, and Freight Forwarders), and marine and land-based terminal operations. He renders advice daily on compliance with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Immigration, Federal Maritime Commission, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and other international and domestic regulatory schemes.
Chip has represented and represents a variety of foreign entities and clients in international business transactions and litigation including clients in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Panama, the Marshall Islands, England, Norway, Venezuela, Ireland, Korea, Costa Rica, Brazil, Honduras, the Philippines, most every island nation in the Caribbean, and Canada.
J.D., Cum Laude, University of Miami School of Law
M.S., The Johns Hopkins University
B.S., University of San Francisco
Managing Partner Chip Birthisel has been named to the South Florida Business Journal’s “Power Leaders in Law & Accounting” list for 2025. Chip is a
Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel is elated to announce that 11 of our attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers this year. Six have been named
HMB Law is honored to announce that 17 of our attorneys have been placed on the prestigious list of the Best Lawyers in America 2025
Shout outs to our #HMB group on their recent client visit to jolly ole England! Taking the field as part of Team Britannia in the
HM&B is elated to announce that 14 of our attorneys have been selected for inclusion on the list of The Best Lawyers in America 2024
We applaud our 11 outstanding colleagues for their much-deserved inclusion in the 2023 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. The Super Lawyers selection process
HMB Law congratulates our deserving attorneys who have made the “Florida Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars” 2022 list. Each year, the rating service recognizes the top
They’ve done it again. HM&B Law partners Jerry Hamilton, Jennifer Miller, Chip Birthisel, and Krista Fowler Acuña have once again been selected for inclusion on The Best Lawyers in America
Orion Marine Construction, Inc. v. Carroll, 918 F.3d 1323 (11th Cir. Mar. 20, 2019) HM&B Gets Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to Clarify What Constitutes
Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP congratulates Jerry D. Hamilton and Robert “Chip” Birthisel, who were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© (2018 Edition).
Hamilton, Miller and Birthisel is pleased to announce that five of our attorneys have been selected as 2017 Super Lawyers, and eight attorneys have been