Tim Akpinar

Tim handles motor vehicle accidents, slip & fall accidents, medical malpractice, boating accidents, cruise ship accidents, and complex hull/machinery/cargo cases. Tim represents commercial mariners, recreational boaters, cruise ship passengers, and other injury plaintiffs. As a former shipboard officer, he understands the importance of the Jones Act and other maritime laws.

Tim taught law at SUNY Maritime College and in the MBA program at Southern New Hampshire University. He worked for BARBRI in preparing bar exam candidates, and on a limited independent basis, he tutors law school graduates for the New York State Bar Exam. He is referenced in Wikipedia - Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute. Tim was asked to cover the subject of limitation of liability for the American Trial Lawyers Association (Defeating Limitation of Liability in Maritime Law).

Tim worked as an environmental engineer for an 826 MW generating station where he trained NYC firefighters in first responder plant hazards that included 138,000-volt transformers, high-pressure steam, hydrogen-cooled generators, and bulk chemical storage. He worked as a shift supervisor at a 425 MW station, responsible for steam turbines and baseload generators.

Tim covers maritime law topics for nationally published maritime and boating magazines, including WorkBoat, The Ensign (US Power Squadron), Offshore, Marine Officer, and LI Boating World. Tim can be reached at (718) 224-9824 or timakpinarlawoffice@verizon.net.

• Free Consultation
• Contingent Fees

New Jersey

Since 1994

New York

Since 1994

St. John's University School of Law

J.D.

1993

State University of New York - Maritime College at Ft. Schuyler

Bachelor of Engineering (1981) | Mechanical Engineering (Marine)

Maritime Law Association of the United States

Member

Current

New York State Bar  # 2621100

Member

1994 - Current

Gulf Coast Mariners

Member

2013

Activities: An Advocacy group for commercial mariners working on the nation's inland and coastal waterways

Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

Member

2009

Defeating Limitation of Liability in Maritime Law

Trial Magazine - The Journal of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America

Legal Issues for Recreational Boaters, United States Power Squadron - Bayside Power Squadron

Tim spoke about admiralty jurisdiction over pleasure boats, boating accident legal issues, limitation of liability, salvage law, marine liens, and other legal issues related to recreational boating.

Maritime Law Issues for Commercial Mariners, Kingsborough Community College - Maritime Technology Program

Tim spoke about the legal responsibilities of officers and ship's crews, criminal liability, the Jones Act, limitation of liability, salvage law, recent developments in Coast Guard regulations with marine casualty reporting and alcohol testing, marine pollution, and other maritime law topics.

Recent Developments in Maritime Law, St. John's University School of Law

Admiralty Law Society

Tim spoke about salvage law, the law of finds, the Jones Act and legal issues affecting the rights of commercial fishermen.

U.S. Military Sealift Command Shipboard Firefighting School

US MSC

ALARA Training - As Low As Reasonably Achievable - Radiation Considerations in Nuclear Power Plant Design

Reliability Engineering Training

Third Assistant Engineer - Steam & Motor Vessels - Unlimited Horsepower

US Coast Guard

Lifeboatman

US Coast Guard

Q. Legal recourse for accident due to unsafe intersection and fleeing driver with criminal history?

August 20, 2025

A: A Tennessee attorney could answer best, but your question remains open for almost two weeks. I'm sorry about the accident. I hope your daughter is okay. In terms of actions, one of the first steps to consider would be to reach out to local Tennessee attorneys. You describe a setting where it looks like you might be contemplating accountability with public entities, since you mention foliage overgrowth and visibility issues. If that would involve Departments of Transportation or other state entities, that could mean very short filing deadlines or notices of claims (if these are applicable, a local attorney would be qualified to advise on their operation). But in short, such settings make for very short windows of time to place such agencies or entities on notice of claim - that's why it could be helpful to try to arrange a free initial consult with local attorneys. Good luck ... Read More

Q. Legal show in NYC: Litigator & transactional lawyer characters, partners in same firm. Advice on realism and writing tips.

August 19, 2025

A: Your question covers considerable territory and could be something that screenwriters might have better insight into than practicing attorneys. Attorneys could advise you on technical details, for instance whether a courtroom scene you considered would align with Civil Practice Law & Rules, Criminal Procedure Law, or the Rules of Evidence. In terms of feasibility and realism, it could be a subjective question - depending on the quality of the script. For some of the other aspects of your question, it could be worth looking through past episodes of law dramas that were once popular - there used to be a considerable number of them. Good luck

Q. Stolen life insurance policies as sole beneficiary, need help

August 19, 2025

A: A Missouri attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for a week. I'm sorry for the loss of your parents. You could start by seeing what you can learn on your own before involving attorneys, to keep your costs down. You could reach out the insurance company. They might not be exceedingly enthusiastic about discussing the matter because if you were sole beneficiary as you mention in your post, that could mean that something went wrong in issuing payment to someone purporting to be you. Based on what you learn, you could discuss further with investigators and attorneys to learn about your most cost-effective way to get to the bottom of things. Good luck