CA Admiralty Specialist study plan
CA Admiralty Specialist · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Map the domain’s scope: list the major statutory and regulatory sources (e.g., Jones Act, Longshore Act, COGSA, general maritime law) and where each applies.
Define key jurisdictional concepts: admiralty jurisdiction, maritime contracts, and the saving-to-suitors clause.
Outline the structure of a maritime claim from injury through remedy.
Create a one-page glossary of 15 core admiralty terms with plain-language definitions.
Your checkpoint
A jurisdiction-and-sources outline (max 2 pages) that correctly places five hypothetical fact patterns into admiralty jurisdiction or not, with a one-sentence rationale for each.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Compare and contrast seaman status, longshore worker status, and passenger status, listing the tests and consequences for each.
Explain the elements of a Jones Act negligence claim and the burden-shifting framework.
Distinguish unseaworthiness from negligence and identify who owes the duty.
Identify the remedies available under each status (maintenance and cure, damages, statutory compensation).
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of the three worker statuses with at least four rows (definition, test, claim, remedy) and a 150-word explanation of how status changes the available remedy.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Explain the COGSA liability scheme, including the carrier’s duties, exceptions, and package limitation.
Describe the Hague-Visby and Hamburg Rules at a high level and note one key difference from COGSA.
Analyze the interaction between COGSA and the Harter Act.
Draft a short clause-by-clause checklist for reviewing a bill of lading.
Your checkpoint
A bill-of-lading review checklist (10 items) plus a 200-word analysis of how COGSA’s package limitation would apply to a stated hypothetical shipment.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Explain general average, particular average, and salvage, and distinguish them.
Describe the rule of contribution in general average and the role of the average adjuster.
Identify the elements of a salvage award under the 1989 Salvage Convention.
Apply general average principles to a hypothetical casualty.
Your checkpoint
A one-page decision tree that walks through a casualty scenario and determines whether general average, particular average, or salvage applies, with the contribution rule for each.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Explain the purpose and mechanics of a letter of undertaking (LOU) and how it compares to arrest.
Describe the admiralty arrest process and the safeguards against wrongful arrest.
Identify the types of maritime liens and how they are enforced.
Explain the limitation of liability proceeding and the fund concept.
Your checkpoint
A procedural flowchart (one page) showing the steps from a maritime claim to security (LOU or arrest) to limitation, with the key decision point at each step.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Explain the obligation to provide maintenance and cure and the limits on that obligation.
Describe the warranty of seaworthiness and its role in personal injury claims.
Identify the remedies for breach of the seaworthiness warranty.
Compare the remedies available to a seaman versus a passenger.
Your checkpoint
A two-column remedy chart (seaman vs. passenger) covering maintenance and cure, unseaworthiness, negligence, and statutory remedies, with a one-sentence note on the source of each duty.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Explain the doctrine of laches and how it differs from a statute of limitations in admiralty.
Describe the application of the Limitation Act and the procedure for filing a limitation petition.
Identify the key defenses in maritime tort and contract claims.
Analyze a hypothetical claim for timeliness and limitation.
Your checkpoint
A one-page legal memo that advises a client on whether a claim is time-barred under laches and whether limitation of liability is available, with reasoning.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Synthesize all prior weeks into a single outline organized by claim type (injury, cargo, casualty, contract).
Complete 40 practice questions covering the full domain, timing each set and reviewing every miss.
Identify and re-study the three weakest subtopics from the practice results.
Create a one-page quick-reference sheet of tests, remedies, and limitations periods.
Your checkpoint
A full-length practice exam score report (40 questions) with a written review of every incorrect answer and a final one-page quick-reference sheet.
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70% on a 15-question quiz covering jurisdiction, sources, and worker status.
Week 4: Score at least 75% on a 20-question quiz covering cargo, general average, and salvage.
Week 6: Score at least 75% on a 20-question quiz covering liens, arrest, limitation, and personal injury remedies.
Week 8: Score at least 80% on the 40-question full-domain practice exam and complete the error review.