Profile

Education

• Tulane Law School, JD, Maritime Law Certificate, 2014
• Southern Methodist University, BA, 2005

Brad Pace is a partner in the San Francisco office. He has extensive experience handling admiralty and maritime litigation, as well as yacht sales and transactions, and is involved in all aspects of the process from intake to resolution. Brad's background in the maritime industry as a ship captain, officer, engineer, and pilot, enables him to deeply understand the issues his clients face and provide them with solutions tailored to their situations.

Brad provides strategic counseling on a wide range of insurance matters, including marine insurance and reinsurance, insurance coverage, general liability and maritime transactional work. He represents domestic and international clients in maritime commercial disputes, terminal operations, personal injury, casualty, and cargo matters and advises clients regarding ownership, documentation and registration, chartering, charter parties and insurance. Brad also represents yacht owners in the purchase and sale of yachts, as well as other transactional work involving yachts.

Brad’s litigation practice is focused on the defense of vessel owners, container and bulk carrier ships, terminal and marina owners and operators, recreational boat insurers and underwriters, supply chain logistics providers, marine employers, insurance carriers, underwriters and protection and indemnity (P&I) clubs in both state and federal courts.

Prior to joining Kennedys, Brad was an assistant district attorney for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. During his tenure, his daily court appearances and frequent jury trials allowed him to further his litigation experience.

Brad is involved with several professional maritime associations, including the Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA) and the Pacific Admiralty Seminar Steering Committee.

Brad holds a US Coast Guard Professional Mariner Master's License with multiple endorsements. He also holds a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airplane Pilot's License, with Seaplane and other ratings.

Memberships

  • Marine Underwriters of San Francisco
  • Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA)
  • Pacific Admiralty Seminar Steering Committee

Languages

Spanish

Qualifications and admissions

  • California
  • Washington
  • US District Courts for Northern, Southern, Central and Eastern Districts of California
  • US District Court, Western District of Washington
  • US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Market recognition

  • Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch in America (2021-2024)
  • Recognized to the list of "Rising Stars" for the Northern California Super Lawyers guide (2024)

Presentations and publications

  • Co-author, “Just add water—why relating back does not put the insurer on notice of bad faith,” published for Kennedys (June 2023)
  • “Navigating the New World of Russian Sanctions,” MLA Fall Meeting, San Diego, CA (October 2022)
  • “Russian sanctions: A global view,” In-House Client Training (October 2022)

Report decisions

  • Prickett v. Bonnier Corporation, 55 Cal. App. 5th 891 (2020)
  • Cruz v. United States, 910 F.3d 1263, 2019 AMC 47 (9th Cir. 2018)
  • Cruz v. United States, 247 F.Supp.3d 1138, 2017 AMC 681 (S.D. Cal. 2017)