Tim Akpinar
A dedicated attorney who fights hard for the rights of injury victims
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.
- Personal Injury
- Animal & Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
- Maritime Law
- Products Liability
- Drugs & Medical Devices, Motor Vehicle Defects, Toxic Torts
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury, Medical Misdiagnosis, Pharmacy Errors, Surgical Errors
- Arbitration & Mediation
- Business - Arbitration/Mediation, Consumer - Arbitration/Mediation, Family - Arbitration/Mediation
- Appeals & Appellate
- Civil Appeals, Federal Appeals
- Insurance Claims
- Bad Faith Insurance, Business Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Property Insurance
- Free Consultation
- Contingent Fees
- New Jersey
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- New York
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- St. John's University School of Law
- J.D.
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- State University of New York - Maritime College at Ft. Schuyler
- Bachelor of Engineering (1981) | Mechanical Engineering (Marine)
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- Maritime Law Association of the United States
- Member
- Current
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- New York State Bar # 2621100
- Member
- - Current
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- Gulf Coast Mariners
- Member
- Activities: An Advocacy group for commercial mariners working on the nation's inland and coastal waterways
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- Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
- Member
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- 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
- Website
- General Personal Injury & Maritime Law Litigation and Arbitration
- Q. Skill saw accident on July 11, 2025 caused serious hand injury; seeking legal advice.
- A: A Georgia attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for over a week. I'm very sorry about your accident. It would be difficult for anyone here to guess whether you have a case. If attorneys did consider the matter, the saw would need to be carefully examined. You could anticipate being confronted with the argument that you may not have been using the saw properly - no one here knows anything about the saw or the manner in which you were using it. Establishing a case would hinge on being able to demonstrate that the saw was defective, which would likely involve examination by engineers, machinists, or tool experts. Your starting point could be to reach out to Georgia attorneys ... Read More
- Q. Delay and conflicting responses from NYCERS medical board regarding case update.
- A: This is something that the attorneys here who work with municipal pensions, retirement, and disability claims would know the most about. But you await a response for a week, and a long holiday weekend is approaching. Until you are able to consult with attorneys who are experienced with NYCERS matters, there is probably one more thing you could consider doing on your own. You could send in another request, possibly through certified mail or other means you can track, and ask what might be causing the delay.
It's end of summer - if the board doctors or other employees involved in making/processing disability determinations is short-staffed due to summer schedules, an attorney might not ... Read More
- Q. Appeal for full life insurance payout as primary beneficiary in NY?
- A: To give you a definitive answer, attorneys would probably want to see the life insurance policy. Life insurance policies can operate as a contract, independently of estates and wills. In many cases, they do that in a straightforward manner. But it's possible the insurance carrier may be looking into the mother's will. Although she may not have had beneficiaries, they may still want to see what the will says. If that's the case, this matter could be something that the experienced probate and estate planning attorneys here would be best qualified to advise on, with the benefit of seeing the policy and the last will and testament. Good luck
