Michael T. Moore

Michael T. Moore advises yacht owners, operators, and institutions on maritime law, complex litigation, and regulatory matters across the global superyacht industry.

Michael T. Moore is a maritime lawyer trusted by yacht owners, operators, and institutions across the global superyacht industry.

In every corner of the superyacht world, there are a few lawyers owners call before anyone else. They do not chase attention and they are rarely the names quoted in trade coverage. They are trusted because the stakes are real, and their judgment holds under pressure.

For the global maritime community, that lawyer is often Michael T. Moore.

While many focus purely on transactions, Michael works at the intersection of maritime law and ocean stewardship. From complex litigation to conservation leadership, his practice sits where legal expertise meets long-term responsibility.

For him, the work is not about hours logged. It is about helping build outcomes that last.

Michael's path to maritime law began, improbably, while waiting tables in Cape Cod before law school. He mentioned his goal of becoming a maritime lawyer to a man named Herbert Mayhew Lord. As it happened, Lord's father was a partner at Burlingham, Underwood & Lord — a legendary New York admiralty firm whose past clients included the owners of the RMS Titanic.

That conversation opened a door that would define his career.

After graduating from the University of Florida with a BA in Finance (1970) and earning his JD from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law (1974), Michael served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army Medical Services Corps before receiving an honorable discharge.

His first legal position took him to Burlingham, Underwood & Lord — in both New York and their Jeddah, Saudi Arabia offices. During his years in the Kingdom, Michael and his wife Leslie Lott worked on foreign investment-related matters, developing the international perspective that would prove invaluable. He is trilingual, speaking English, Arabic, and Spanish fluently.

In 1980, Michael joined Holland & Knight in Miami, eventually rising to chair the firm's Marine and Aviation Practice while serving multiple terms on the firm's Board of Directors. But the call of independence proved irresistible. In 2004, he founded Moore & Company, P.A. from his Coral Gables base — a boutique structure allowing personal attention to the world's most discerning maritime clients.

Moore & Company handles the full spectrum of maritime and aviation matters:

New construction contracts and disputes

Purchases, sales, and registration

Regulatory compliance and tax structures

Complex litigation and appellate work

International arbitration

The client roster has included names that appear in headlines: Donald Trump, Tiger Woods, Faisel Al Matrook, and hundreds of yacht owners whose privacy demands discretion. Recognition has followed consistently for over two decades.

A Historic Cuba Achievement