About Richard
Richard Serpe has built a legal career centered on maritime and admiralty law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Virginia in 1983. He then completed a J.D. at Tulane University School of Law in 1986 and returned to Tulane for an LL.M. in Admiralty in 1991. Those academic credentials anchor a practice shaped by statutory and federal maritime principles.
His professional path has been both practical and organizational. He serves as president of the Law Offices of Richard J. Serpe, PC, a role he held in 2007 and continues to maintain in the firm’s leadership. He holds admission to practice in Texas, Virginia and Louisiana, which has allowed him to appear in courts across coastal jurisdictions and to engage in multi-jurisdictional matters tied to maritime commerce and incidents at sea.
Within the maritime bar, Serpe holds a notable position. He is a Proctor in the Maritime Law Association of the United States, a rank described as the association’s highest. That designation reflects a long-standing engagement with maritime practitioners and scholars. He also belongs to the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice. Outside of legal groups, he has served on the board of Lynnhaven River Now since 2002, participating in regional environmental efforts connected to the waterways that are part of his practice landscape.
The combination of advanced admiralty study and active association roles informs how he approaches cases. His LL.M. in Maritime from Tulane is a clear academic complement to courtroom work and professional leadership. He has used those tools in litigation, advisory matters and professional forums where rules of the road, vessel operations and maritime liability are debated and applied.
As of 2026 he practices through the Law Offices of Richard J. Serpe, PC, handling admiralty and maritime matters across the states in which he is licensed. He continues to participate in the Maritime Law Association and local bar organizations while maintaining his office practice in those areas of law.
