Women in maritime: Jeanne Grasso’s ‘serendipitous’ journey to maritime attorney

If Jacques Cousteau had called, Jeanne Grasso’s life might have turned out differently. But so, too, would the fortunes of many shipowners and operators that have found themselves faced with maritime compliance issues.

That is because Ms Grasso is a leading maritime attorney, partner at Blank Rome LLP, and a member of the firm’s Maritime Emergency Response Team. If you find yourself facing an environmental regulatory compliance problem, you will want to keep her mobile number handy.

She has put together an exceptional career in maritime environmental law that has spanned more than 30 years.

But it is not the career she envisioned growing up in New Jersey, where she spent her summers at the Jersey shore and dreamed of being a fisheries biologist.

“For me, it was serendipitous. I wanted Jacques Cousteau to call,” she says, part in jest. But when the call from the legendary oceanographer never came, Ms Grasso blazed her own career path as a fisheries biologist, earning a BS degree from Notre Dame University and a Master’s in Maritime Affairs from the University of Southern California.

“Diversity is critical”

She travelled to Capitol Hill, where she worked for Alaska Congressman Don Young and the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, before transitioning to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Congressional affairs specialist and programme manager.

After obtaining her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law, she joined the maritime boutique law firm, Dyer, Ellis and Joseph, LLC, as an associate. As a “baby lawyer” at the firm she says Sid Wallace, Jim Ellis, Mike Dyer and Duncan Smith took her under their wing: “I look at them as my mentors. They pushed you to take responsibility, even though it scared you to death.”

But the experience “hooked” her, launching her career into maritime environmental protection and marine safety.

Now, after some 12 years as a co-leader of Blank Rome’s Maritime Practice Group, she stepped down in January to mentor the next generation of young lawyers, something that she finds incredibly satisfying.

“It gives me more time to work directly with clients, continue to mentor young associates, and grow client relationships,” she says. She works in compliance, and with enforcement defence and government, negotiating resolutions and handling casualties.

Ms Grasso, however, is troubled by the recent attacks on diversity, particularly the negative impact it might have on attracting young women to consider a career in maritime, a male-dominated industry.

“Diversity is critical, and we need to continue to encourage young people, men and women, to join the industry,” she states.

Asked what she would tell a young person considering a career in the sector, Ms Grasso does not hesitate. “It is an amazing and dynamic industry, and I would encourage everyone to dip their toe in to see if they like it. I have loved it for the last 30-plus years.”

She also highlights the positive impact on her career and life of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA). “There are a lot of amazing women out there. Over the decades, I have made lifelong friends through WISTA, and we continue to do business together,” she says.

A certified SCUBA diver, Ms Grasso’s passion for the ocean has not abated. She dives all over the world, exploring and conducting research in Thailand, the Solomon Islands, the Gulf of Cortez, and many other places, putting together a career that would make Jacques Cousteau proud.