Roberts joins Venable law firm

Roberts joins Venable law firm    Michael Roberts, a former vice president of Crowley Maritime who has worked as a maritime attorney for Thompson Coburn in the past four years, has joined the Washington office of Venable LLP as a partner.
   Among Roberts’ longtime clients is Crowley Maritime, where he served as corporate counsel and then vice president of government relations from 1991 until early 2000.
   Roberts worked on helping pass the 1996 Maritime Security Act, the Coast Guard Authorization Act and the 1998 Ocean Shipping Reform Act. He was responsible for obtaining, on Crowley’s behalf, the first licenses for commercial shipping from the United States to Cuba.
   More recently, Roberts worked on obtaining tax relief for the American maritime industry.
   Ashley W. Craig, an experienced attorney in transportation regulatory and legislative matters involving international trade and homeland security, is also moving to the Venable law firm.