Crew Rights Compass Guides
Before You Speak to a Maritime Lawyer
Organise your records. Prepare your questions.
A practical preparation guide for seafarers planning a conversation with a lawyer, union representative or other appropriate adviser. Arrive with your documents, timeline and questions in a clearer order.
33-page PDF • 25 consultation questions · Reader edition 1.0
Price: USD 15 one-time payment, no subscription
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Independent maritime legal review of this edition has not been completed. It is general education, not legal advice.
What this guide helps you do
- See which documents you hold and which are missing.
- Write a factual timeline: one event, one entry, with the source noted.
- Summarise your situation for the start of a first call.
- Ask clear questions about deadlines, costs and fee agreements.
- Find routes to appropriate professional help.
Scope
This guide helps you prepare for a conversation. It does not decide whether you have a claim, draft court papers, select your jurisdiction or calculate a deadline. Seek advice promptly; do not wait to finish the workbook.
The worksheets are for your own files. There is no upload or case-review service.
Read a free sample
Real pages from Reader edition 1.0. Select an image to view it larger, or open the five-page sample PDF.
View larger imagePage 12: chapter 5, 'Write a factual timeline', with a clearly labelled fictional example. 
View larger imagePage 24: the blank first-call summary worksheet.
Free sample: five selected pages (PDF)
The sample PDF contains selectable, readable text and is marked "Free sample - selected pages". It is not the complete book.
Before You Speak to a Maritime Lawyer
Contents
Practical chapters, worksheets and 25 consultation questions, all within the 33-page PDF.
What is inside
- A document checklist.
- A factual timeline template and a clearly labelled fictional example.
- A first-call summary sheet.
- Questions about deadlines, costs and fee agreements.
- Routes to finding appropriate professional help.
- 25 numbered consultation questions across two worksheet pages.
A fictional timeline example
- 3 March Joined the vessel as a retail employee. Source: joining confirmation and SEA, D01–D02.
- 31 March Received a payslip showing a USD 120 deduction labelled 'adjustment'. Source: D03. I do not know the calculation.
- 2 April Emailed payroll asking which period and policy the adjustment concerned. Source: D04.
- 5 April Received a reply referring to a commission reversal, without an itemised calculation. Source: D05.
This fictional example identifies a question. It does not imply that the deduction is invalid or that a claim would succeed.
Author and edition
Written by Dr. Ezekiel Aluda Osolika, a Kenyan physician with shipboard, expedition, emergency and aeromedical experience. He is a physician, not your lawyer.
- Edition
- Reader edition 1.0, 20 October 2026
- Format
- 33-page PDF; printable worksheets and 25 consultation questions included
- Legal review
- Independent maritime legal review has not been completed.
Delivery, updates and refunds
- Checkout and delivery of the PDF are handled by Gumroad. The worksheets are printable pages inside the PDF; this is a digital book, not a printed copy.
- One payment in USD, no subscription. The edition and date are printed in the book.
- Problem with a download or an order? Email ezekiel@theshipdoctor.com with the product title and your Gumroad order reference. See orders, updates and refunds.
Questions
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a preparation guide. It does not decide whether you have a claim, and reading or buying it does not create a legal-client relationship. Independent maritime legal review of this edition has not been completed.
Will you review my worksheet or my case?
No. The worksheets are for your own files. There is no upload, case review or referral service. Take your completed pages to the adviser you choose.
Should I finish the workbook before asking for help?
No. If there may be a deadline, a document to sign or an urgent problem, seek advice promptly and explain what is still missing. See Get help now.
What do I receive?
One PDF file, Reader edition 1.0, 33 pages, including printable worksheets and 25 numbered consultation questions. The worksheets are not fillable forms. There is no EPUB or printed copy.
Can I read it without internet?
Once the PDF is saved on your device, you can read and print it offline.
Who do I contact about my order?
Email ezekiel@theshipdoctor.com with the product title and your Gumroad order reference. Never send payment-card details by email. See orders, updates and refunds.
Before You Speak to a Maritime Lawyer