Neal W. Settergren

Managing Member

St. Louis, Missouri 

phone: (314) 516-1711
fax: (314) 421-2832
email: neal@gp-law.com

An experienced advisor on complex maritime, insurance, trial, and appellate issues, our clients rely on Neal for trusted legal advice.  

Currently serving as a managing member for the firm, Neal is an experienced attorney in and out of the courtroom, handling a variety of maritime, commercial, and insurance matters for our clients. Neal has spent over twenty years serving the special needs of our clients in the maritime industry, ranging from litigation over maritime disasters to workers’ injuries under the Jones Act or Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act as well as commercial transactions and regulatory matters. 

Neal has forged strong relationships with our clients. These relationships and Neal’s experience allow him to handle complex business transactions efficiently and professionally and respond to our clients’ needs in times of crisis. Neal’s courtroom experience coupled with an extensive study of maritime and admiralty law have made him a seasoned practitioner in our specialized areas of practice. 

Areas of Practice
• Admiralty and Maritime
• Commercial Matters
• Trial and Appellate Practice

Bar Admissions
• Missouri
• Illinois
• Minnesota

Federal Courts where Neal has practiced
• Supreme Court of the United States
• United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
• United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
• United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
• United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
• United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
• United States District Court for the Northern District Court of Ohi
• United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
• United States District Court for the District of Utah
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
• United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

Education

J.D., Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri
 • Order of the Coif
 • Recipient, Wiley Rutledge Moot Court Golden Gavel Award, 1999-2000
 • Washington University Law Review, Articles Editor

B.A., Drake University
• Summa cum laude
• Phi Beta Kappa

Representative Cases

• Upper River Services, L.L.C. v. Heiderscheid, 481 F. Supp. 3d 907 (D. Minn. 2020) (obtained summary judgment on employee’s injury claims brought under the Jones Act and General Maritime Law)

• Gary Neff v. Catfish Bend Casinos II, LLC, No. LALA 004487 (Iowa Dist. Ct. for Des Moine Cnty. Jan. 27, 2016) (obtained directed verdict for defendant on second day of trial on the issue of seaman status)

• In re American River Transportation Company, 800 F.3d 428 (8th Cir. 2015) (establishing that government’s claim for lock damage was subject to shipowner’s proceeding for limitation of liability)

• United States of American v. Brennan Marine, Inc., Case 13-cv-02743-PJS-SER, Doc. 192 (obtaining dismissal of Plaintiff’s claims for punitive and other non-pecuniary damages in wrongful death case)

• Forrest W. Phillips v. Hunter Marine Transport, Inc., 3:09-cv-00997-SCW (S.D. Ill), Doc. 104, 112 (obtain unanimous verdict in jury trial against seaman for fraud and defeat seaman’s claims seeking damages for alleged injuries to his cervical spine)

• Hull v. Upper River Services, 62-cv-11-1505 (Ramsey County, Minnesota) (obtain jury verdict finding Plaintiff 85% at fault for injuries that resulted in amputation of leg)

• Shirley Adams v. Alter Barge Line, Inc., No. 07-501-DRH, 2009 WL 806598 (S.D. Ill. March 27, 2009) (obtained summary judgment on employee’s claims of unlawful employment practices)

• Alvin Doughty v. Tennessee Valley Towing, Inc., No. 5:04CV-173-JHM, 2007 WL 3071524 (W.D. Ky. Oct. 19, 2007) (won unanimous defense verdict in seaman’s jury trial for alleged low back injury)

• Hurd v. American River Transp., Appeal Nos. 07-5467 and 07-5468 (6th Cir. 2007) (affirming judgment in favor of towboat operator in case involving alleged injuries arising from near collision on Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee)

• L-3 Communications Corp. v. E.R. Lewis Transportation, Inc., No. 2:04-CV-765 TS, 2005 WL 3591987 (D. Utah Dec. 30, 2005) (obtained summary judgment on breach of contract claim)

Published Works
• “Juries Should Not be Trusted to Decide Admiralty Cases”, (Co-Author), 34 Journal of Maritime Law & Commerce, 163, 2003

• “An Update on the Troubled Waters of Towage Law”, (Co-Author), 79 Tulane Law Review 1385, June, 2005

• “Why Admiralty Should be Studied in Law School”, Saint Louis University Law Journal Vol. 55, No. 2 (Winter 2011)

Classes/Seminars
• Adjunct Professor of Admiralty and Maritime Law, St. Louis University School of Law, 2007 – 2016

• “An Update on the Wreck Act and Related Provisions”, St. Louis River Seminar, September 19, 2023

• “The Company Representative Deposition, The New Federal Rule 30(b)(6)”, Presented at 2021 BAMSL Maritime Law Seminar, October 29, 2021

• “Marine Casualty Investigations”, Presented at 2015 BAMSL Maritime Law Seminar, September 17, 2005

• “Recent Developments in Maritime Law”, Presented at BAMSL’s Maritime Law Seminar on October 17, 2013.

• “Recent Developments in Maritime Law”, Presented at BAMSL’s Maritime Law Seminar on September 27, 2012.

• “Insurance Coverage for Acts of Terrorism”, Presented at Insurance Coverage in the 21st Century Seminar, Saint Louis, Missouri, February 19, 2008.

Professional Associations and Memberships
• The Missouri Bar, Member

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