John R. Neeleman

John R. Neeleman

Areas of Practice

John Neeleman regularly represents clients in federal and state courts and federal, state and local administrative agencies, and provides advice and counsel to corporate clients and business owners in matters involving varied and complex factual and legal issues.

John represents and advises clients in a wide variety of industries, including health care, ERISA, petroleum, forest products, retail, apparel, fisheries, tobacco, computer technology, manufacturing, transportation, gaming, insurance, construction, restaurant, and real estate development. His work has involved environmental, constitutional, corporate, commercial contracts, intellectual property, real estate, franchise, banking, securities, labor, employment, transportation, gaming, pension plan, tobacco, employment, privacy, and antitrust laws, with related complex financial and damages issues.

As a commercial litigator specializing in complex cases, John has tried cases and won large plaintiff verdicts and defense verdicts for businesses in state and federal courts in Washington and Alaska. He has represented some of the United States' most well-known and respected entrepreneurs and corporate officers in securities and other business litigation. He has successfully prosecuted Directors' and Officers' liability and other business-related insurance claims for businesses and individuals.

He has successfully represented clients in proceedings before administrative agencies such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S Customs Service, and the Washington Department of Revenue. He has represented clients in disputes with various government agencies including Attorney Generals throughout the United States, the National Association of Attorney Generals, the Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Washington Department of Ecology, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the Alaska Division of Insurance, and the Washington Department of Revenue.

He has litigated the entire panoply of federal and state Constitutional law issues regularly facing business owners including but not limited to those arising under the Due Process, Equal Protection, and Interstate and Foreign Commerce clauses, and the First, Fifth and Fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution, and federal preemption in various contexts.

Practice Group and Specialty Team Memberships

· Class Action Defense

· Director and Officer Liability

· Environmental

· Health Care

· Intellectual Property and Technology

· Professional Liability

· Railroad and Mass Transportation

· Securities Litigation

Professional and Community Activities

· Board of Directors, Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra

· Board of Directors, Japan-Seattle Suzuki Institute